Student hosts tiny dorm room concert in HCC

Sophomore music major Adrien McClintock hosted a Tiny Dorm Room Concert from 7:30-9:30 p.m. on Feb. 21 in the Heyward Community Center.

Students were invited to come out and showcase their talents on the open mic.

“A lot of people are afraid to go on stage and perform in front of people and do the things they love,” McClintock said. “I wanted to do something that would get them out of their comfort zone.”

Senior psychology major Tylic Galloway was one of the students who performed at the event. Galloway sang an original song she wrote called “Tried.”

“It felt good to know that I was finally putting something out that I did,” Galloway said. “Just knowing that soon, it will be a room of people knowing what I wrote from the heart that are going to be singing along with me.”

Galloway said the best part of performing at the concert was when people ask her where they could listen to more of her music.

This specific edition of the Tiny Dorm Room Concert was called a “Night of Love” in celebration of Black History Month.

There were live performances by students, Black history spoken word poems and performances by the Young, Gifted and Blessed (YGB) gospel choir.

McClintock said he got the idea from YouTube videos of other schools that had hosted similar events.

“When I first got here, I realized on Friday everybody went home and it was really boring,” McClintock said. “So, me and my musician friends start thinking of something for the campus to do on Fridays.”

McClintock explained that in order to get the event going he needed to find some talented FMU students to participate.

“The first thing I did was start looking for people who could sing and play instruments,” McClintock said.

Senior Jarren Campbell, a civil engineering major, was a keyboard player that McClintock found at FMU.

Campbell said he decided to join because it gave him a chance to do something he loved.

“My favorite part of the night is when the band had an intermission,” Campbell said. “It gives musicians time to solo and really get into the groove of things.”

McClintock shared that the first time he hosted the event it was in his dorm room and thirty people came.

“Thirty people came in that tiny dorm room,” McClintock said.

McClintock said that after he and the other musicians hosted the concert in their dorm, and a lot of people came out, they decided to move it to a bigger location so that more people could come.

“We partnered with YGB choir because I also play for them,” McClintock said. “It was amazing because we had over 80 people.”

McClintock said his reason for starting these concerts was to give students a chance to share their talents and passion with others at school.

“If someone needed to find a singer, musician or poet, they could come to our concert and find them,” McClintock said.