The network is down in the office, and oddly enough, it’s giving me impetus to write.

I began a big treatise on an article in the Daily Texan late last week, and have never posted it. Not sure anymore if it is worth while, since I would just be contributing to a tempest in a teapot. However, since I rarely soapbox, I figure I might as well. After all, I was sorely disappointed with how the current/recently removed members of Longhorn Singers have chosen to represent their organization through their words and actions. Those quoted in the article sounded like whiny children who have had their toys taken away. And the whole thing feels like it devolves into a he said/she said between the Director of the choral department and the ex-President. While I was appalled by what felt to me like slanted reporting, what irked me more and got me churning over this was how this group, which was such a big part of my life for four years, is coming across to the public.

It would be folly to assume there is not any bad blood between LHS and the School of Music and that this is all in the heads of generations of Longhorn Singers. My freshman year, the head of the choral department made it painfully clear what he thought of the group, which I won’t go into, as this tirade is long enough. Suffice it to say that I’ve since had the pleasure of working with members of other UT ensembles who were in fact present at the joint Christmas concert where his opinion became evident, and they too noticed the way LHS was being treated. There were directors who did try to mend that rift, but it was to no avail. Being treated like you are not “real” musicians is both insulting and counterproductive.

The love/hate relationship is pretty simple. The School of Music needs an organization like LHS because it presents a good public face – it is a chance for non-majors with a genuine love of music and entertaining to continue to perform at a collegiate level, and it rounds out the offering of ensembles with a group that performs pop, jazz, and other non-classical repertoire. Both of these things keep the School from looking elitist and inaccessible to the university and the general public. As a past officer, I can say that the School of Music does nothing that I am aware of to help net performance opportunities for LHS, beyond giving them space on the calendar in the University performing venues. It was dominantly the student members who were out finding gigs for the group and trying to boost visibility on campus. It was never made clear that there were any departmental resources at the disposal of LHS. On the other side of the argument, LHS has historically (meaning my years and those just before and after them) had very forceful personalities, a rowdy and unruly reputation, a disrespect for authority, musical and otherwise, and its members don’t always act as professionally as they should. While “they don’t like us because we like to party” may be one way of phrasing it, god knows, there’s a much more mature approach to be taken. And, if you have never known members of Concert Chorale or Chamber Singers, I can assure you, LHS is not the only ensemble that knows how to party or does so with impressive regularity. They just talk about it more than anyone else.

I am willing to acknowledge the faults of the group, and the validity of the concerns of the department. But there’s more to the story. So I have to point out the things that make LHS such a unique ensemble and such a special group of people.

In the article, LHS discusses the concept of being a “student organization.” To me, that meant that LHS views themselves in part as one of the many UT “spirit” organizations – along with well-known groups like Longhorn Band, the Hellraisers (those guys at the games with their chests painted), and the Orange Jackets. Hellraisers is closer than anything else I can think of. But it’s a student group that contributes to Texas Pride. When we used to talk about being a “student organization,” we would more frequently say “spirit organization.” We sang silly parodies at alumni events over OU weekend, at the fairgrounds, and we marched and sang in the Hex Rally parade. We performed a big rendition of The Eyes of Texas at the alumni center before every home game, and then we all went to the game together – what made it so great was that it was an understood thing, not a required performance, just a “we all show up and sing” type of deal. The people in LHS are dynamic, energetic, talented, supportive of one another, and fiercely loyal to their organization and its traditions. LHS is a fraternity, I would say, but in the classic sense, not in the Greek system sense (*not* that I think the Greek system is bad – far from it. But that’s not the point of this particular post.). Not to say there aren’t petty spats and rivalries and politics. Of course there are. But when things get really tough, there is a support network there that is unbelievable.

You hear a lot about LHS traditions. Many of them are exactly what they should be. You sing the Eyes at the end of every concert. Alumni are invited on stage to participate. The last show, it makes you cry. Every new member (NUGI, or “new guy”) has a “big sib” who watches out for them and answers questions and shows them the ropes and gives them rides. OU is a “tradition” in a more grandiose sense. To be fair, many of said “traditions” are a lot more nefarious. Still, it is all in good fun; stuff like Campout and initiation and “In the Halls” (imagine 60 not-sober people singing 4-part harmony at the top of their lungs) make the goofy, quintessentially collegiate memories that become really precious to you.

For the record, a “senior toast” backstage is no Longhorn Singer annual tradition that I have ever heard of. And I find it almost offensive that the students seem to believe that the students can whine about the School of Music’s treatment of their ensemble and still behave in such a childish and unprofessional fashion backstage. If LHS always played by the book, respected their directors, conducted themselves professionally at performances and rehearsals, and tried hard to be a good public face for the university and was STILL treated like the bastard child, then its members would have a valid argument. The fact is that LHS has been caught with alcohol backstage at least three times that I know of since 1993. For the sake of LHS, it makes sense to me to separate the organization from the members on some level. It’s just self preservation. The organization doesn’t condone drinking backstage. It never has. That doesn’t mean people don’t do it. But what’s dangerous is to act as though a “tradition” of this type is sanctioned by the ensemble, as I feel the students do in this article. There’s a limit to defending your traditions. Especially the illegal ones.

For god’s sake people, learn. Learn from your mistakes. I’m not saying don’t repeat them. I’m saying don’t get caught. Picking up your bottles and cans and NOT LEAVING THEM BACKSTAGE would be a good start. I know that during my years at UT, some members had tailgaters in the parking lot outside the theater. It was, however, outside the theater. This is evolution at work; if you don’t want your organization to come under scrutiny, get smarter. But better yet, when you’re representing the university, at a show or a rehearsal, behave. Beforehand, afterwards, on weekends, do and be whatever you want. If you respect the School of Music’s investment in you, in terms of space and time and performing to the best of your abilities (which I know are formidable), they’ll probably respect you back. At least I hope they will.

But yeah, you should probably continue to keep the initiation photos off the bulletin board. Just in case.