Justyn Other Adventure

One of my favorite parts about being in the music program was the opportunity to travel. I had the chance to pursue my passion for music and also tour to different states and countries. Mr. Rogers is a well-known director in the choral music community. He has traveled to different states and countries making connections with other singers and music directors and working with their groups. He has also entered Chamber Singers and Singcopation into various competitions worldwide. Because of this, the groups are still being invited to compete and perform at conferences and festivals all around the world. It still blows my mind to think that I was a part of something like that. In my time with the groups, I got to tour all over the United States. We visited the East and West Coasts, and even attended a conference in Dallas, Texas. I was also a part of the group when they toured China, Germany and Poland. These experiences were all different for me, but ...

My second year at Mt. Sac was when I made it into Singcopation, and it changed my life forever. I had heard about Singcopation growing up, and in high school I was a part of our vocal jazz group. I had listened to jazz music before, but it wasn’t until I got to Mt. Sac that I really started to understand the genre and fall in love with it. Jazz has so many different facets to it. Within the genre are a million little subgenres and from there even more experimental projects and fusions that people take and run with. What I like most about jazz is that it is the same yet different. The driving force behind jazz, to experiment and push boundaries is always going to be there, and that leads to new and innovative styles of music that people listen to today. It all stems from the philosophy of jazz. I learned so much by being a part of the group. It introduced me to new world of music that I had never put a second thought into, but once I did, I was sold. What was cool abo...

Music has always been a part of my life. I come from a giant family who loves making music and singing. Whenever we get together, there’s always someone playing the piano or guitar. Before the night is through, we’re singing one of our favorite hymns in four-part harmony, with a descant included. It’s because of their influence that I decided to seriously pursue my own love of music. I am the youngest girl of my nineteen cousins. Most of them are 20-30 years older than me, so I grew up watching them as they went to college and pursued their dreams. When I was barely starting Kindergarten, one of my cousins, Dorothy, lived with us while she went to college. It was from her that I first heard the name Bruce Rogers. He was the director of choral studies at Mt. San Antonio College. He personally lead its two world-renowned vocal groups, Mt SAC Chamber Singers (the advanced classical choir), and Singcopation (a 12-person vocal jazz group). Dorothy and her brother Reube...