Houghton Athletes Find Joy in Musical Expression
As the winter snow and the festive Christmas season descended on the Houghton campus this month, several Highlander student-athletes were able to share their musical talents with the community in the college's annual
Christmas Prism musical performances.
The following 10 Houghton student-athletes were involved with Prism as members of one of Houghton's varied choirs, orchestras and ensembles:
Stephen Brittin, baseball
Daniel Bussey, men's soccer
Julia Hotchkiss, women's cross country and track
Anja Oberg, women's cross country and track
James VanScoter, men's lacrosse
Madelyn Kruth, women's track
Ashley Hughes, field hockey
Silas Philbrick, men's lacrosse and track and field
Miranda Richert, women's tennis
Adam Funch, men's tennis
While some of the participants are music majors, several have chosen to stay involved with music for the pure enjoyment of creative expression. A few shared their thoughts on how they've been able to balance the demands of music with those of being involved in intercollegiate athletics and the commonalities between athletic and musical performance.
How long have you been involved in music?
Silas Philbrick (double major in music and inclusive childhood education): I have been playing the cello for 16 years.
Anja Oberg: I have been singing in a choir since fifth grade.
Julia Hotchkiss: I have been singing pretty much since I could talk, but I was officially in choir in the fourth grade. I also played clarinet from grades 5-12.
Stephen Brittin (music industry major): I have played piano since I was six, drums since I was 13, and have been singing in high level choirs since I was 15.
What do you enjoy most about music and performing?
Stephen: I love the collaboration part of music, specifically being a part of band. Everyone's different musical tastes and ideas bounce off of one another to create things much more spectacular than I could by myself.
Julia: I love the beauty of music. Well-executed harmonies give me goosebumps, and the feeling of creating something like that with my God-created voice box is amazing.
How do you balance your music with your athletics responsibilities?
Stephen: Music I can do almost any time of the day while athletics is usually only between a four-hour period during the day. I treat my music like my homework and work around my practice schedule. However, when I have late night rehearsals, I do have to miss practice from time to time, but this hardly ever happens.
Anja: They often do not overlap, except in the event of a concert, like Prism. When schedules do overlap, I will typically leave practice early to attend choir practice. To make up for the practice time I miss, I will sometimes begin practice earlier than the scheduled time or I will run earlier in the day.
What similarities do you see between practicing your music with practicing for your sport?
Stephen: In practicing music, it is very similar to pitching in baseball because it is all repetition. I have to practice little things over and over till I can apply it to the big picture.
Julia: Practicing for voice and my sport (track) are similar because both require discipline and endurance. Both need extreme lung capacity...
Silas: I find similarities in that in both athletics and music you are pushing yourself for that next goal. Even though it doesn't take much physical power to play the cello, it takes hours of perfection and practice as well as muscle memory as does athletics. Just like I push for a faster time on the track or improving my skills on the lacrosse field, I also have to push myself to be a better player each and everyday.
Anja: Both improving in my singing and improving in my running require a commitment of time. Especially as a distance runner, I need to put in time to run different lengths each day at practice. With singing, I make a commitment to practicing and learning the different pieces of music. Both also require that I take care of myself, giving myself time to rest and recover, so that I remain in good health and am able to give my best when practicing.
What is similar or different between performing on stage and performing on the playing field?
Stephen: Regardless of what setting, it is always a performance of some kind. In baseball, there is much more room for error than there is on stage. It is expected in music that you will make no mistakes whatsoever when performing. In baseball, you're given three strikes as a hitter or four balls as a pitcher.
Julia: Performing on stage and on the track are similar because in both situations, your "team" is depending on you to do your best, and you also expect a lot from yourself, so as not to let your counterparts down. These are different for obvious reasons. If you sing a wrong note on stage, the show must go on, but if you drop the baton outside of your lane in a relay... Well, you will be disqualified, and everyone will notice.
Silas: It is similar in that all eyes are on you when you are performing. In an event like Prism where there are so many lights focused on the stage and sitting right on the edge only adds that much more pressure. It is different in that it is an entirely different audience and atmosphere. Instead of more consistent cheering like you see in a game there is complete silence until you are done performing.
How has music made you a better athlete?
Stephen: Music makes me a better athlete because it helps me strive to always perform at the top of my game. It also helps with pressure to perform.
Julia: Music makes me a better athlete because, sometimes, I can play music in my head when I run. If I need to go fast, I think about an upbeat song, but I can imagine a slower song if I am going an easy pace. The speed of my footfalls become the baseline of whatever melody pops into my mind.
Silas: Music makes me a better athlete because it requires that I use my time more effectively and therefore my workouts are more effective ultimately making me a better athlete.
Anja: Performing musically has helped me grow in confidence, which reaches to multiple areas in my life, including athletics.
How has sport made you a better musician?
Stephen: Baseball makes me a better musician in an interesting way. In baseball, you are a team similar to a band is in music. Your role is unique to you on the field but you need your teammates/bandmates in order for you to succeed. For instance, if I'm pitching, no one else is pitching, but I need my defense to make the outs for me. If I'm the drummer, no one else is drumming, but I need the rest of the band to make complete music and a full song.
Julia: My sport makes me a better musician because I have been conditioned to perform to the best of my ability. No matter what sport you play, you want to do the best you possibly can for your team. That mindset certainly spills over into the rest of my life, including music performances.
Anja: My choir director often says that singing is athletic -- being in shape athletically helps me with posture, breathing, and being active in my singing.