Music as a Serious Pursuit

“I've never considered music as a serious option for me until I gave it a try,” Michael Wu reflected.

Michael is a third-year Math student at the University of Waterloo who is actively involved in the Music program at Conrad Grebel University College and also lives at Grebel.  

Michael’s interest lies in vocal music, which is why he has immersed himself in all the choirs that Grebel offers: Chapel Choir, Chamber Choir, and University Choir. He was also involved in the production of “Something Rotten!,” a musical put on by Grebel students two years ago. “I enjoy singing much more than just listening to music,” he explained. “Part of that is because I love creating music; when I sing my part and hear it blend perfectly with the other voices to form chords, it feels incredible. Singing those notes myself adds to that joy; it makes the experience even more fulfilling." 

While he liked his music classes in school, Michael didn’t pursue additional music lessons until his friend encouraged him to join the choir club at their high school.  To his surprise, this experience led him to join a choir once he came to Grebel. Since then, he has tried guitar and cello lessons, joins the Grebel hymn sing every Sunday, and has taken some of the Music courses that Grebel offers. At this point in his university career, he has realized that he wants to add a Music minor. This choice could lead to a joint degree in Music and Math if he continues to feel drawn toward this path. 

Michael has always wanted to be part of a barbershop quartet, which he has done in a few Talent Shows and is set to perform next at Grebel’s End-of-Term Talent Show this year. The quartet marks a major milestone in Michael’s music journey. In his first year at Grebel, he tried to organize a barbershop quartet but found the vocals to be more challenging than anticipated,  “I feel like I’m climbing up a level in the world of music because I used to be just a singer in a choir, but now I’m kind of conducting my own little thing,” explained Michael. 

For Michael, music started out as something he simply tried out of curiosity. To incoming students, he advises: “If time allows, I encourage you to try out the University Choir, which meets every Tuesday from 7:00 to 10:00 PM pretty much all school year. The time commitment is just three hours during rehearsal, and ideally, you only need to practice a little bit per week outside of rehearsal.” Michael also noted that trying different activities and hobbies goes further than music, and that if there is something that piques your interest, it might be worth giving it a try. As a final thought, Michael added, “Don’t feel too stressed about it. Just try things out!” 

By Tasbiha Ansari