CECILIA LI
2017 Spirit of pops award nominee
1. To be quite honest, I have too many favorite memories from the times I've spent with Pops. I'm not too good with writing, but thankfully, I've captured most of my favorite memories on camera!
Here was the concert (Aquapops) that I attended with my friend that made me want to audition for Pops the following year. It was such a fun concert, and I knew that it was a group that I wanted to be apart of!
I love how Pops provides its members with the chance to collaborate with other musicians and organizations on campus. This is me with some of my fellow popsicles getting ready to play at a Groove concert. We met some amazing people and had so much fun.
This was just moments before our opening number at Goodnight, Pops. Concert days are my favorite days!! Taking a sectional selfie is a tradition that I always look forward to.
We always go to Buffalo Wild Wings after the concert as a post-concert tradition. I don't think I've missed one yet! What's particularly special about this time however was that Christina Maxwell (pictured third from left), a senior from the School of Musical Dance and Theater at the time, came and joined us after her beautiful performance of "Let it Go" from Frozen. She was amazing and is a wonderful person too!
Here is myself and a group of Popsicles playing at the Economics Commencement. It was really easy to get a group of us together and create awesome small ensemble music together.
Anytime there's a major symphony concert at Hill Auditorium, I can always count on seeing some Pops members in audience! Here's a few of us with world-renowned violinist Sarah Chang and pianist Andrew Von Oeyen.
2. Social Events
My first second violin sectional dinner getting sushi at Totoro! We love sushi.
Pops Progressives are by far my favorite social events of the entire year! There are three houses that have either the main course, dessert, or appetizers, and groups of three will rotate through each house and spend an hour doing icebreakers or playing small games. I've hosted four Progressives now and have planned games like Passwords, Family Feud, and other fun icebreakers. They're always such a great time!
This was over the summer where a few of us went to Ludington, Michigan for a camping trip! We got to go to the beach, pitch tents, canoe down a river, hike to a lighthouse, watch the sunrise and sunset, make campfires, and do some quality Pops bonding!
Pops goes to the Cider Mill in the fall. This was my first time at the Cider Mill and I'm glad I got to go with my fellow Popsicles.
Pops Pals was an initiative set by our social director this year and I absolutely adored my group! We got to hang out a bunch of times outside of rehearsal and were awarded Pops Pal Champs last semester!
3. I had a hard time choosing just those pictures because there are so many more that I could have included! So as you can see, not only has Pops impacted my Michigan Experience, it in many ways has become my Michigan Experience. I always have such a good time with this group, and I have met some of my best friends through this organization. These people are always down to meet up and have a good time no matter what we do. Being able to continue my musical education/experience with Pops has been nothing short of amazing. I have so much gratitude and appreciation for this organization and am so glad I decided to continue with music after high school. Pops will always be with me as I continue new chapters in my life, and I will always be thinking of this group as I look back years down the road.