Recently I have been going to various university club events in an attempt to decide which to join. And after about two weeks of meet ups and practices I was able to decide on one!
On April 20th was the entrance ceremony for the club I had decided to join - the Waseda Choir Club!
We met in the morning at Waseda and then headed off to the venue which wasn't far away.
After reaching the venue we received a name card holder and a slip of paper to write or names on. We had a little time to eat and then it was time for practice.
Before entering the hall we had to take our shoes off and put them in little cubbyholes in exchange for some slippers. It was a rather amusing sight to see all the students sporting a suit and slippers combination. Not a sight I could claim to have witnessed before!
We had an hour or so of practice and then it was time for the entrance ceremony for the new students which would make up the 61st group!
The ceremony started off with an introduction from one of the senpai (senior members) and then we went straight into a rendition of two of Waseda's university songs.
After this, each active group of the choir had their own performance which was prefaced with a skit that they had arranged themselves.
The ceremony was pretty long so we were allowed two short breaks.
In between performances there were a few slots for the self-introductions of the new students. I didn't know that we would be doing self-introductions and it was in front of a lot of people so I was really nervous! It would be daunting enough if it were in English let alone in Japanese!
For the introductions we stood at the front and told everyone our name, year of study and department and then gave a little information about ourselves. After the introduction one of the senpai individually presented us with our membership card and then took a picture with us. The pictures were pretty fun, everyone took the picture with a unique pose that reflected something from their self introduction. There were some pretty entertaining poses!
This skit was really funny, he even went up to some of the other students and sang to them!
The last performance was the debut performance for the new students. It was the first song that we would perform separately as a group without the rest of the choir! We all wanted to do well in front of the senior members so it was pretty daunting but it was also pretty exciting!
The song we performed was called "大きいな古時計" My Grandfather's Clock, we had learnt the song from the senpai during weekly practices.
After our performance we were introduced to some of the students from former groups and then we were given a speech from an alumni that was a members of one of the earlier years of the choir.
There were two final songs that the choir sang as a whole and then we had the closing of the ceremony.
After the ceremony had ended each year group had a group photo taken which was nice and then there was some organisation for the mailing list and upcoming choir trip. When everyone was finished and organised we then headed off to Shinjuku for a party!
We were put in groups with which we traveled to the party location and then shared a table with.
Well that's all for now!
After reaching the venue we received a name card holder and a slip of paper to write or names on. We had a little time to eat and then it was time for practice.
Before entering the hall we had to take our shoes off and put them in little cubbyholes in exchange for some slippers. It was a rather amusing sight to see all the students sporting a suit and slippers combination. Not a sight I could claim to have witnessed before!
We had an hour or so of practice and then it was time for the entrance ceremony for the new students which would make up the 61st group!
The ceremony started off with an introduction from one of the senpai (senior members) and then we went straight into a rendition of two of Waseda's university songs.
After this, each active group of the choir had their own performance which was prefaced with a skit that they had arranged themselves.
The ceremony was pretty long so we were allowed two short breaks.
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| Taking it easy during a break |
In between performances there were a few slots for the self-introductions of the new students. I didn't know that we would be doing self-introductions and it was in front of a lot of people so I was really nervous! It would be daunting enough if it were in English let alone in Japanese!
For the introductions we stood at the front and told everyone our name, year of study and department and then gave a little information about ourselves. After the introduction one of the senpai individually presented us with our membership card and then took a picture with us. The pictures were pretty fun, everyone took the picture with a unique pose that reflected something from their self introduction. There were some pretty entertaining poses!
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| One of many poses! |
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| Presenting of the card |
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| One of the skit performances |
In this skit the sempai showed photos of themselves from secondary school in order to show how much they had changed and grown. It was pretty funny to see their old school shots!
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| After the skit they went straight into position for their choral performance |
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| More self introductions! |
In the breaks we had a chance to mingle and talk with not only students of the same year but also the senpai.
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| This skit was pretty funny but I felt bad for the person holding the mic - his arms were definitely getting sore! |
This skit was really funny, he even went up to some of the other students and sang to them!
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| Time for another song! |
The song we performed was called "大きいな古時計" My Grandfather's Clock, we had learnt the song from the senpai during weekly practices.
After our performance we were introduced to some of the students from former groups and then we were given a speech from an alumni that was a members of one of the earlier years of the choir.
There were two final songs that the choir sang as a whole and then we had the closing of the ceremony.
After the ceremony had ended each year group had a group photo taken which was nice and then there was some organisation for the mailing list and upcoming choir trip. When everyone was finished and organised we then headed off to Shinjuku for a party!
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| Everyone at their tables waiting for food |
The party was really fun, we started off at the same table enjoying conversation and food and as the night progressed, people moved around so there was a chance to speak to lots of people. The choir is really huge and there isn't much of a chance to talk to everyone during practices as we learn the songs in our vocal groups (base, tenor, alto, soprano) so it was nice for everyone to have an opportunity to mingle.
The event was really good fun. It was great to mix and have a chance to talk to everyone and it felt great to officially join the choir. It was a great experience and I really felt that I was accepted as a part of the club. Everyone is really friendly and the club has a great atmosphere! I'm looking forward to continue taking part in the Choir!
Well that's all for now!
