GMC Cadet Glee Club takes its talents on the road for the first time

Published 8:00 am Friday, January 20, 2023

Each year, the GMC Corps of Cadets Glee Club singers showcase their talents at both institutional and community concerts. Recently, the singers took their show on the road for the very first time.

In December, the singers performed at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta during the Southern Association of College and Schools Commission (SACSCOC) annual conference.

“The GMC Glee Club was excited to take our talents outside of Milledgeville for the first time,” said Moona Yu, GMC professor of music and musical performance coordinator. “It was a great opportunity to remind SACSCOC attendees what GMC is all about — ‘Duty, Honor, Country’ and ‘Character Above All.’”

The origins of the GMC Glee Club can be traced back to the 2002-2003 academic year when Yu began her career at the college. Prior to her arrival, GMC didn’t have a music program, and she was given the opportunity to begin one by Maj. Gen. Peter Boylan (Ret.), then president of GMC. In 2016, with the support of GMC President Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell, IV, U.S. Army (Ret.), the Glee Club was established. The first group consisted of six male cadets, and in 2020, a female cadet group was added.

“I appreciate Gen. Boylan giving me the opportunity to start the music program, and I also appreciate Gen. Caldwell supporting the Glee Club, which is a great opportunity,” Yu said.

Today, the club has grown to include 45 members — 25 males and 20 females. Each group presents its own repertoire and also combines for special performances. After passing an audition, cadets must dedicate themselves to rehearsing for two hours weekly and maintain certain GPA requirements.

As Yu spends four hours with the cadets each week in addition to performances, she regularly sees just how beneficial the program is. In addition to learning music, they also hone skills like discipline, time management, leadership and being able to work well with a group. The end result, she said, is something that is both therapeutic and fulfilling for both herself and the cadets.

Each year, the club presents three concerts — a winter and spring performance at GMC as well as a community concert. When the opportunity came about for the recent performance at the World Congress Center, it just so happened to be scheduled for two days before the winter concert.

“So we were ready to perform,” Yu said.

The group performed a collection of songs as part of its winter concert and closed out the performance on a patriotic note by singing “We Are America” in front of 4,000 higher education administrators. 

“It was an incredible opportunity to present our institution as well as an incredible, memorable experience for our students,” Yu said. “I was so thrilled.”

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges is the body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states. It serves as the common denominator of shared values and practices primarily among the diverse institutions in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Latin America, and certain other international sites approved by the SACSCOC Board of Trustees that award associate, baccalaureate, master’s, or doctoral degrees. GMC is a SACSCOC-accredited institution and was honored to perform for the leaders in higher education.

“I could not be more proud of our Cadet Glee Club to see them perform on the World Congress Center stage,” Caldwell said. “They put a tremendous amount of effort into their performance, and we could not be more proud of these future leaders in our nation’s military.”