Rediscovering the Joy of Music

hand holding heart object with words about creativity and joy
By Serena Lin ‘25 "You cannot count the beats. You must simply feel the music." As someone who is very numbers-based and methodical, this was quite a challenge. There was something stressful about not being able to protocol-ize a music note. As I stumbled through the first semester of my beginner's clarinet lessons, I originally expected just to "get through it" for th...
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The Glee of Glee Club

Emma under waterfall in blue swimsuit
By Emma Grace Howlett ‘25 Contrary to its name, the Pomona College Glee Club is not a club, nor does it perform elaborately choreographed musical numbers. A long-standing tradition for over 100 years, the Glee Club is the small college chamber choir, and performs an a cappella repertoire of music from the 16th century to the present. Somehow I worked up the courage to auditi...
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Get some sleep! Play a song! Get that ice cream!

Emily with friend Steph in graduation robe, holding bouquet
By Emily Kim ‘25 Roughly two weeks ago, I finished my first year of college! This finals season was particularly tiring for me: on Monday I had a computer science exam (though I was glad to get it done early on in the week); on Tuesday I spent the entire day writing a final paper for my Jane Austen class; and Wednesday and Thursday were dedicated to finishing a project and s...
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Singing Through the Mask

backs of three female singers facing Bridges Hall of Music stage
By Emma Grace Howlett ‘25 When I was ten years old, I auditioned for the Seattle Children’s Chorus with a blanket over my head. I was too shy to sing my audition song, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” and hid underneath my comforting childhood friend, Blankie. With the choir director blocked from view and Blankie’s soft blue fabric creating a calming atmosphere, I was able to ...
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Life at Pomona Is … (as seen through the lens of everyday objects)

collage of images
By Serena Lin '25 As my first year of college comes to a close, I’ve looked back on a folder of photos titled “joys.” Being mindful of memorable moments is a habit that I developed as a busy college student. So here are some vignettes about Pomona through the lens of everyday objects. Birdstrike binocular: why not? On a whim, I reached out to the biology department...
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Catching a Concert in L.A.

Tkay Maidza in concert
By Porter Reyes ‘25 My friends and I are often antsy to get off campus. Even though there’s usually a lot going on at Pomona (plays, orchestra performances, lectures, etc.), Southern California has many places to visit and things to do. Recently, my friends and I drove to the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood to watch one of my favorite artists in concert, Tkay Maidza! While...
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Will I Sound Like Beyoncé?

Sonam in front of microphone
By Sonam Rikha ’24 Have you ever gone on a walk with your friends, and all of a sudden you hear a loud, high-pitched, angelic voice? Chances are, if you followed that voice, you would stumble across a little Asian girl singing at the top of her lungs as her embarrassed brother follows at a distance. Ever since I was a little kid, I loved singing and was pretty open about it....
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Rico Nasty and Lil Nas X: An Unlikely Duo

LilNas
By Myles Ashitey ‘22 We’ve all heard that song on the radio, “I’m gonna take my horse to the Old Town Road…”.  It was a nonstop hit for months and rightfully so. Lil Nas X is becoming a defining voice in country music, especially in a genre dominated by white artists. He has consistently remained on the Billboard charts even in the face of their initial ruling about him not ...
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Falling in Love … With a Guitar

My battle vest, covered with patches of bands I like, baseball teams, and art made by me and my friends
By Tristan Latham ‘23 Music has always played a large role in my life. I’ve played electric guitar since I was in 1st grade and have always loved classic rock and heavy metal. When I came to Pomona, I knew I would continue to follow these interests but with the greater access of the college I wanted to do a little more. Since I’ve gotten here, I have been able to redi...
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KSPC: Why I Love Tuesday Mornings

KSPC walls with T-shirts
By Becky Zhang ‘22 Last spring semester, I started volunteering as a music DJ for the Claremont Consortium’s radio station, KSPC 88.7 FM. The station primarily features Underground music (that is, music from independent labels) ranging from folk to alternative, to jazz, to classical, to hip hop, and broadcasts a couple of news and talk shows throughout the week as well. (You...
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