Exodus: A Home Away From Home
Read about the secret to Exodus in this Mitty Student Interview by Ria Sudhir ’24
Mitty’s resident band, Exodus, can only be genre’d as the meeting point of liturgical and rock music. The tiny class of eight is flush with Mitty’s best musicians and vocalists—including juniors Jenika Fernando and Aidan Levan. For them, Exodus has become a powerful outlet for their musical talents and passions. As Jenika puts it, it is simply awesome.
Jenika joined as a sophomore after being inspired by the seniors on Exodus, who served as her role models and eventually encouraged her to consider joining. And she did! Jenika is a lead singer for Exodus and is also heavily involved with the performing arts program. She describes that being in the Schott Music center with its tall ceilings and resounding acoustics and creating music with her bandmates truly makes her feel at home.
The same can be said for Aidan Levan, who joined this year and is a guitarist. Like Jenika, he was fascinated by watching Exodus perform and desperately wanted to be part of such an incredible community. Aidan’s musical journey began at an early age of 3 with the violin. Since then, he has changed from 4 strings to 6, but his enthusiasm for music and performing remains constant. Be it vocals or guitar, both students have found their home away from home, on campus.
The secret to Exodus comes in three parts: Ms. B, creative liberty, and the students. Part of what makes Exodus special is their teacher, Ms. Bevilacqua, or Ms. B to the students. Both Jenika and Aidan speak very highly and are extremely appreciative of their teacher.
Ms. B has been a constant source of support and encouragement for the students. They collectively view their time with her as irreplaceable, and extremely valuable. Ms. B creates a safe space for her students that truly allows their talents to flourish and shine. There is no other way to put it other than “she is just the best.”
The second ingredient of the recipe is creative liberty. Aidan and Jenika adore the artistic freedom that Exodus both offers and encourages. The process of creating music is impossible to standardize, and therefore creative liberty is a must. This aspect of Exodus is something that both students value highly.
During class and practice sessions outside of school, they spitball ideas and create in a space where trial and error is an accepted entry-level requirement. Ultimately, they are able to produce a tantalizing concoction of musical styles that embodies Mitty’s values while simultaneously producing catchy music that gets the whole school’s arms in the air.
Finally, the student musicians make up the last part of the recipe. The 8-person band allows for close connection and collaboration, fostering an environment inspiring one another. They often have hilarious discussions on arbitrary topics during their practice, making memories that will last beyond graduation. To put it simply, in the words of Ms. B, “where we go, we go together”—reminiscent of a lyric from the Exodus hit, and the 2021 liturgical theme, “Home.” “Just know you’re not alone, ’cause I’m gonna make this place your home.”
All told, Exodus is built on the talents, support, and friendships of individual Mitty musicians who collaborate to create something special. Jenika reminds us, “surround yourself with people that make you feel your best,” and Aidan adds the last piece: “take chances.” Shhh. That’s the secret.