The All Music People club hosted the All Music Showcase on Sept. 2, sparking the interest of the musically inclined and presenting five different performance groups. Each group provided information about their organization within NC State’s Department of Music.

Kicking off the performance with the song “Salty Dog,” the Wolfpack Pickers brought a twangy bluegrass jam to Stafford Commons, where co-presidents and NC State alumni Leslie Dare and Susan West performed solos on the mandolin and the acoustic guitar. In addition to the accompaniment of a syncopated rhythm, a traveling baseline and the refined harmonies in the chorus of the song, the Wolfpack Pickers concluded their presentation with some information about their group. 

“We are a bluegrass jamming group for the campus, and we welcome students and employees, alumni and retired employees, and anyone who has an affiliation to NC State,” Dare said. “We meet twice a month here at Talley, and we play bluegrass music together.”   

Musical Empowerment leader Valerie Pymento, a graduate student in liberal arts studies, said it’s important to make an impact on youth interested in music while striving to provide instruments to the students in Raleigh who are unable to pay for them.

“We are a non-profit organization, and what we do is pair mentors with children in underserved areas, and we give them — not just the mentorship — but an instrument that they can take home and play,” Pymento said. “If they stay with the program for three years, they get to keep the instrument. Both the mentors and the students learn so much. Music has so many benefits.”   

Also holding true to community service, Mu Beta Si, which was founded at NC State in 1925, focuses on giving back to those involved within the Department of Music by hosting charity events and raising money for different musical organizations every year. With a range of students from marching band to choir, Mu Beta Si’s goal is to utilize the sense of community it has built through music to help others do the same through acts of service.

According to Day Steed, a third-year studying biochemistry, Mu Beta Si works closely with the music department to provide services of all kinds.  

“We volunteer with all of the music departments and concerts, and we also have an annual concert called A Cappella Fest where we raise money for charity,” Steed said. “Last year, it was for a local Raleigh music organization that provides free music lessons to children who cannot afford to pay for it. We really think that music education is really important in schools and in homes, and since we all love music, it’s just a really good way to meet other people and to bond in that way.”

Towards the end of the presentation, Ladies in Red also made an appearance to talk about their organization. President Abby Westover, a fourth-year studying marketing, said club programming varies for each semester. 

“We perform at two concerts that happen once in the fall and once in the spring,” Westover said. “We also plan to compete in the ICCA’s again, where we placed the last time we competed in 2020.”

All Music People Club also provided an electric performance that featured songs like “Bad Reputation” and “Heart of Glass.” All Music People specializes in teaching its members what they don’t know while also providing more advanced members with the opportunity to take solos while performing. 

All Music People President Maddie Martin, a fourth-year studying psychology, music and criminology, said anyone at any musical level is able to become a member of All Music People. 

“Anybody can bring their own instrument — whatever they play, however long they have played, at any experience level,” Martin said. “We’ll pick some chords and play a few songs, but we all play together to help us learn more music while forming a sense of community.”  

The show closed with an energetic vocal performance from Martin paired with a punchy beat from the drums, providing the audience with a powerful conclusion to the event. 

With the first official showcase taking place last year, this event now brings a new tradition to campus that offers students a variety of opportunities to participate in the crowd, while also inquiring about an interest for participating on stage. 

Valerie Pymento is an employee at NC State Student Media.