Emporia KS — An acapella group by the name of Ball in the House performed at the Emporia Middle School before heading to the Granada the next night. The band played for EMS on March 6th, then debuting to the Granada on the 7th. The male group wowed the audience by performing several popular songs, with many different voices and tones.

The five group members are: Wallace Thomas (lead singer), Ben Detty (the bass), Montario “Monty” Hill (tenor), Dave Giusti (baritone), and Jon Ryan (beatboxer). The acapella group has been around for 20 years, full time for 18 years. They have appeared on: The Today Show, America’s Got Talent, CBS’s The Early Show, and more. Ball in the House also did a great job of explaining, and teaching the students about how their music is made, and what acapella music is. They were wonderful to have at EMS!

Before the show started, we got the opportunity to talk to Ben Detty, the bass singer.

Q: When did you decide to sing?

A: “I decided to sing after graduating college, my dad is musical so it runs in my family. The band [Ball in the House] started 18 years ago. They came to my school while I was in 5th grade, and I decided I wanted to do that, that I wanted to sing.”
Q: Where did you get inspiration to sing and be in a band?

A: “I get my inspiration from listening to music on the radio during my childhood, and Luther Vandross.”

Q: What is the worst part about performing in a large crowd?

A: “When you make a mistake and hope that the audience doesn’t notice, because you know you made the mistake, you just hope no one notices.”

Q: how many performances has Ball in the House preformed?

A: “I myself have been in the band for two years. Overall, the band has been together for twenty years. The band started performing 18 years ago

Q: Why did you start making and performing music?

A: “Getting to make a difference in so many people’s lives, performing, you don’t know who’s showing up, music helps bringing them to a better place.”

Ball in the House warmed the hearts of all the students, and seemed to really enjoy their visit to Emporia Middle School. This surprise put together by Mrs. Albertson and Mr. Bazan was truly special, and they did a wonderful job! I think all of EMS agrees that this was an jaw-dropping event!

If you want to know more, visit these links:

http://www.ballinthehouse.com/

https://www.youtube.com/user/bithvideo/videos

https://www.facebook.com/ballinthehouse/

A special thanks to Brooklynn Ruiz for assistance on this story, and Ben Detty for allowing us to interview him.

 and Lenia, too.