Bethany Benjamin
Bethany Benjamin
Spelman College Glee Club makes voices heard, on and off the stage
Spelman College Glee Club makes voices heard, on and off the stage
In early March the Spelman College Glee Club embarked on its annual spring tour where, for 10 days, the group traveled and performed across the nation. However, this season differed from those before, as members were met with obstacles from both externally and within. Many cite tensions between members and the leadership of Dr. Kevin Johnson as a point of friction during the recent tour.
Johnson has been with the Glee Club for over two decades, serving as Director as they perform across the AUC and a number of other high-profile spaces. Following the tour’s conclusion, administration communicated to members that all Glee Club activities would be placed on a pause, with Johnson temporarily on leave. What members characterize as divisive practice methods, intense pressure and a rocky opening performance produced a fallout within the early days of the tour.
“It started the first night when we had our first concert and it didn't go as well as we wanted it to, so the morale was kind of already low about that. We were like, okay, we're gonna go to the next concert, and you know, be better, but then we were called to have a meeting,” a Glee Club member who chose to remain anonymous said. “We were all held in a room, where we were basically vetted as singers, if we were good singers or not. We were split into two choirs, which were called the chamber singers, which was the 'better' group of singers and then the Glee Club singers, which would just be everybody else.”
Glee Club members characterize touring as rewarding but demanding, both physically and emotionally, as the group works to embody their motto “to amaze and inspire.” What was described as “toxic” energy produced a weight over the already taxing endeavor.
“Now musicality is very important, but how he did it was not the kindest and not the wisest way to do so,” sophomore Lauryn White said.
The incident quickly shifted the group’s dynamic.
“That did cause a sort of chasm within the Glee Club. A lot of hurt feelings, a lot of anger, of course, because that's not what tour is, it's never what it's been. We've always sung together, we've always improved together,” the anonymous member said.
This first experience would preface the rest of the tour, where members detailed continual harsh treatment and late, exhausting practices.
“We've never had a tour like this in the past,” another member said. “I've been on tour my whole time at Spelman, every year. And we've just never seen this level of aggression, this level of just working us like we're machines and not really caring for people.”
Working through these hurdles, the ensemble was able to complete a successful spring tour concluding with a performance at the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church. Now back on campus, members face a number of unanswered questions regarding how the rest of the year will look.
“What does this look like for Founder's Day? What does this look like for our spring concert that we have coming up? What does this look like for graduation, baccalaureate, all of these other things that do require us to be in practice and directed?” senior Samarah Currie, who has spent all eight semesters of college in Glee Club, said.
Despite uncertainty, members are not deterred by the pause in operations. Instead, many expressed optimism and pride about how this moment has and will continue to redirect the club. Many of the members stated that while the experience had the potential to tear them down, it instead brought them closer together, affirmed in their advocacy and their commitment to one another.
“I believe that towards the end of the tour was where we finally got to see this breakthrough moment where we no longer were facing as much tension because we weren't focusing on Dr. Johnson, but we were focusing on the community that we were building. We were focusing on our own efforts and we were really just working as a team, and I loved seeing that,” White said.
Over time, this shared resolve helped transform their frustration into a renewed sense of unity/
“It was hurtful, it was offensive, it was demeaning. Yet at the same time, we, the students, the members of the Glee Club decided that we would not let this define us. We would not let the dissension he was trying to cause take full effect in the way that we treated each other,” another anonymous member said.
Glee Club President Ryan Bates says that her perspective of the tour has not been shaped by the friction with Johnson, but by the demonstration of “how the young women of Spelman College can prevail in every type of situation.”
“Regardless of how our tour went, the gifted young ladies in the Glee Club have gone exceedingly and abundantly above all of my expectations. I wouldn't be president without them, and I'm grateful for them, in every way possible. They have made me proud,” Bates said.
The events of the tour and the club’s subsequent pause have also sparked important conversations regarding the balance between student and faculty leadership, and what aspects of the organization need to be reworked. The polish the Spelman community sees is the product of a rigorous practice schedule, where members spend Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings honing their craft. To many, this pause is not a sign of defeat, but a moment to rest and regroup.
“Is it bad that we’re not having Glee Club right now? Yes. But is it good that there's some infrastructure and change coming through the music department, and that some of these ladies get a break?” Bates said. “I don't think taking a pause, because it's not over, is bad. I think that it’s going to make it better, make it more special when it comes back.”
To the heart of the Glee Club, its students, this moment is one of voices found and sustained, both on and off the stage.
“The legacy of Glee is not going to be defined by one person, by one man at that, but is defined by the sisterhood. By the way we carry each other, the way we are constantly pursuing the music and pursuing excellence in the music,” the anonymous member said.
