University Concert Series: A Community of Music Lovers
Life on the Hill: Bison Blog
One of my favorite ways to spend my time is jamming out to some good music. There are so many different ways to express yourself in this world and mixing together lyrics and different sounds is such a unique talent. A song can hold so many memories, good or bad, and can make you feel or remember a specific emotion from years ago or just last week. When I think back on some of my favorite moments here at OBU, the majority of them can be linked to a song. My friends and I have had listening parties when our favorite artist dropped a new album, our 11 p.m. car rides to Whataburger are full of Celine Dion impressions, and every walk across campus to take an exam is pumped up with an encouraging song to make us feel empowered. For all of you fellow music lovers who are looking for something fun to do, join UCS! The University Concert Series is an organization of people with great music taste and a passion to foster community through it. In UCS, we recognize how important music can be in bringing people together and offering a distraction for a few hours when we are all stressed about an upcoming exam or project.
The University Concert Series gives students on campus an opportunity to get comfortable performing in front of people during our open mic nights. Students can sing an original song, a cover from their favorite artist, or even some slam poetry: anything to express yourself and showcase your talents. Our Battle of the Bands event is also something I look forward to being a part of because it allows student bands on campus to perform several songs at a time and the community gathers around makes for a fun night. This year we had the Gathering Place selling their magical coffee drinks and the girls of Theta Sigma Chi supplied us with treats and hot chocolate for the night. In UCS, we also believe that experiencing musical performances together can be a unifying and powerful thing and try to bring that onto campus. In the spring semester, UCS hosts a concert in Raley Chapel with an artist that students will enjoy and have the opportunity to see for a discounted price. In the past few years, we have brought artists like NeedToBreathe, Kings Kaleidoscope, and most recently, Ben Rector.
Outside of the music realm, the University Concert Series also hosts our annual Trivia Night. This event is always a blast! Students are given to create their own teams with their friends and come up with a witty team name to represent themselves. The game consists of several rounds of questions about everything from the film industry to history facts but each correct answer brings your team closer to a prize! There are always bundle prizes with different themes for the winning teams to share but even those who don’t win have a great time! I have not been a UCS member for very long but I have enjoyed it so far, and I love being a part of their community.
My name is Gracelyn Basinger and I am a sophomore Nursing major at OBU. I grew up in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma with my family of five (and my dog, which I adore). I am involved in a few other organizations around campus and I am a member of The Herd. I want to be a nurse because I am passionate about helping people and I see this field of work as an excellent avenue for ministry and facilitating personal relationships with people. After I graduate, I want to be a labor and delivery nurse in a women’s hospital.
Life on the Hill: Bison Blog
