The Fairfield University Glee Club is closing out the 2025-2026 academic year as a for-credit course. After years as an extracurricular club, Dr. Michael A. Ciavaglia, Director of the Glee Club and Director of Choral Music, decided to make the change.
Students have now been taking Glee Club as a course and receiving one credit per semester for meeting on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:00-6:30 pm.
They perform a variety of music, from classical to popular, and from opera to musical theater. Members perform in mandatory performances throughout the year, including the Alumni and Family Weekend Concert, the Christmas Concert, the Spring Concert and the Pops Concert.
Failure to attend a performance without a valid reason results in an automatic failure for the course, which students like junior Jenna Walsh say is not an issue.
“I don’t think there’s too much of a change,” said Walsh, who has been a member of the group since her first year at Fairfield. “Attendance is always important for the Glee Club, but now that it’s a course, people care more about it.”
Last weekend, Glee Club performed ‘Big River In Concert,’ which featured a collaboration between the group, Fairfield University Theater Program and professional actors from the greater Fairfield community. The performance was a musical adaptation of Mark Twain’s novel “The Adventures of Hucklebury Finn.”
The Glee Club is performing its annual “Pops” concert on April 29th. The Y2K-themed concert featured popular music from the 1990s to the early 2000s.
Students audition to perform solos for the Pops concert. “The show is really about students getting to show off their solo singing skills and have the chance for the spotlight to be on them,” said sophomore Margueritte Brady.
“It’s a little GPA booster which I enjoy,” said Brady, who has been part of the Glee Club for the past two years.
Senior Emma Maselli has been a member since the fall of 2022 and has watched the club grow over the past four years. She told The Mirror she wished the club had been a for-credit course when she joined, admitting that the extra credits would have helped club members obtain priority registration.
Although having a credited class has its benefits, Maselli said members still join for the club’s essence.
“It seems like everyone who is there is there to truly have a good time and make beautiful music,” added Maselli.
Junior Jane Coppola acknowledged the possible negative effects of the club being a course.
“Some people in the group might feel obligated to stay if they decide they don’t like Glee, because quitting would mean you receive a W on your transcript,” Coppola said. However, she says it is not a problem for her, as she feels people now see the Glee Club as a more serious organization rather than a passive club.
Glee Club Advisor Michael A. Ciavaglia explains that Glee Club, as a for-credit class, is similar to other musical ensembles that have historically earned one credit per semester, such as Band, Orchestra, and the Jazz Ensemble.
“The Glee Club is educational and enriching, both in the experience of singing music and learning about the music, its composers, and the history surrounding it,” Cavaglia said.
Now that Glee Club has been offered as a for-credit course for the entire academic year, members are recognized for the time and dedication they put into the club. As Coppola put it, “It feels nice to have our organization recognized, as we rehearse for three hours a week and perform throughout the semester.”