Pre-Med Students
All kinds of people want to be involved in collegiate a cappella groups. But when it comes to running a student organization, the leadership needs to think about how new personalities will affect the group dynamics. In this column, we take a candid look at the stereotypes associated with various sorts of people, and explain what these people may contribute to a group.
Please note that many of the characterizations presented in this column are intended to defuse mean-spirited stereotypes through humor. We do not intend to offend anyone.
In this edition we consider pre-med students.
It’s fair to have reservations about the pre-med student being too busy to really devote himself to your group. But consider the fact that this intensive studier has made the conscious decision to try to take part in your group. Such an individual knows how to budget her time, so let her see what she can do in the context of the group; she may even help the larger group budget its time more effectively.
True, pre-med students probably aren’t music majors; it’s not their lives, and there will come a time when they’ll probably leave a cappella behind altogether. But consider the practical skills they may bring to the group. Have an accident? They’re likely to know CPR. Someone starts choking when you’re grabbing a post-rehearsal snack? Who better to deliver the Heimlich maneuver?
OK, so the fact that pre-med students need to study all the time may limit how many gigs they’ll be happy taking on or how extracurricular they may want to get with the group. But remember that that time spent studying is time spent not getting into trouble in ways that are going to come back and bite the group. Also, if they’re used to studying hard, they’re more likely to transfer that attitude to learning and practicing new music as well.