CdM Vocal Music Department’s annual Back to School Bonfire was held this past Friday (September 1st) at Big Corona. The kickoff event allowed students in choir to get to know each other and build the community they’ve recently become a part of, no matter what grade or ensemble they’re in. CdM choir, also known as the CdM Vocal Music program, consists of both CdM middle and highschool students and offers nine vocal ensembles ranging from “Nothing but Trouble” to “Madrigals”.
This event was organized by the program’s student leaders Jessica Miramadi and Madeleine Lubavin. A part of the Music Counsel, a sect of the program’s Community Development Team dedicated to student connection, they spearheaded an event aimed to commence interactions between the program’s new and returning members. Andrew Ball, CdM Choir’s director since 2014, highlighted the importance of the counsel comes with the importance of having a team focused specifically on the goal of community development within their student leadership group. Ball enthusiastically explained that, “we really believe in building our community not just within each class and not just within each ensemble, but also across all ensembles,” and noted that this type of student organized event allows “…great opportunities for connections to be made” while strengthening relationships among its many members. This is the first of their community bonding activities, and there are many more to come.
The Community Development Team’s first step towards bonding of the 23/24 year was met with success shown by the well-attended event. There were even CdM attendees that joined in on the beach festivities, even if they weren’t actually members of CdM Vocal Music. From eating dinner to just sitting and chatting, students were able to get to know each other and feel like they are a part of something. Freshman Skylar Foster noted that, “It’s a great event to meet new people and you get a feel for the whole community.” Although the weather was a bit overcast and not as pleasant as usual, it was a successful team building experience, setting the tone for an exciting year ahead.