Every Wednesday between 2:25-3:00 p.m., John Carroll students, faculty and staff gather to observe Tower Time. This is a tradition where classes, activities and work are halted to allow members of the  community to spend quality time with one another through conversation. Each Tower Time session is sponsored by a campus department or group and refreshments and activities are provided to ensure the mid-week break is enjoyable.

Along with the festivities, the clock tower plays the JCU Alma Mater at the beginning and end of Tower Time. A piece of information not known by many is that this recording of the Alma Mater recording was performed by JCU students. In fact,  I’m actually one of those students in the recording. In this audio, I’m playing the soprano part on my clarinet.

The Tower Time version of the Alma Mater was recorded in August 2021, right after I began my undergraduate years. The youngest group of students in this recording was the class of 2025, which was when I graduated with my bachelor’s degree. 

Since the other musicians in this audio that graduated with me didn’t pursue post-bachelor education at John Carroll, this makes me the only student on JCU’s campus that is in the Alma Mater recording. 

Here is how the Tower Time audio you hear today came together four years ago:

Around the second week of the fall 2021 semester, the members of the JCU Pep Band and Wind Ensemble met in the band room one evening to record the Alma Mater. While I was putting my instrument together, a cameraman came into the band room and set up a video camera near where I was sitting.

Before the recording process began, the group of approximately 20 musicians ran through the Alma Mater about five times, ensuring the music was being played correctly. The band director also had each person tune their instrument individually so the notes didn’t sound off.

After the preparation phase was over, it was officially time to record the piece. The entire ensemble sat in silence for about 30 seconds to ensure there was absolutely no noise when the record button was pushed. The entire Alma Mater was then played from start to finish. At the conclusion of the song, the group was silent for another few seconds before the camera stopped recording. 

The band director and cameraman listened to the recording to determine if any tweaks needed to be made. In order for the sound to be balanced in the audio, people had to switch seats and the camera had to be moved to different spots throughout the band room.

This process was repeated until there was complete satisfaction about the quality of the recording. In total, the group did about 15 takes of the Alma Mater and the entire recording session lasted about an hour. 

I’m extremely lucky to be able to brag that I’m a part of history at John Carroll University. It’s even more fascinating that as more new students come to JCU’s campus during my time in graduate school, I’m the only student in that recording. I hope the university will continue the Tower Time tradition with this exact recording of the Alma Mater for years to come.