For those young people in the world who have the privilege of having their lives graced by participation in a group where service, loyalty, and dedication are ingrained in their minds and refined to precision, they exude a special austerity and luster in their later lives that is uncommon on Earth, and they are revered by many who have the pleasure of their presence. The Purdue Varsity Glee Club is one of those groups… a quasi-professional singing ensemble of 65 men that operates as a strict fraternity of discipline, music, and professionalism. It is this group, this fraternity, that has that amazing effect not only on its own fraternal members, but also on every audience, of bringing heart-felt inspiration to the human soul. It is this group whose imprimatur was stamped upon me at an early time in my collegiate career at Purdue, and which continues to influence my life, my thoughts, my values, my direction.
The Varsity Glee Club at Purdue University was founded in 1893 and remains the oldest student organization at Purdue still in existence. I became a part of this distinguished fraternity in 1996 upon my entrance to Purdue. Originally, my heart had been set on attending Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, IN, to study engineering, but when I learned the glee club had accepted me at Purdue, my decision was made… I was going to be a Boilermaker. It was the best decision I have made in my whole life.
The glee club quickly took me, the perennial "green" freshman, and gave great direction to my life. I learned so much from glee club that I am hearing myself repeat what I learned there. The director, Brian Breed, became a mentor to me, regardless of whether or not he was aware of it, and I sought to learn as much as I could from this tremendous leader. I have long thought that whatever leadership skills I possess, I possess because of Mr. Breed. For more on how Brian Breed shaped my life, and what I learned from him, see my mentors page.
The Purdue Varsity Glee Club is arguably the finest collegiate men's chorus in the United States for all around performance, energy, detail, etiquette, and capability. At Purdue, they do not throw the word "varsity" around lightly. When they say varsity, they mean varsity (unlike some schools). The glee club rehearses (remember, only athletic teams practice) 5 days per week, and performs 3-4 concerts per week on average around the state of Indiana. Occasionally, the glee club will go on tour in the United States, and once every three years it goes on tour overseas during the summer. Specialty groups are routinely sent to perform for Purdue President's Council events around the country each year. The annual PMO Christmas Show plays to 6 sold out audiences in the Elliott Hall of Music, for a total of 36,000 attendees. I was a part of this amazing organization for my 3 years at Purdue.
Membership in glee club was quite an amazing experience for me. From the group
I learned about the qualities of dedication, service to others, perseverance,
and hard work. I learned etiquette, discipline, social mannerisms, and gained
interactive skills that have had a profound influence on my life up to this point.
The PVGC and its director, Mr. Brian Breed, instilled in me knowledge of the
medicinal power of music and fraternity. When these are combined, it is sometimes
easy to feel as though you're invincible. I feel my existence was lifted to a
new level through the tempering effect that the PVGC has had on my life. It
has taught me to recognize quality, to be confident in myself, and to be an
individual with a righteous disposition and outlook on life.
You might be thinking… "How would I ever know that the PVGC is so special?" Take this simple example: Let's imagine that you are the coordinator of a glee club concert at a small high school in nowhere, Indiana. It's concert day, and you are awaiting the arrival of the Glee Club. Suddenly, two large Purdue University coaches arrive at the stage entrance to the school. 65 men jump off the busses in full business suits that are custom tailored and fit to perfection. They are all clean-cut guys… you see none with facial hair. Immediately everyone snaps to a job that it seems they have been pre-programmed to perform. You see one small crew go directly in to the theatre to assess the stage and sound systems. The storage compartments on the busses are all opened, and everyone grabs a piece of equipment, or a hanging luggage bag. There appears to be so much luggage… but within minutes it is whisked inside, like clockwork. One person finds the director's dressing room and sets his costume out. The properties committee begins setting up risers… they go up flawlessly in minutes. Other members take hanging luggage bags to dressing rooms, and everyone orients themselves to the stage, noting stairways, and appropriate routes of entrance and exit to the stage. There is going to be a show tonight, folks. PVGC is in town. After risers are set up, you find out that the school sound system suffered damage last night in a rain storm, and will not be available for the show. No problem. The Glee Club has its own sound. The sound setup is done in 20 minutes. We're ready to perform…. First, however, we eat. We sing songs when we eat…we sing a blessing beforehand, and table songs during dinner. Noone sits down at dinner until Brian sits. Noone lifts a fork at dinner until our director has lifted his. You're impressed. After dinner, we leave in our business suits… 20 minutes later, the show begins… the announcer says… "Ladies and Gentleman, under the direction of Brian Breed, the Purdue Varsity Glee Club!" The crowd goes wild, but we don't appear on stage! We bolt in to the auditorium from the back doors… we fill the aisles… But wait…we are not in business suits anymore… The PVGC is now in full dress uniform… classy tuxedos for a professional caliber show. Brian comes on to the stage and directs us as we sing a song in the audience. The experience is magical. After the song, Brian gives a signal and we bolt to the stage, arriving in perfect lineup. It is quite something to see 65 men bolt from standing position into another group position on stage with no mistakes in a matter of 15 seconds. We perform our show, which is amazing. (I will not give away any more of the details… you have to see a show itself to experience it) Suffice it to say, it's not like most "Choir concerts." We entertain. After the show, each clubber gives his carnation to a lady in the audience. We make contacts, socialize with our audience, and finally sing a farewell song to the women. The stage is torn down quickly, we change back in to our travel uniforms…the dressing rooms are left nicer than the way we found them, as is the stage. We load the coaches and board. The show is over; We are going home.
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