LANSING, Mich. – Music is essential to the human experience. Archaeologists have discovered bone flutes more than 40,000 years old, and Charles Darwin theorized early people sang or hummed a “protolanguage” before the elements of communicative speech were established. Since the dawn of song, people have held music close to their identities; it informs community, tradition, religion, celebration and mourning.
 
So, too, do people find meaning in the medium their music is received, and the medium often lasts past the technological necessity of its function: operas are still performed in opera houses, new music still debuts on radio channels, live orchestras are still employed for film scores, and vinyl records are still coveted by music lovers long past compact discs and into this age of digital sound.
 
At Lansing Community College, the Vinyl Record Club (VRC) explores the love of retro musical technology and sound. The club was founded in 2021 after President Steve Robinson toured LCC’s burgeoning podcast studio (now known as LCC Connect) and noticed turntables and the studio’s vast vinyl record collection. By 2022, the club was established and held its first meeting. Since that meeting, the club has enjoyed a steadily increasing membership and an ever-expanding footprint on LCC campuses and in the Lansing community, including a podcast on the LCC Connect network, known as “Now Spinning.”
 
“It’s been exciting to feed off the students’ energy and knowledge of music,” Robinson said. “I also enjoy listening to their LCC Connect podcast, Now Spinning. The LCC students in Vinyl Record Club have taught me a lot about music, including records that were released before they were born.”
 
In addition to sharing a love of music and community, the Vinyl Record Club explores the technology and upkeep of equipment required for a hobby centered on devices often produced decades ago.
 
“I built the VRC’s mobile crash cart, and I enjoy teaching the students how to use the mixer, amplifier, and care for the turntables,” Robinson continued. “It’s a super fun environment.”
 
This combination of common excitement over music and records creates connections beyond LCC’s classrooms, and in that way creates an introduction to elements of life at LCC not necessarily connected to the VRC. Club adviser Tim Eubanks, a buyer in LCC’s Purchasing Department, has seen the VRC encourage friendships and community firsthand.
 
“While records are the medium used by the Vinyl Record Club as an expression of music appreciation, the true purpose of the club is to foster connections between people through the exploration of music,” Eubanks said. “These connections arise as points of common interest as well as points of divergence. At the Vinyl Record Club, there is the possibility of hearing anything from hip-hop albums released last week to Baroque chamber pieces. We believe this diversity is our strength and our student members are enriched by experiencing not only a variety of music but a variety of individual perspectives on music.”
 
VRC students at LCC have used their experience to accomplish and experience things beyond the campuses of LCC. Leo Ackerman, former VRC president, parlayed his VRC experience into a position as music director at WDBM 89FM The Impact at Michigan State University (MSU); Sarah Eubanks, the club’s first president, became an LCC employee and is now studying anthropology at MSU.
 
Additionally, the inception of the VRC at LCC preceded MSU’s own vinyl record club, and as MSU began creating its club, LCC VRC members helped MSU get started.
 
Simon Medina, the longest-serving officer of the VRC at LCC, credits the extracurricular with enriching his college experience, building lifelong relationships and creating opportunities for his future.
 
“This club means the world to me,” Medina said. “When I came to LCC, I didn't really know anyone, and it was tough to really engage myself. VRC gave me the opportunity to make a lot of lasting friendships, and it really gave me an incredible musical education on top of that. I have heard so many outstanding songs and artists I would have never learned about otherwise.”
 
Those interested in supporting the Vinyl Record Club should visit the club's webpage. The VRC’s podcast, “Now Spinning,” is available on demand at LCC Connect.

 

About Lansing Community College

Lansing Community College is an equal-opportunity educational institution/employer. Lansing Community College programs and activities are open to all persons regardless of race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin, creed, ancestry, height, weight, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, familial status, marital status, military status, veteran’s status, or other status as protected by law, or genetic information.