When I arrived at Gettysburg College, I had no intent on joining an a cappella group - I knew I would be participating in a number of ensembles, was hoping to make playing baseball work out with my rehearsal schedules, and was joining an incredibly busy major in Music Education. But, after some friends convinced me (and helped me pick an audition song), I decided to audition for Drop the Octave, Gettysburg College's all-male a cappella group.

What I did not realize, when I made this decision, was that I was signing up to learn some of my most formative musical lessons with some of the closest friends I would make on campus. For four years, I would perform with, arrange for, and crack jokes with them. DTO was the highlight of my week, twice a week. It always reminded me what it felt like to informally, without a professor in the room, make music with friends. After spending some time on the executive board as Treasurer, I became Music Director in 2017. The musical and administrative lessons and skills I have gained since then have been irreplaceable.

Over my four years with the group, I have had the ability to be a part of many exciting projects aside from our typical gigs and end-of-semester concerts, including recording and releasing an album and filming and releasing a music video. From these I learned how to plan, choreograph, and film a music video, and how to record and release an album, both in musical preparation and logistics.