Glee Club brings community joy through performances

Armed with a glittery tri-fold, a box of cookies and a stack of sign-up sheets, sophomores Ketki Palande, Katie Sable and Anya Srivats were ready to take on Club Day. While the wind incessantly pushed over their tri-fold and eventually their box of cookies, by the end of the event the girls had overflowing sign-up sheets and a feeling of triumph for their new club, Glee Club.

“We were not expecting that big of a turnout, [since] this is a new thing and we are just sophomores,” Sabel said, “but a ton of people were interested.”

Palande, Sabel and Srivats, friends united by their interest in music, have re-established Glee Club with the mission to share music beyond the school’s realm. Though the club previously existed at the school, it dissolved when its leaders graduated in 2013.

The sophomores restarted Glee Club to provide people with a way to continue singing, performing and keeping up with music even if they do not have time to commit to choir.

“I use music as an outlet because I feel like I'm in a very high pressure environment,” Srivats said. “This is a way to share my passion with so many people who feel the same way.”

The officers plan to host performances at locations that generally do not receive live entertainment, such as hospitals and nursing homes. The club serves as a creative outlet for students to sing songs ranging from pop to Broadway.

In order to hold monthly performances, the club meets every Monday in room MO2 under the advisory of choir teacher Andrew Ford to rehearse songs and choreography. The club, while dedicated to organizing high-quality shows, invites students of all musical talents to join.

“This club is meant to be a really positive, inclusive environment full of people who want to make music and make a difference in our community,” Palande said.

In the spirit of establishing a friendly atmosphere, the club will host club bonding events and sing-along movie nights. According to Sabel, “even the tone-deaf are accepted,” and club-building activities will bring members closer together.

Glee Club does not expect its members to practice outside of meetings because the officers want to stress the low-commitment nature of the club. As performances approach, the officers will only call some groups of students to practices in order to work specifically with the different ranges and set lists for the club’s live shows.

“I hope that we are able to bring smiles to some people's faces when we sing for them in hospitals and nursing homes,” Palande said. “If we can do that, I'll say we've succeeded in all counts to be able to make somebody's day a little better.”

Sabel already discovered her joy in sharing the arts this summer through Giving Individuals Fabulous Theater (GIFT), a program that offers live theater for those who rarely get to see live performances. She worked with a group that often performed up to eight shows each weekend throughout the Bay Area. In re-establishing Glee Club with the other officers, she hopes to bring her passion to those involved with the club.

“The thing I want to happen for this club is for the members to see what I saw over the summer, which is that [they’re] really making an impact on these people’s lives,” Sabel said. “We would like to provide a low time commitment activity for anyone who is interested in giving back to the community.”

Even with positive reactions to the club at Club Day, however, ensuring the club’s success has required personal investment and time commitment.

“There's the stress of really wanting to make this work,” Palande said. “I honestly had no idea what starting a club would entail, but I'm glad I did it. It's been an incredibly memorable experience so far.”