2008 Holiday Idol - Second Place
The Drake Treblemakers
"Silver Bells"
Name of Charity: House of Mercy Choir Director: Kathleen Wilson
The Drake University TrebleMakers began with two. Kathleen Wilson and Jessica Shalita met as members of the Drake Chorale, the women’s choir on Drake’s campus. The topic of a capella music sprung up into conversation, and the two realized that there was an a capella group for men, but there was no such opportunity for women. In response, the ambitious first-year students decided to undertake a huge project: the realization of the dream to begin a female a capella group at Drake University. After holding auditions, the group met, and the name “Drake TrebleMakers” was soon adopted. This lively group of 14 women began rehearsing a variety of pop and jazz a capella pieces, expanding their repertoire while gaining recognition on campus through different performances.
As a group, the Drake TrebleMakers thrive on supporting important causes. The TrebleMakers’ debut performance was in February 2008 at Drake University’s presentation of The Vagina Monologues. As the opening act and an exhibitor during the Vagina Carnival, the girls got to see firsthand the impact that women can have on society. Hearing the stories of the battered women helped solidify the group with an understanding of our world and a feeling of empowerment, which has encouraged us to support House of Mercy in an effort to improve the lives of women in our community. Their largest audience has been at Drake University’s Relay for Life in April 2008. Many TrebleMakers stayed at the event to raise money and awareness and support their fellow students who have been affected by cancer.
The TrebleMakers have been helping the community through music and activism. Unfortunately, their past performances have been for free, so the group has an extremely tight budget. Thus far, they have not had enough money to purchase uniforms, which would make the singers appear more professional so that performance venue directors and audience members can take the group more seriously. Furthermore, the girls are unable to purchase much of the music that they would like to perform. These are the largest obstacles which the TrebleMakers must overcome in order to perform to the best of their abilities and be taken seriously. The group’s portion of the prize money will help the Drake TrebleMakers become more well-known within the community while spreading cheer through the joy of music. There is no better way to help the singers than to help their favorite charity in the process, especially during this season of giving.
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