In early March the Spelman College Glee Club embarked on its annual spring tour where, for 10 days, the group traveled and performed across the nation. However, this season differed from those before, as members were met with obstacles from both externally and within. Many cite tensions between members and the leadership of Dr. Kevin Johnson as a point of friction during the recent tour.
Johnson has been with the Glee Club for over two decades, serving as Director as they perform across the AUC and a number of other high-profile spaces. Following the tour’s conclusion, administration communicated to members that all Glee Club activities would be placed on a pause, with Johnson temporarily on leave. What members characterize as divisive practice methods, intense pressure and a rocky opening performance produced a fallout within the early days of the tour.
“It started the first night when we had our first concert and it didn't go as well as we wanted it to, so the morale was kind of already low about that. We were like, okay, we're gonna go to the next concert, and you know, be better, but then we were called to have a meeting,” a Glee Club member who chose to remain anonymous said. “We were all held in a room, where we were basically vetted as singers, if we were good singers or not. We were split into two choirs, which were called the chamber singers, which was the 'better' group of singers and then the Glee Club singers, which would just be everybody else.”
Glee Club members characterize touring as rewarding but demanding, both physically and emotionally, as the group works to embody their motto “to amaze and inspire.” What was described as “toxic” energy produced a weight over the already taxing endeavor.
“Now musicality is very important, but how he did it was not the kindest and not the wisest way to do so,” sophomore Lauryn White said.
The incident quickly shifted the group’s dynamic.
“That did cause a sort of chasm within the Glee Club. A lot of hurt feelings, a lot of anger, of course, because that's not what tour is, it's never what it's been. We've always sung together, we've always improved together,” the anonymous member said.
This first experience would preface the rest of the tour, where members detailed continual harsh treatment and late, exhausting practices.
“We've never had a tour like this in the past,” another member said. “I've been on tour my whole time at Spelman, every year. And we've just never seen this level of aggression, this level of just working us like we're machines and not really caring for people.”
Working through these hurdles, the ensemble was able to complete a successful spring tour concluding with a performance at the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church. Now back on campus, members face a number of unanswered questions regarding how the rest of the year will look.
“What does this look like for Founder's Day? What does this look like for our spring concert that we have coming up? What does this look like for graduation, baccalaureate, all of these other things that do require us to be in practice and directed?” senior Samarah Currie, who has spent all eight semesters of college in Glee Club, said.
Despite uncertainty, members are not deterred by the pause in operations. Instead, many expressed optimism and pride about how this moment has and will continue to redirect the club. Many of the members stated that while the experience had the potential to tear them down, it instead brought them closer together, affirmed in their advocacy and their commitment to one another.
“I believe that towards the end of the tour was where we finally got to see this breakthrough moment where we no longer were facing as much tension because we weren't focusing on Dr. Johnson, but we were focusing on the community that we were building. We were focusing on our own efforts and we were really just working as a team, and I loved seeing that,” White said.
Over time, this shared resolve helped transform their frustration into a renewed sense of unity/
“It was hurtful, it was offensive, it was demeaning. Yet at the same time, we, the students, the members of the Glee Club decided that we would not let this define us. We would not let the dissension he was trying to cause take full effect in the way that we treated each other,” another anonymous member said.
Glee Club President Ryan Bates says that her perspective of the tour has not been shaped by the friction with Johnson, but by the demonstration of “how the young women of Spelman College can prevail in every type of situation.”
“Regardless of how our tour went, the gifted young ladies in the Glee Club have gone exceedingly and abundantly above all of my expectations. I wouldn't be president without them, and I'm grateful for them, in every way possible. They have made me proud,” Bates said.
The events of the tour and the club’s subsequent pause have also sparked important conversations regarding the balance between student and faculty leadership, and what aspects of the organization need to be reworked. The polish the Spelman community sees is the product of a rigorous practice schedule, where members spend Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings honing their craft. To many, this pause is not a sign of defeat, but a moment to rest and regroup.
“Is it bad that we’re not having Glee Club right now? Yes. But is it good that there's some infrastructure and change coming through the music department, and that some of these ladies get a break?” Bates said. “I don't think taking a pause, because it's not over, is bad. I think that it’s going to make it better, make it more special when it comes back.”
To the heart of the Glee Club, its students, this moment is one of voices found and sustained, both on and off the stage.
“The legacy of Glee is not going to be defined by one person, by one man at that, but is defined by the sisterhood. By the way we carry each other, the way we are constantly pursuing the music and pursuing excellence in the music,” the anonymous member said.