The UNI Gospel Choir began in 1984 and was founded by Jay T. Hairston, the director of the EMCEC. During the 1980s, the Gospel choir quickly became popular within the campus community because it had not been seen before in the area. It allowed the students to learn breathing and voice techniques and learn about the history of gospel music. When Jay T. Hairston created the choir, he wanted the choir to bring people together through gospel music and help all ethnicities share gospel music’s educational and cultural aspects. Over the years, the UNI Gospel Choir grew and was able to have a program during Black History month to showcase their performances.
Moreover, with the choir’s growth and its growing popularity over 15 years, the choir celebrated with performance along with Wartburg, the University of Iowa, and the Cedar Falls community choirs. The group performance hopes to help students develop an appreciation for African-American religious expression. However, during the 2000s and Jay T. Hairston leaving in 1988, the Gospel Choir began to lose activity, and during 2002 the Gospel Choir possibly disbanded and joined the other music choirs to become one group. Nevertheless, the Gospel choir brought people together, gave a better understanding of the different races, and showed that people of every race could enjoy music together.
