A Family of Singers

Central College President Mark Putnam pictured with Savannah Sexton ’25, student body president for the 2024-25 academic year.

Each spring the A Cappella Choir schedules a special rehearsal they refer to as “Bring a Friend to Choir.” Through the years I have been invited by students to join them. Our student body president for the 2024-25 academic year, Savannah Sexton ’25, who is also a member of the choir, sent me a kind invitation. It’s always a remarkable experience. Guests are invited to stand among the choir members in the risers, sit nearby on stage facing the choir or take a seat in the audience. My favorite perch is on the stage where I can see everyone and hear the impressive sound of blended voices.

Our director of choral activities is Mark Babcock ’91, M. Joan Kuyper Farver Chair in Music and professor of music. During the rehearsal, he shares insights about the techniques they employ and explains how rehearsals are designed. Near the end of rehearsal, Babcock invites the visitors to ask questions of the choir. Given the opportunity I asked, “When you think back to your time in high school and the choirs you joined at school or church, how would you compare this experience of singing in the A Cappella Choir to those earlier choral opportunities?”

Our choir members were eager to share. One student from a rural high school noted the challenges of singing in a very small ensemble of voices, sometimes with a recorded instrumental accompaniment. Others from larger communities described the “cutthroat” nature of the relationship among choir members constantly competing for recognition.

By contrast, the experience at Central was quite different. They noted the level of excellence they expect in their work but described their relational experience as a “family.” Members said, “We all want to be here.” “I feel supported by those around me and know they care about me.” Some described the benefits of singing to enhance emotional and psychological well-being. They agreed it was a highlight of their day and shared the joy they receive from working hard and laughing together. All of this warmed my heart, of course.

At the end of the rehearsal, the choir stood together hand-in-hand and sang their signature benediction, “The Lord Bless You,” an arrangement known by A Cappella Choir and Central alumni across generations. Even at the end of a very busy day, it was a sacred moment. This choir is bonded to all others before them and will remain connected to choirs in the generations to come.

In that moment it occurred to me that when I started at Central 14 years ago, some of these students were in preschool. The continuity of tradition, however, reliably paved the way for them to experience the very same sense of oneness, the shared sense of purpose and the deep sense of meaning embodied by their esteemed director who has been a part of this legacy since his days as a Central student. This is an enduring gift passed from one generation to the next and it is the very thing that makes us Forever Dutch^®.