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The YellowJackets

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Hilary Rosenthal Student Contributor, University of Rochester
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Rochester chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

1. Names of all of the members
 
Aaron Sperber, Jamal Moore, Galen Dole, Jordan Fontheim, Michael Pittman, Matthew Francis, Matthew Carlin, Ross Pedersen, John Greenhalgh, Nicholas Wiggins, Kieran Kriss, Christopher Young, Abhishek Sharma, Aden Brooks, Danny Rubenstein
 
2. What got the group interested in your project in Africa and what did you do whilst there?
 
As a group, we have always been interested in spreading music with a message. We believed that music is a powerful force that has monumental impacts on people’s everyday lives. Music also connects people from all walks of life and brings people together in ways that other things cannot. We were approached by a nonprofit that told us all about a primary school in a little town in Kenya, Africa that live their lives through the music that they create. We decided that we wanted to reach out to them and go on a musical exchange. There, we filmed a documentary that will be released this spring and we also recorded an album with the children from this school. We are so excited to release both of these, as it will bring a lot of attention to AIDS and poverty in Africa, but from a more relatable source. 
 

3. I know you probably cannot speak much on the topic of The Sing-Off, but how did the group decide to audition?
 
In late April, we were contacted by NBC and were asked to come to an audition in NYC. Even though it was in the middle of finals week, we packed up a few vans and drove to the city to audition. They contacted us in mid June and told us that we made it onto the show! It was very exciting and the whole Sing-Off experience was truly life changing. We met people that we will be friends with for the rest of our lives. 
 
4. What is the groups future aspiration?
 
The YellowJackets are going to continue traveling and using music as a message. It’s something that we are very passionate about and it’s a great way to spread a good cause! 

Be sure to check out the YellowJackets on the Sing-Off on NBC this Monday September 19th at 8pm!!

Hilary Rosenthal is a senior International Relations major and minor in Journalism at the University of Rochester. Hilary recently returned from a semester abroad in Barcelona, Spain and is excited to return to campus. She is a a varsity lacrosse player, Vice President of Panhellenic Conduct, a writer for Athletic Communications and a writer for the Campus Times. She hails from Loudonville, New York and loves skiing, fashion, exploring music, hot yoga, ice cream and fro- yo, traveling, cooking, nail polish and a great book. Although most of her experience is in the political field, she is extremely excited to work on and start a Her Campus branch at the University of Rochester.