When Spring Sing hostsfor2o1owere announced, eyebrows were raised, heads were scratched and excitement filled the air. The change was unprecedented: for the first time in the history of Spring Sing, four male hosts would lead the show instead of the typical two male and two female group. There was no question about the musical talent of the hosts. Juniors Stephen McBride and Nate White and seniors Cameron Frazier and Sam Barker had all pmven themselves capable. However, there was some concern regarding how the new setup would change the dynamics of the show. "I initially had some questions about how it would work logistically, but I was thoroughly excited from the start," McBride said. The news came as a surprise not only to the Harding community; the hosts themselves were astounded. "At first, I was a little shocked to see four guys on the list," Frazier said. "You don't prepare for a kind of surprise like that when you are just nervous about whether or not you1· name is on there. So, after being taken back a bit, I then was very excited to be a Spring Sing host for 201 0." Initially, the hosts missed the feminine touch to the show. "Having a female perspective is always fresh and insightful. We did have Mrs. Dottie Frye [director of Spring Sing] and the ensemble girls, who were amazing in helping us," White, who hosted the 2009 Spring Sing show as well, said. "Sometimes, the four hosts thought too much alike, and we would have to take a step back and realize perhaps we needed a greater variety of perspectives to achieve the most interesting result." Additionally,the hosts realized their performance might be under more scrutiny than in previous years, as the audience was evaluating the success of the change. Despite the skepticism, the hosts definitely had some advantages going into the production of the show. It helped that the four were good friends and had worked together before. According to Barker, they all felt comfodable with each other, and they helped push each other to do their best. They also had some benefits with the music arrangements. "Because there were four males, there were more voices to cover the male register, which meant that I got to be in a more comfortable register than the previous year," White said. "As a freshman, I had to sing a little out of my range, while this year, the music has been much easier to accomplish without harming my voice." Nevertheless, the show presented some challenges. Learning and perfecting new music in a short amount of time was challenging enough for any host. In addition, singing music that was not originally written for an all-male cast raised the bar for the four hosts. "Some of the music was,more difficult than others. Many of the songs we performed were nat originally sung by men, let alone four guys with different harmonies~McBride said. "At times, the music was more comfortable than at others." Not to mention, Barker joke~.,having four male leads caused the show to lose some of its aestheijc quality. "We're all guys, so we't·e not as pretty as girls," Baker said. Despite all the challenges and changes, in the end the audience, ensemble, directors, clubs and hosts all agreed that the show was spectacular and unquestionably one of the best in Harding's history. "People loved it," Frazier said. "Several people came up to us and told us it was the best Spring Sing they have been to." In the end, the four decided that there was nothing they would have done differently. "I wouldn't change a thing," McBride said. "It was a great experience, and I loved every minute of it." Lauren Bucher spring sing 13
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