Shades of Yale

Becca Polinsky

            On January 11, an extremely talented group of students including a familiar face from Yale graced the Clayton community with an outstanding a cappella performance. As a freshman at Yale, Ian Miller, who graduated from Clayton High School in 2011, became a member of this group, which celebrates the diverse music of the African Diaspora. They are called Shades of Yale: a coeducational a cappella group.

Since 1988, the group has strived to authentically represent the depth of the black community and experience. However, each member of the group draws from a different background.

At Yale, the a cappella scene is extremely prominent and unique. There are 15 official undergraduate groups – members of what is called the Singing Group Council. Additionally, there are even more unofficial groups, which are not members of the SGC.

In order to audition for an a cappella group at Yale, there is a process in the fall. “It is analogous to the rush process for fraternities and sororities,” Miller said. Throughout the course of a few weeks, other people listen to the groups perform, then they can choose which groups they want to audition for. After the audition, there are callbacks, as well as meals with group members in order to get to know the individual better on a personal level.

“Last year I was the assistant musical director as well as the introduction chair and one of the choreographers,” Miller said, “This year I am the musical director, or ‘pitch’ (short for pitch pipe), and I consider it equivalent to a full-time job,” Miller said, “It’s pretty intensive, challenging, exhausting, but rewarding work.”

Although there were numerous talented groups to choose from, Miller chose Shades confidently. “I chose Shades because the music moved me and resonated with me. It seemed like music with real meaning and soul,” Miller said.

Miller cites his time in Shades as the most meaningful part of his Yale experience so far, along with everyone else who has graduated. “The group is really a family away from home. We spend so much of our time together that we become brothers and sisters,” Miller said.

The group was in St. Louis for 10 days this year. During each winter break, the group travels somewhere in the world, often to a group member’s hometown, this year choosing Miller’s – St. Louis. The group had approximately 2-3 hours of rehearsal per day in addition to fun activities such as a visit to the Arch and the City Museum.

“The concert was vocally impressive, but also was interesting in its diversity of music. I haven’t heard traditional African music sung by a cappella groups, so it was a refreshing and new experience,” Aaron Argyers, a senior at Clayton High School said.

Shades’ performance at Clayton High School had an incredible impact on students and community members at Clayton. “I loved the Shades performance because I saw a whole new side of a cappella. Not only were the kids intelligent and talented, but they used their individuality to engage the audience,” Ben Diamond, a senior at Clayton High School said. “Their unconventional group sound was beautifully presented.”