A committed concert concludes an a capella workshop at the PRCC

On Friday night, NBC’s “The Sing-Off” champ Committed brought a lot of positive energy to the Brownstone Center of the Arts at Pearl River Community College. The concert capped off a day of workshops for a capella groups from across the region.

A Cappella 101 is an annual event of the Mississippi American Choral Directors Association held at the PRCC. The day included individual group coaching sessions and breakout sessions for singers and producers. Spending time with the five members of Committed was part of the day’s experience.

“This event is a great opportunity for beginner to advanced a cappella groups to develop their musical and performance skills,” said Jeffery Coulter, President of ACDA Contemporary and Commercial Music. “The opportunity to perform in such an incredible space only enhances the experience for these students.”

The evening concert began with each of the five schools that participated in the workshop having the opportunity to perform. The Greenwood Singing Bulldogs performed “When I Think of the Lord”. Brandon Middle School band Brilliance sang a song called “Natalie”. Sounds of PRC from Pearl River Central High School performed “Stitches”. PRCC’s The Voices performed three selections: “Plastic Hearts”, “Every Breath You Take” and “Greedy”. Finally, OneVoice from Briarcrest Christian School in Tennessee sang “Wings” and “Scars to Your Beautiful.”

After the school performances, Committed set the tone for the evening for audience participation. The initial song, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”, had three parts

harmony that was quickly taught to the public.

During the introductions of each member, the public learned that the group is heavily influenced by Jamaican artist Bob Marley. They also discussed how they were able to travel the world, sharing harmonies for over a decade while teaching bands. Additionally, audience members were informed that Brent Hoyle was replacing their regular bass.

Other sung selections included custom arrangements of familiar songs such as “One Love, One Heart,” “Battle Cry of Freedom,” and “What’s Going On?” They also performed the original track, “Do Anything”.

Later in the concert, the four chorus leaders present were brought on stage for an arrangement of “I Can See Clearly Now” which was learned on the fly. The high school students were thrilled to see their directors performing with the band, and the members of Committed encouraged videotaping and sharing of this piece.

To end the evening, the public was invited to dance in the aisles singing the old but good “September”.

“The Brownstone Center brings incredible talent to our community,” said Poplarville resident Catherine Griffin. “I loved being able to bring my family to see Committed so close to home. They’re such a talented band that really encourages audience participation and it meant the world to my son.

Myles Griffin accepted.

“My favorite part through it all was being able to sing and dance with them,” he said.