March 27 A Cappella Jam to Continue Tradition of Fundraising for Kenya’s WISER School
An evening of fun, family-friendly music is in store at the 17th Annual WISER A Cappella Jam — hosted by Durham Academy’s award-winning, student-run a cappella group XIV Hours — on Friday, March 27.
This year’s Jam — set for 7:30 p.m. in Kenan Auditorium — represents a full-circle moment for DA’s relationship with the WISER school in Muhuru Bay, Kenya, as DA Upper Schoolers will be traveling to the school as part of the Cavalier Capstones program in May. It will mark DA’s first organized trip to Kenya since 2017–2018.
The relationship between Durham Academy and WISER has been a long and storied one. Current Upper School teacher and DA alumna Kelly Teagarden ’04 was a student at Duke in 2007 when she went, as part of the inaugural DukeEngage group, to conduct community-based research in the Muhuru Bay Area of Kenya, which resulted in the founding of WISER. Shortly thereafter, DA’s WISER Club began to raise money and support the goals of WISER to improve the education and health of girls in the Muhuru Bay Area through the WISER school.
Around the same time, Upper School music teacher Mike Meyer started the lunchtime music groups at the Upper School, the most popular of which was an a cappella group. The A Cappella Jam started as an opportunity to showcase what students had learned during their once-per-week rehearsals, and groups from area high schools and colleges were recruited to fill out the rest of the program.
That relationship continues to grow today — DA’s physics department is working with WISER on several STEM projects, and DA will further expand that partnership when the Upper School Capstone group visits this spring.
Since 2008, the A Cappella Jam has served as an annual celebration of contemporary a cappella music, a great way for ensembles from around the area to meet and hear each other, and as the WISER Club’s biggest fundraiser of the year, to date raising more than $25,000 in support of WISER’s efforts.
This year’s Jam continues these traditions, with fantastic music from XIV Hours and guest groups from around the area:
- Lucky 13 from Chapel Hill High School
- Tar Heel Voices from UNC-Chapel Hill
- Triadic Vocals, a semi-professional adult group based in Raleigh
- The Seven Deadly Bibs, an adult a cappella group based in Durham — which includes Upper School music teacher Michael Meyer as beatboxer!
Learn more via XIV Hours’ Instagram.
We look forward to seeing you in Kenan Auditorium on Friday, March 27, at 7:30 p.m.! If you can’t make it in person, you can catch the livestream on XIV Hours’ Facebook page. It promises to be an evening of lively music for a fantastic cause!