Jada Moss was in the first semester of her freshman year when she realized there were no clubs on Mercer University’s campus for non-music majors with musical interests.
Longing for a space to cultivate her craft on campus, Moss, now a sophomore global health studies major and anthropology minor, and a few of her peers came up with the idea for the Music and Lyrics club.
Named after the 2007 movie “Music and Lyrics,” Moss said the club is a great place for non-music majors to learn about music while academically focusing on other concentrations.
“I think it’s extremely important to have a space where non-music majors can make music because when you don’t use a skill, you tend to lose it,” she said. “I know from my experience of being a non-music major with musical interests that having a place where I can speak with others in my same position, it’s easier to find a balance between school and my musical hobbies.”
The club meets to have jam sessions, collaborate on music, learn and continue developing their musical skills.
“A major part of our club is helping others develop their skills in the form of singing, writing, music production and engineering sessions,” Moss said.
Dr. Nathan Myrick, assistant professor of church music in the School of Music, is the club’s faculty adviser. He said he was excited to get involved.
“I loved the idea of a student club that fostered creativity and collaborated to support new music,” he said.
Dr. Myrick said collaborative music spaces are critically important.
“Music is by nature relational; you can’t have music without other people and sounds,” he said. “Collaboration is an incredibly important aspect to good music.”
This year, the club is working on finding ways to host meetings and sponsor events in the age of COVID-19.
“We’ve applied to rent an incubator (space) at (Mercer Music at) Capricorn and are acquiring gear so that students can make use of the space to demo out their songs, collaborate with others and just hang out in a creative space,” Dr. Myrick said.
To abide by social distancing guidelines, the organization will implement a check-in system for the incubator, sanitize instruments and follow the University’s COVID-19 protocols.
Though the organization is fairly new, its members have some big plans for the future. The Music and Lyrics club hopes to be able to host concerts, produce an album of students’ original songs and even sponsor a stage at Bragg Jam, Macon’s annual summer music festival, in the future.
