There were seven members at their first rehearsal, singing without sheet music or a band to accompany them from one transition in the music to the next.

They also didn’t have a regular practice room, so they used various classrooms and sometimes hallways.

SF State’s gospel choir, a student-run group offered as Jazz Combo 388, became a one-unit music course in its second semester. Comprised of 29 singers and five musicians of different backgrounds and majors, there is plenty of diversity in the group. Having grown exponentially over the past four semesters, their big sound has only gotten louder.

“It is literally shaking the foundation of the music department,” said Ja Ronn Thompson, 20. “People are talking about it and I think it’s causing everybody to step their game up in a lot of ways and add excitement to it.”

When Thompson, a criminal justice major, decided to form the choir after arriving at SF State two years ago, he didn’t expect anyone to take him seriously. He was only a freshman and not even a music major. But this vision came long before he started college.

When he expressed interest in starting the choir, music professor Dr. Dianthe “Dee” Spencer told him to “make it happen.” Thompson and a core group of members handed out fliers and encouraged people to try out.

Not all of the members are Christian and many of them are not music majors. Yet regardless of their backgrounds, the choir singers harmonize in and out of their practice room, forming a tight-knit camaraderie among members.

“We’re a family, not just a choir,” Thompson said.

The singers learn all of their songs without sheet music, which they feel follows the choir’s grassroots kind of learning style.

The choir’s conductor, 23-year-old Leslie White, learns each section’s part by listening to a CD, and the members then repeat after her.

“Personally, I don’t read music or anything like that,” said White, a speech communications and black studies major. “I hear it very well but I don’t like read it or anything like that.”

“What we’re concentrating on is the genre of the music,” said Thompson, who mentioned that gospel music is a foundational genre that present-day forms of R & B, jazz and blues music originate from.
SF State’s choir doesn’t conform to one style, but they choose to incorporate other styles such as meringue, classical and country. “But you can’t hide the content of the music, because you can’t help but express it when it comes out of your mouth,” he said.

The group’s success is partly due to its many talented singers. One of them is Jonathan Smothers, a 21-year-old music major, who tried out for American Idol last season. Out of 100,000 people, he was one of 170 contestants who made it to Hollywood.

“I originally thought American Idol was totally blown up. I didn’t think they really gave people a chance. I thought it was more rigged, because, I mean, it’s TV,” he said.

Other choir members have similar stories, but Thompson said they all remain humble.
“Nobody acts like a star,” Thompson said. “You would never know that any of these people are as
talented as they are.”

Tryouts are held every semester, usually during the second week of classes. The choir is open to everyone, and current members must also try out to stay on their toes. But most members aren’t intimidated, and have stuck with the group for the long haul.

In May, the group will perform on campus at their bi-annual concert at Knuth Hall.
The group will also sing at UC Berkeley on March 19, and in late April they will perform at events in
Bayview Hunter’s Point and at Los Modanos College. Thompson said the group has talked about competing against other gospel choirs, one of them being UC Berkeley, but the members agreed that they sing with another purpose: to touch people with their music.

“Music is the only art of expression that is limitless. It’s about touching somebody,” he said. “In the end, it’s all going toward the same goal, so whether you have a trophy or not doesn’t validate you as a choir.”