On The Edge News

By Maria Chacin 

In response to a survey that asked students what groups they would be interested in having on campus, Edgewood College hired Laura Kruschke in a part-time position to initiate an acappella program this fall semester. The survey was sent by Edgewood’s Division of Student Development.  

High Altitude 

The group is named High Altitude. Kruschke said the name was inspired by Edgewood’s mascot, Eddy the Eagle. “Eagles soar in high altitude,” she said, “and really beautiful melodies and harmonies kind of soar through space too.”   

The mission Kruschke stated for the group is “to share joy and foster a sense of community across campus through our music.”  

So far, High Altitude has five students; only one of them is pursuing a major in Music. “Every group starts somewhere,” Kruschke said. She aspires for the number of members to be doubled or even tripled in the near future.  

Expectations 

Kruschke  said her first priority is for the students in High Altitude to have fun. She wants the group to “be an outlet for musical creativity, especially since most of the kids part of this group won’t be Music majors.’’ 

High Altitude is still in process. According to Kruschke, they’ve started officially rehearsing just in the last few weeks.  

However, she said the group is already thinking of concerts and events for next semester. Kruschke is also enthusiastic about connecting with other college acappella programs. “Someday this group would be a competing group,” she said.  

Auditions 

Kruschke anticipates a new slot of auditions to be held spring semester where students would be able to request an individual audition time by email.  

Kruschke said the audition process is simple. “Students come in, they sing a verse and a chorus of some type of a pop song.” 

“It helps showcase their solo voice,” she said. “I might ask them some questions about their musical background, and then we do a brief sight-singing ear activity.”  

For more specific questions, contact Kruschke by email at lkruschkserco@edgewood.edu or follow High Altitude’s Instagram page: @ecacappella.