GCSU Idol captivates crowd
“I’m shocked. I wasn’t expecting that at all,” Dees said.
The competition was held in a packed Russell Auditorium, filled with excited students, faculty and Milledgeville residents. GCSU Idol is set up much like its namesake, the TV show American Idol. Each contestant performs a song of his or her choice in front of a panel of three judges, and the audience votes for its favorite.
Instead of voting via phone or text message, people voted online, either before the show through the Hands on Milledgeville Web site, or after the performers finished, thanks to 12 laptops stationed in the venue.
This year’s judges were Dr. Jennifer Flory from the music department, Philip Joiner, a GCSU alumnus who works at the radio station Z 97.7 and music producer and writer Marcellus “Handz Down” Dawson.
Each judge looked for a different aspect in the performers. Flory used her musical background to analyze the singers’ technique, but looked for passion in the singers’ performances. Dawson had one particular preference: energy.
“You were on fire,” Dawson said of one contestant.
Just like the TV show, the judges were not always as complimentary. Joiner, as a judge for previous GCSU Idols, lived up to his judging reputation, being harder on the performers and difficult to please.
For example, Joiner described one performance as a “singing in the shower performance.”
The judges’ commentary added to the competitive atmosphere, but ultimately, they were only responsible for choosing their favorite performance, Roderick Sylvester singing “Caught Up” by Usher.
The contestants sang popular songs such as “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz, “Jesus Take the Wheel” by previous American Idol winner Carrie Underwood and “Love Song” by Sara Bareilles.
The competition was sponsored by Hands on Milledgeville, SGA, Magnolia Park, The Grove and the GCSU chapter of the NAACP. But the event was not all about the music. Each contestant chose a nonprofit organization to support, and the winner got a donation to her cause. Although there could be only one winner, each nonprofit received a donation from the show proceeds.
Some of the contestants supported causes that meant a lot to them. Laurie Allen chose the Emory Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center because of a family predisposition to the condition.
“They’re doing a study on my family, and trying to find a cure,” said Allen, a sophomore pre-nursing major.
Dees chose to support the Boys and Girls Club, which will receive a $3,000 donation. She raised money by holding a charity night at Chops, where 10 percent of the evening’s proceeds went to the Boys and Girls Club.
“When I visited them, they reminded me of the kids my sister teaches. I would like to do anything to help them succeed,” she said.
Anette Torres and her sorority sisters from Delta Zeta raised money by bagging at Kroger, in memory of Caroline Bagwell, who passed away in June. Through these efforts, Torres raised the most money, and earned a $1,500 donation. She supported the Shepherd Spinal Foundation.
“It’s a foundation (Bagwell) would want me to donate to,” said Torres, a junior Spanish major.
This year marked a first for the competition. One of the contestants, Drake Walls, is an eighth grader at Georgia College Early College.
“I sang for my principal, and she wanted me to be known,” Walls said. “She thought I was good enough to try out.”
The Early College was Walls’s nonprofit of choice.
“We’ve been working really hard. We don’t have everything big public schools have,” he said.
After holding two rounds of auditions last semester, the competition narrowed the field down from 69 hopefuls to 11. The contestants came from many different majors and backgrounds, linked by their common love of singing.
“I love to sing. Singing’s always been a passion of mine,” said contestant Lindsay Phillips, a freshman marketing major.
The contestants have worked very hard to get to competition night. They have been preparing since November, and rehearsed three times a week as the show date drew closer. They practiced their solos as well as group pieces. Yet the rehearsals were Sylvester’s favorite part.
“We made up the group songs on the spot,” Sylvester said.
Their long hours paid off as they sang “Seasons of Love” from the musical “Rent,” and “Ain’t No Stopping Us” together. Through their group efforts, they have met new people and formed new friendships.
“They become a family of their own,” said Allia Carter, the competition organizer. “I like to see them have fun and enjoy themselves.”
It was clear from the performance that all the performers had a great time, win or lose. And for Dees, the third time was definitely a charm.
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Feb 13 2009. Filed under Features.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
