Chasing Chance

Success comes when certain balances are made in life. When the brain and body are appropriately used together, some students get a feeling of harmony that wouldn’t otherwise be there.

On Oct. 4, the band Chasing Chance will be performing at Velour Live Music Gallery at 135 N University Ave in Provo. Though three out of four of the band members are current students at UVU, all four agree that when balance is made between schoolwork and life, it strengthens professional performances.

“If you’re in a club or band, you are given an opportunity to learn hands on,” said Chad Workman, student body president. “When you have such an opportunity, you are much more likely to retain techniques and skills taught in the classroom.”

Many students go to school to find placement in any given career path in hopes that the degree they are working on might help achieve a goal for prosperity and happiness. But with so much of the nation unemployed, many try to find ways that they could apply the knowledge that suits their goals, rather than fitting into a workforce that isn’t ready to offer stability.

“School is meant for us to gain knowledge that we may apply it readily in our lives and work,” said Jared Shepherd, a technology management major and drummer for Chasing Chance. “There is a direct correlation between what we add to the band from what we learned on campus, and vice versa.”

According to Nick Dutson, business management major and bassist in the band, he has been able to develop skills in the classroom that he feels he couldn’t have learned anywhere else.

“My classes have been great because they’ve taught me how to treat the band like a business,” Dutson said. “Because of my business management major, I’ve learned how to manage the marketing for our band’s performances.”

Having performed more than 30 shows since the band’s inception, the members of Chasing Chance have also seen how negatively life and schoolwork can affect each other.

According to Chance Young, business management major and lead vocal and rhythm guitar of the band, anyone who has a project outside of school will find difficulties.

“There are times when conflicts arise because of scheduling—if it’s not a group project, then it’s a test at school,” Young said. “Without making time for both practice and study, things would be much more stressful.”

According to Mark Hildebrand, director for the UCCU Events Center, the direction that Chasing Chance is currently on is the right track.

“We schedule all our performances through agencies,” Hildebrand said. “And to get real attention from any of those agencies, an important variable is having a fan base, which comes only with the right amount of networking and marketing, which I learned about at school.”

Most would agree that school is designed to give the tools to succeed, but even more can be achieved when opportunities are taken outside of school. When students do what they enjoy and harmoniously blend the tools offered through college education, nothing can stop individual growth except the lack of diligence and determination.