Speech Improvement Inc is delighted to have Emmett Patton as our intern for the summer.
Emmett studies psychology and linguistics at Boston University and is a singer in an acappella group called “The Dear Abbeys“.
> Emmett, why did you chose these majors?
Understanding people’s behaviors and the biological and environmental factors that contribute to those behaviors has always been fascinating to me. I’m also very interested in language – how it develops, and the ways in which it can be used in social interactions to influence people’s behaviors. Combining these studies has been an interesting endeavor. The Speech Improvement Company seems to be a very good platform for observing these phenomena.
> How did your passion for music develop?
My passion for music developed as a result of being surrounded by musicians my whole life. My parents were in a band together when they were younger – my mom was the lead singer and my dad played bass. They encouraged my brother and I to learn to play instruments as kids. My brother picked up the guitar and I learned the piano. There was always someone playing music in my house growing up. It wasn’t until high school, though, that I started singing. I joined the choir in my junior year, and then when I got to college I decided to join an acapella group.
> Who are the Dear Abbeys?
The Dear Abbeys are the only all-male acapella group at Boston University. We were founded in 1992, and we perform in and around Boston throughout the school year. We hold auditions every year for new guys to replace the guys who graduate, so the group is constantly changing.
We’re named after the wife of the Dean of Students at BU, who used to work in the Student Activities Office. The founders of the group didn’t have a name in mind when they went to her office to create the group, so they asked her what her name was. She said “Abbey,” so we became the Dear Abbeys.
> What do you sing?
Next year will be my third year in the group, and my second year as President, but that makes no difference when it comes to choosing songs to perform. Every semester, we hold a “pitch session” to which everyone brings three songs that they want the group to perform. We listen to all of the songs, and after a long a complicated voting process, we end up taking between 4-6 new songs each semester. Basically, the songs we perform depend on the personal tastes of the members of the group, which change from year to year. In general, though, we usually do more contemporary, pop/rock type songs.
