Organization Spotlight: Noteworthy

In an effort to connect with the Emerson community more directly, we are taking our articles into the organizations that are so loved by the students at Emerson. These organizations work year-round to benefit the community in a number of different ways, and we at Her Campus at Emerson want to recognize the hard-work and dedication that go into running each and every one of them. In this article, we will be featuring Noteworthy, Emerson’s first A Cappella group founded in 2002! The organization prides themselves on being creative and constantly evolving as a unit. They create a capella arrangements in a variety of different music genres as an active part of Boston’s collegiate a cappella scene. 

The executive board is made up of the following Noteworthy members: 

• Jakob Cooper (Sergeant-At-Arms): Sports Communication 21’

• Alexa McAvoy (Secretary and Marketing) Theatre and Performance 22’

• Julianna Egidio (President) Acting 21’

• Molli DeRosa (Vice President) Journalism 20’

• Tray Fisk (Treasurer): Visual Media Arts 21’

Their organization is made up of students from a variety of different majors, and President Julianna Egidio explained that notewrothy’s uniqueness comes from how “members strive to create entertaining and exceptional acapella songs. However, our biggest priority and I think what makes us unique is that Noteworthy is always a family first and an acapella group second. As cheesy as it may sound, this could not be more true. I have been in Noteworthy since my first semester of my freshman year. Whenever I was stressed or struggling or having a hard week, it was my friends at Noteworthy that picked me up again and lifted my spirits.” Julianna continued by explaining that she has “found my best friends from this group and the new members that have come since have made Noteworthy their home too. We all depend on each other to collectively make Noteworthy a welcoming group in which we feel safe and encouraged to be ourselves. I am so proud of the family that Noteworthy is and know that, no matter how our music sounds, we are here to support each other and have fun!”

The organization has three major events throughout the year: A fall, winter, and spring concert. Their most recent winter concert had a large turnout, and was called “Making Spirits Bright.” All of the proceeds from this event went to Horizons for Homeless Children. They were so thankful for the enthusiasm and support of the audience and the energy of the night was carried throughout the performance. The show was held at the Hill House, a non-profit community center, located in Beacon Hill. The venue allows the group to perform free of charge, since they make sure to partner with the venue a week prior for their tree sales. The night was complete with Holiday music, in addition to contemporary/alternative music. The set included songs like Back Pocket by Vulfpeck and Silent Night in the style of Pentatonix.

Noteworthy is also looking forward to creating a stronger a cappella community on campus. They talked about their admiration for the other a cappella groups on campus (Acapellic’s Anonymous, Achoired Taste, Treblemakers, and SkinTones) and how they want to encourage their members to support others in the a cappella community more this semester through going to the concerts that other groups are hosting. They also hope to collaborate with other groups to put on their annual Acapalooza. Julianna explained that event is where “[Noteworthy] invites acapella groups from across New England to perform at Emerson’s one-day acapella event.” They hope that the other groups on campus would be able to join in on this, or create smaller events throughout the semester where they can perform alongside one another. 

In terms of what they are most looking forward to at this point in time, they are all excited for their spring concert. Julianna explained that the “spring concert is very special to us because it is when we must say our farewells to our senior members who will not be returning. We give speeches and awards to our seniors which always have such sweet and funny moments.” She went on to add her favorite part of the night is “sitting in the audience and watching seniors perform their own solos. These senior performances are always so fun with past members beatboxing, jamming on the bass or guitar, playing the piano, and singing with such bittersweet emotions.” While they have not yet finalized the date for the show, they know that whenever it is, it will be great, and all of the proceeds will go to benefiting a charity that they have all selected. 

In addition to looking forward to this year’s Spring concert, Julianna also reflected on the spring show last year, which is home to one of her favorite memories of her time with Noteworthy. Julianna stated that, “My favorite team memory is recording our EP in the spring semester of last year. It was so cool to be in a recording studio and collaborating with the group’s members to create a finalized product. The marketing, graphic design, and the entire production of the music was all completed by our own members and I was so proud of the three songs we created.” She also remembered back to listening to the unfinished version of “Weight in Gold” for the first time with the group. More specifically, Julianna continued, “we were so impressed with it’s sound and were jumping up and down with anticipation for it to be released on Spotify. Our EP is called L141 and includes the three songs: “You Go Down Smooth” soloed by Molli DeRosa, “The Less I Know The Better” soloed by Cedrick Ekra, and “Weight In Gold” soloed by Jakob Cooper. The EP can be found on Spotify on Emerson College’s Noteworthy page.

If you are interested in joining the club, please feel free to email ecnoteworthy@gmail.com. You can also find them on emconnect. At the beginning of the new semester, Noteworthy holds auditions, along with the other acapella groups. The next round of auditions will be held during the first week of September in 2020. If you want to stay up to date on all things Noteworthy, be sure to follow them on their social media channels: Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, and Spotify.

Finally, we asked Noteworthy to describe themselves in three words, to which, President Julianna Egidio responded: “Enthusiastic, Silly, and Compassionate. The members of Noteworthy all share an enthusiasm to sing and create music. We have so much energy and love to show how much fun we have together, whether it be screaming with excitement for potential new members at acapella auditions or giving it our all at our own concerts. Next, we are simply silly people. We in no way try to be ‘cool’ and love to make jokes and poke fun at ourselves. If you have attended our concerts you will surely see the occasional strange dance-move and funny facial expression as we sing. There is no better way to shake off the stress of a busy academic week then singing with your friends and being as silly as possible.  Finally, I believe that Noteworthy is a group of compassionate people. At every rehearsal I like to start with a check-in where members can express how their week has been, the good and the bad, and tell us things they look forward to in the future too. It is very important to make sure all members are seen and appreciated by the room. Noteworthy’s members are very compassionate and sincerely encourage each other to bring their truest selves to the room without fear of judgement.”

Bonus Questions: 

Talia Santopadre: What Hogwarts house does your organization most identify with? 

Julianna Egidio: Probably Hufflepuff. We are good friends to each other :)

 

TS: If you could describe your organization with one movie or TV show, what would you pick and why? 

JE: I’m thinking Parks and Recreation. We all have wild and large personalities that differ from each other, much like the characters on the show. Yet, we all know each other very well and appreciate each other’s differing contributions to the group. Plus, to reiterate, we are silly people and Parks and Rec has some strange and hilarious characters. 

 

TS: If your organization could be described with one animal, what would that animal be and why? 

JE: Golden retrievers. We are loyal and friendly. And we also just like to have fun!

 

TS: Is your organization more cat people or dog people?

JE: Based on my last answer I am gonna have to go with dog people!!

 

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