In an effort to raise money for the young victims of the Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, Community Service Club (CSC), Tri-M and Aperture held a “Fall into Music” collaborative concert on Nov. 5. Unlike fundraisers in the past that sent food and other resources to regions in need, FREAD aims to buy books for students who are deprived of a proper education. The money raised will go through the FREAD organization to build bookshelves and other educational facilities in the Philippines.
“The performances were generally [of high-quality] and we managed to finish the concert without going through any major problems,” said Brian Kim (10), vice president of CSC. “However, since it was the first time that CSC held such a big event, there were definitely many ways in which we could have done better.”
The performances were largely varied, ranging from singing performances and dance performances to instrumental performances. Nick Yeo (10), secretary-treasurer of CSC, and Brian served as the MC’s for the concert by introducing each performance. Unlike the “Just 4 U” concerts that Tri-M holds on a regular basis free of cost, “Fall into Music” charged each ticket 5,000 won . As a result, the clubs managed to raise a total of 800,000 won.
“Our objective was not only to raise money for the students in Philippines but also to find a relaxing way to raise awareness for our club,” Nick said. “We thought this was a way to let students take some time out from their studies and spend half an hour listening to and watching performances. I felt nervous about talking in front of others and trying to lead the concert, but Brian and I tried our best so that the audience would feel welcome.”
As a way to entertain and entice the audience at the same time, the concert provided cupcakes and refreshments for everyone who paid for the tickets. Although there were small glitches in the concert such as the amp being broken and having to lead the concert without an actual microphone, the executives soon recovered and made sure to provide a smaller speaker with a microphone with the help of Michael Ganus, Tri-M adviser.
“I really enjoyed performing at this concert, especially because more people were really focused on the performances unlike some of the ‘Just 4 U’ concerts that Tri-M holds monthly,” said Debora Kim (11), Tri-M president elect and concert performers. “Even though our performance could have been more practiced, I think we managed to draw a positive reaction from the audience.”