Making Music a Family Affair
Four brothers share the experience of the Singing Cadets
By Olivia Garza '23, Texas A&M Division of Marketing & Communications-Student Affairs
![Brendan White '22, Joshua White '26 and Christopher White '15 pose with "gig 'ems"](https://studentaffairs.tamu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/IMG_3796-scaled.jpg)
Brendan White '22, Joshua White '26 and Christopher White '15
Joshua White
When Christopher White ‘15 walked into Choral Activities in the basement of the MSC his freshman year, he had no idea what a lasting impact he would be making on his family. What started as Christopher White joining the Signing Cadets his first semester at Texas A&M turned into more than a decade long streak of White brothers in the Singing Cadets. Joel White ’17, Brendan White ’22 and now Joshua White ’26 have all followed in Christopher’s footsteps.
At first Joshua was apprehensive about following behind his three older brothers. “As a younger sibling, if you're going into something that your older siblings are in, there's obviously a lot of assumptions that are already made about you based on how your brothers acted,” he said.
Joshua has had to learn to be his own person while walking in his brother’s footsteps. “My goal is to be the absolute best I can be in the group,” he said. He said his goal is to be himself, while upholding his brothers’ legacy.
Coming into his sophomore year, Joshua feels that he’s found his place in the group and among his older brothers. Despite an 11-year gap between the youngest and oldest, they said that the shared experience of Singing Cadets has brought them closer than ever before.
“It's something that ties us back to College Station,” said Brendan White. Singing Cadets events serve as a homecoming for the four brothers. They return to Aggieland to watch Josh sing, connect with former Singing Cadets members and relive the feelings of being on campus.
“Texas A&M has anything that has altered the way we interact with people and the respect we give them. How we lead, how we have integrity and selfless service,” said Brendan.
The Singing Cadets and Choral Activities have not only become part of the White family but have become family to the Whites. Both Brendan and Chris met their wives through Choral Activities and all four brothers made enough friends and memories to last a lifetime.
“I have never seen four brothers that are different in personality, but so alike in their values and success,” said director of Choral Activities David Kipp.
By the time that Joshua White walks out of Choral Activities for the last time, there will have been a White brother in the Singing Cadets for over 15 consecutive years. Even when the door closes on the White brothers’ time at Texas A&M, their shared experience here will continue to bring them together and bring them back home.