A pop song celebrating Selkirk College’s 50th anniversary has been released by students of the Contemporary Music & Technology Program.
Second-year song writing majors Trevor Unruh, Carmina Bolinao and Bethany Petch wrote the jingle called “50 Years of Dreams” which they debuted at Selkirk College’s annual Gala.
“It’s one of those songs that just gets into your head,” says Unruh. “It’s incredibly sappy, a bit cheesy and completely fun to play.”
Contemporary Music & Technology Program song writing majors penned a musical number celebrating Selkirk College’s 50th anniversary year. They performed the catchy tune to an enthusiastic audience at the annual Gala held at the Tenth Street Campus on November 26.
The songwriters were joined on stage by fellow students Kiana Tingley on vocals, Kevin Wasilenkoff on keys, guitarists Davis Yates and Austin Parachoniak, Connor Oswald playing bass and Brodie Parachoniak on drums.
The students are learning to become professional musicians during this celebratory time in Selkirk College’s existence and they shared their enthusiasm for the college and its history in the lyrics of the song.
“We found our dreams in this place. Selkirk College is a diamond. It’s an ace. It’s electric… Thank you to helping our dreams come true. Thank you. Thank you,” they sing. “50 years, the time’s been great. Another 50 years, we’re going to celebrate. The time has come to cut the cake. Oh Mary Hall, it was made to shake.”
The song opened Gala 2016 held at Mary Hall on the Tenth Street Campus last month and was performed again at the end of the evening as an encore for the crowd of more than 240 people. The annual event showcases the talents of students in the Professional Cooking, Resort & Hotel Management, and Contemporary Music & Technology programs at Selkirk College.
The theme of this year’s Gala was “Futures Waiting” throwing the spotlight on current students who will soon be important contributors in their fields.
Petch says “50 Years of Dreams” was one of the most enjoyable songs of the evening to perform, appreciating the opportunity to entertain while they learn.
“It’s a whole lot of fun to perform. We didn’t take ourselves too seriously. We let loose and enjoyed it,” she says.
Selkirk College music program Instructor Gilles Parenteau tasked his students with creating a song that would appeal to the masses.
“This was all in fun,” says the veteran instructor. “It’s the first time my songwriters have done a theme song and it turned out great. It’s radio friendly – definitely a pop tune.”
Parenteau expects his students to take the real-world experience gained through the Gala into their final semester at Selkirk College. Learning how to put an entire show together while catering to host requests for certain music, along with audience consideration, is necessary to be successful in the world of professional entertainment.
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