Doo doo doo lalalala! Music has been known to be a universal element of connection since what seems to be the conception of the earth. Songs allow us to recall special ideas, memories, and emotions from past experiences and formulate hopes for the future. It sounds almost silly to say, but music seems to have some sort of magical powers that enable it to make us feel.
This being said, alma maters are the trademarks of schools across the nation. I bring you this blog today to address the pleasant sensations that are evoked by Penn State’s very own alma mater. Whenever the sound of the alma mater resonates through the air, strangers standing next to one another join arms and link up to form these ridiculously long chains of people. It’s possible that they have never exchanged a single line of dialogue, but when they hear this particular tune, they are suddenly compelled to engage in this apparent act of fellowship. While chanting the familiar melody, Penn Staters sway to and fro together, which is not only hella cute, but it also represents the identity that this campus has established for itself. Students and staff alike at Penn State don’t pride themselves on being magnificent individuals…we pride ourselves on the magnificence of the community that we create when we come together to celebrate our time and experiences here. The alma mater unites us in a remarkable way, and it justifies our ability to proclaim that WE ARE.
I distinctly remember the first time I sang the Penn State alma mater. At the conclusion of my Schreyer Honors orientation, everyone involved in the program linked up and began to do the whole sway and sing routine. I’m not gonna lie, my initial thought process was screaming “Yikes, this is pretty awkward!” But as the melody played on and I further deluged myself in the situation, I noticed that all of the remarkable upperclassmen surrounding me were so distinctly engaged in the song and the words that they were singing. It made me wonder “What’s going through their minds right now?” I conjured up some ideas, and all of them correlated in the fact that they were positive. I could not imagine that any of the smiling and exuberant individuals around me were singing along out of angst. I could tell that they all associated “the good times” with the alma mater, and that was an idea that filled me with immense excitement and urgency to fill my four years here with as many unforgettable memories as possible.
When I decided that I was going to write a blog post about Penn State’s alma mater, I asked some of my peers what sensations are evoked in them when they hear the alma mater. One individual declared that the song “makes [them] feel at home.” Others threw out the words “passion,” “pride,” and “energy.” Someone else told me that she particularly likes to watch Penn State alumni sing the song. Personally, when I sing the alma mater, I feel like there is no place on earth that I’d rather be. I sincerely hope that you have a special song that moves you in the way that this alma mater has proved to move me and countless amounts of others.
