And All That Jazz — Welcoming the Jazz and Soul Club

The Loyola extracurricular scene has just been jazzed up.

After one and a half years of meticulous planning and passion-driven creativity, the second-year environmental science major introduced a new melody to Lake Shore Campus — the Loyola Jazz and Soul Club.

The club was started by long-time music lover Meredith Shoemaker, a second-year environmental policy major who’s always adored the richly rhythmic genre of jazz. 

“I wanted singers and performers who don’t just want to perform because they want to be on stage, but because they understand how much goes into music,” Shoemaker said. “It’s not just singing, but understanding the lyrics and where the music comes from.”

The club, which was founded in November, is in the process of its springtime soft-launch before its full take off in fall 2026, currently holding monthly meetings in Cuneo Hall. The jazzy executive board, officially seven members strong, crafted three foundational aspects of the organization: Performances, lectures and discussion-based learning. 

Shoemaker serves as both the president and founder of the latest harmony in the symphony of Loyola clubs, where her personal adoration of jazz and soul have fueled the fire in creating the brand-new student organization. 

Enjoying artists from Sharon Jones to Aretha Franklin and Ella Fitzgerald, Shoemaker said her family’s love of jazz introduced her to a lifetime of authentic, soulful performances of tribute and contemporary jazz singers. Once arriving at Loyola, however, Shoemaker said she quickly developed one massive concern.

“It started off with me thinking that we don’t have a lot of opportunities for both singers and instrumentalists to do jam sessions and perform in front of a big audience,” Shoemaker said.

With the founding idea set in stone, Shoemaker took on the challenge of forming an executive board, fine-tuning the specific details of club administration and surveying students for input on what they’d like to gain from the Jazz and Soul experience. 

Second-year event coordinator and fellow jazz connoisseur Jaelyn Faelber said she’s  already coordinated supports for several upcoming Jazz and Soul events, specifically in regards to meeting spaces and club promotions. Along with the rest of the executive team, she’s been intricately organizing their upcoming “Luck Be a Lady” concert taking place in late March.

“It’s going to be a jazz club kind of atmosphere,” Faelber said. “Everybody loves a vibe, so I’m hoping people will come to see it.”

The Jazz and Soul team’s already held a few introductory meetings this semester, and have been gaining attendees. Second-year Frank Niecikowski said he felt the organization was an exciting program to participate in during his undergraduate experience.

“I’ve always loved jazz because it really breaks the rules that we all learn with music,” Niecikowski said. “Having a club for it, I thought it was really cool, and now I’m in it.”

When describing the Loyola Jazz and Soul Club, the theme resounding from multiple members was unanimous: “community.”

“There’s definitely a community that I think wasn’t there until now,” Shoemaker said. “I want to create that in the fact that we all make music, and we all make art.”

An overarching sense of musical celebration combined with willingness to grow in jazz education is shared among members of the club, creating harmonious experiences in which students can share their favorite artists while learning about new pieces in return. With a mission to spread the artistic style and heartfelt resonance of jazz throughout the Loyola community, the club is designed to celebrate common interests and appreciation for music.

Despite it being relatively early into the second semester, the Loyola Jazz and Soul Club has already hosted three unique events and is ever-so-ready to embrace new members. Whether being vastly knowledgeable in the subject of jazz or simply interested in the arts, new students are always encouraged to join the soulful bunch — no experience required.

“You walk into the room, and we all have the same goal of sharing our ideas, being heard and listening to music,” Niecikowski said.

With the club, students of all disciplines — whether STEM, education, business or humanities — have the opportunity to show how a diverse web of people can be united in the powerful presence of music. 

Having built the soulfully-sweet organization from the ground up, Shoemaker said she continuously strives to teach people one thing — there’s more to jazz than meets the eye.

“No matter what you are listening to, it comes from so many aspects of jazz and soul,” Shoemaker said. “It’s gonna be awesome, and I hope more people understand the music and how much it has done for society and culture.”

Students interested in joining the Jazz and Soul Club can register through LUCommunity and follow the organization’s instagram, @lucjazzandsoul, for updates.