Building a remarkable college experience can often be hard, especially when directing so much of our time towards classes and academic affairs. At Elizabethtown College, student clubs create a massive opportunity for us students to get involved in fascinating activities that can catch our interests, and make our college experience something unforgettable.
One of the most acclaimed student clubs, and one that greatly represents Etown’s talents in music and performance, is Melica, an all-female acapella group with a long-running history of success. Originally established on campus in 1995, Melica has been empowering female students through strong friendships and a shared passion for music for almost 30 years.
So, what makes Melica such a great club? Well, we had the opportunity to interview one of the latest (and hottest) additions to the group, sophomore student Brooke Seislove, who started falling in love with music while taking piano lessons at the age of six, and is currently involved in three different choir groups. Seislove found out about Melica during one of their performances at an accepted student day, and knew right away that she wanted to be a part of the group.
“They were looking for a beatboxer, and asked me if I wanted to learn how to beatbox, since I’d never done it before,” said Seislove. ”It sounded really hard at first, but I feel like I’ve learned a lot over the last few months.”
Since joining Melica last October, Seislove has been able to perform at two different events: the Homecoming performance in the fall, which saw the group build their own “magic school bus” and impersonate characters from the series, all while performing in front of hundreds of people at the parade; and in a more recent event, the GNO fundraiser, which was a concert that took place at the start of the spring semester.
The group is composed of 13 performers, from first-year to senior students, and all characterized by their positive energy and passion towards music. “No matter how bad of a day you’re having, [it] is really good to go down there and see a group of people that are always going to lift you up no matter what,” Seislove said. “We all share our highs and our lows and bond through music. They’re the nicest people in the world.”
Next Friday, March 25, Melica will be performing at “One Elle of a Night, ” which is the dance team’s benefit and fundraising event, as well as in the “Relay For Life” event, a cancer awareness event scheduled for early April. Their spring concert is set to take place on April 10, where each senior singer will pick their own song and perform it as a soloist.
In the past, Melica has competed in multiple acapella competitions, and performed in front of many audiences throughout the state. The competitions have slowed down since the start of the pandemic, but the group is planning to return to full form very soon.
