This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Conn chapter.
Claim to Fame: Singer, Business Manager, and Treasurer in A Completely Different Note (CDN)
Mike is a senior Marketing major from West Hartford, CT.
How long have you been singing? Since 4th grade choir.
How did you get involved with Completely Different Note? My brother was a member of CDN for 6 years and actually overlapped with my freshman year. CDN has been a part of my life for almost 10 years and I have so many incredible memories with people I consider as close as family.
What are CDN practices like? We rehearse 6 hours a week and will perform 1-2 times per week. The beginning parts of the semester are focused on learning music and then as the final concert gets closer each semester, we focus on the deeper details of each song to bring it to the level we expect of ourselves.
Mike performs on Halloween costumed as a lumberjack (more on outfit choices below!).
What was your favorite performance? Last year all the acapella groups on campus had the honor of singing in Jorgenson for the famous acapella group, The Pentatonix. It was an honor to perform from them and receive feedback from artists as talented as them. Without groups like The Pentatonix, acapella simply couldn’t as popular as it is.
What is your favorite song to perform? I don’t know if I have a favorite song to perform, but one of my favorites is definitely Used 2 Love You by John Legend. It seems to be a song that the audience loves and we can’t seem to remove from our repertoire.
What does being a business manager for an A Cappella group entail? My role as business manager and treasurer is to respond to emails, bring business related information to the group, and to handle the money responsibly. I also handle most of our social media posts/advertising.
How do you manage a group and handle classwork/internships/other organizations? I have always felt having a structure to your college social/work life is important. By making CDN a priority in my college experience it has always helped to make sure all other parts of my life are managed. Our group is also tremendously supportive of each other. After rehearsal it is quite common to go to the library together and get our work done.
Mike poses with fellow CDN members. Check out their Final Spring Concert 2015
on April 19th at 4:30 – 6:00pm at Storrs Congregational Church.
How did the navy blue blazer, solid color button down and jeans become a part of CDN’s image? Before the fall of 2007, CDN did not have a traditional concert attire. In 2006, CDN competed in a national competition called ICCA’s. In order to look professional for the competition, we all wore a blue shirt, red tie, blazer, and khakis. The following semester the group decided to make the change to what we currently wear. Every gig since, it’s been navy blue blazer, solid color button down, dark jeans, brown belt, brown shoes, and purple socks MANDATORY.
Photos courtesy of Mike Steinberg.