It all started with a passion.

Back in 2010, Peng Wu’s love of singing took him to study opera at Guangxi Arts University in China, where he also worked as a part-time vocal instructor for 3 years.

Now, as an SCC student, Wu dreams of seeing more singers on campus and sharing his knowledge about singing.

The SCC Vocal Association (SCCVA) is the result of his dream — Wu serves as the president and the instructor.

According to Chelsea Ip, the secretary of SCCVA, the purpose of this association is to help students practice their singing, whether it be for contests or just for fun.

“To come to our club, you don’t need to have experience in singing,” Ip said.

Wu agreed with his fellow club member.

“We have three levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced, so even if you don’t know how to sing but you want to learn, we would be happy to help you,” he said.

According to Ip, other than helping students practice their singing, the purpose of the Vocal Association is to create new friendships.

In this club, students can find new friends and sing together.

When SCCVA was first initiated, they faced some challenges.

“It was challenging to find the right adviser for our club and fill up the paperwork,” Ip said. “Other than that, finding our first members was pretty challenging.”

However, through social media and friend-to-friend promotion, they found new members — 25 people registered before their first meeting. Recently they hosted a welcoming party at their first meeting.

“We did (a) mini singing competition in the meeting — we (grouped) strangers together and (gave) them 15 minutes to prepare a song,” Ip said. “It was fun.”

According to Nicholas Chu, the second secretary of SCCVA, they are planning to host more events in the future. The first event is to be an International Music Appreciation Party. Chu said that at this event, students can learn and explore more about international music.
They’re also planning to host “Shoreline Shows.”

“This event would allow students to showcase their talents,” Chu said. “Not just singing there in front of the microphone, but they can also show their dance moves too.”

According to Wu, their goal is to send students to different singing competitions. One of them is Golden Voices of America, which is part of the American Fine Arts Festival in New York City.

Angela Hsiung, a Taiwanese student, is one of the members. She heard about this club from her friend and decided to join.

“The reason I joined is I think this club is interesting,” said Hsiung. “I like singing, and by joining this club, I also can gain singing skills.”

Hsiung attended the first meeting and enjoyed it. “We played games at the meeting” said Hsiung. “I met some new friends there.”

Hsiung is looking forward to attending the next meeting.

For those who are interested, SCCVA meets from 2-4 p.m. every other Friday in Room 3011. The next meeting will take place Friday, May 12. For more information, contact [email protected].

-Adelia Sindunata