While we were creating our conceptual model, I thought of teams that I have been a part of that worked successfully. One such team that encompasses our conceptual model is my acappella group, Rhythmic. This group has been the best team I have ever been a part of and has been my main inspiration while creating this project and model.
Communication is the key to success within Rhythmic. We communicate by meeting weekly, sending weekly reminder emails, as well as having a social media platform that members can post in for any other questions, comments or concerns. We have an executive board that handles most communication within the team, as each of us take responsibility for communicating different administrative updates, reminders and recommendations. We also have to communicate effectively while we are performing. Although this is a different kind of communication, it is important that each of us look at each other and listen to each other to communicate transitions, dynamics and other changes while we are singing a song. This type of communication is the most important, as we would not sound as professional as we do without it.
Diversity is also extremely important, especially within a singing group. Our team must be diverse, so that we can cover all voice parts. Only two to three individuals within the acappella group sing the same voice part; soprano, alto, tenor and bass. This diversity allows us to sing about 4 octaves and also allows us to sound professional and well rounded. One last aspect of diversity is each member’s skill level within music and voice. Each of us learned music differently, and each of us were taught music and voice technique within a variety of music programs. This variety in knowledge allows each team member the ability to give a new perspective as we learn and perfect music.
As I started this group, my main goal was to maintain a positive environment. In past teams, I realized that the more positive the environment, the more productive the team was. To create a positive environment, I start each rehearsal by going around to everyone and asking them to share something good that happened to them this week. This exercise gives everyone the opportunity to think of something positive, but also gives other members the opportunity to show their team members support, as they congratulate, laugh, encourage, etc. We also maintain a positive atmosphere by doing group outings outside of our regular responsibilities of the group which encourages us to create positive relationships with each other.
Purpose is also very important in Rhythmic. I founded Rhythmic with the purpose to create an extracurricular music group that was open to all students and would be flexible with student’s schedules. With this purpose in mind, Rhythmic has now become a very popular organization on campus. As we practice each week, we know that the entire purpose of these rehearsals is to give us the opportunity to sing which we would otherwise not have, but also to give us the ability to perform on campus and in community events. Because each member understands this purpose and supports these goals, we are a very productive and successful team during rehearsals.
As a new student organization on campus, we have faced a lot of challenges as a group, and it has been up to the executive board and other members of the group to embrace these challenges. Because each of us are new to leading an acappella group, each of our decisions include taking risks. This ability to take risks has guided us to receive over $2,000 in grants, perform and fundraise at community events, host multiple showcases, and grow the group each year. We continue to improve each semester as we embrace new challenges that come our way.
Lastly, is Rhythmic’s ability to make each team member feel empowered. Our goal within the group is to make each member feel like they are contributing to the success of Rhythmic. Each member has a responsibility to learn and perfect their voice part because without them, we wouldn’t sound like a collegiate acappella group. I also make a point to ask team member how they are feeling about each song, and if they have any suggestions as to how to make us sound better. Each member of Rhythmic usually speak at least once within rehearsals with a new suggestion or idea which makes them feel like they are making an impact within the group.
Overall, I believe that Rhythmic is a great representation of how each of the concepts within our conceptual model are necessary to create a successful team.
How To Create A Successful Team 