MUS-071-078, or UC Tonight Modern Band, is an ensemble course at Ursinus aiming to “[perform] music from rock and pop and their subcategories including indie, funk, soul, rhythm and blues, folk, country, punk, and more,” as detailed in the course description. The ensemble features a variety of modern band instrumentation, such as drums, guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals, and horns, to name a few. This ensemble style differs from the existing ensembles on campus. Current member Caitlin Cunnane ’27 shares, “We meet every week, and we are expected to come prepared with our part practiced. Then we are ready to jam!” Music selection is picked by the students themselves, giving them experience in skills such as musical arrangement, collaboration, and live performance.
“What makes us so unique is the fact that a lot of the songs we are picking are tailored so that people in the crowd will know them. We are performing things that range from the 1960s until now. We are also expected to arrange some of our own pieces and take the lead on [them]. Our teacher has done the liberty of arranging a few of our first pieces. It’s a really great group of people and a super fun time!” Cunnane details. The band will present one campus concert each semester it runs and may appear outside of campus in other venues as well.
“The performances themselves won’t be just straightforward performances. We’ve done our own arrangements of harmonies and added in different instruments for songs that traditionally don’t house those, such as violin,” added Cunnane, who herself plays the violin. Learning about how to gig and work together with a wide range of musical talent is the main goal of the course, having students meet two to three hours per week in order to refine these talents. For any vocalists, guitarists, bassists, people on drums, or any other funky instrument players, consider taking this course in future semesters for an amazing modern band experience!