Measure for Measure: Has a cappella hit a ceiling?
By Mike Chin on May 29, 2008 in Featured, Measure for Measure, News
*Please note that this will be The A Cappella Blog’s final regular post for the 2008 season. We will return with new content in the winter.
Each Friday an A Cappella Blog contributor will take a look at both sides of a controversial, interesting, or seemingly random statement related to collegiate a cappella. We welcome you to weigh in on the topic at hand by posting a comment. We also welcome readers to offer up their own statements for our writers to consider, Measure for Measure.
This week’s topic: While collegiate a cappella is thriving in its current state, it has likely hit a ceiling, and is not likely to reach a broader audience than it already has.
True: If you’re reading this blog, the odds are that you’re a fan of collegiate a cappella. You love the energy. You love the movement. You love the creativity. You love the passionate, committed and quirky community. Above all else, you love the music.
These are all admirable, entertaining pieces of the collegiate a cappella world, and they are all a part of what draw so many people this unique spectacle at shows across the country. Collegiate a cappella isn’t necessarily going anywhere anytime soon. But at the same time, there comes a point where you need to recognize that this art form just isn’t that appealing to a mainstream audience. Many people can’t escape their preconception of old-fashioned a cappella, with goody-two-shoes choirs singing Gospel music, or Oldies. Many find it ‘girly’ and unappealing. Furthermore, it doesn’t have a foothold to build off of. You won’t see the ICCAs on national television, you won’t find BOCA at your local FYE. Right now, collegiate a cappella reaches a very limited audience—current participants, alumni, family, friends and musicians. While this may seem like a sizeable audience, it’s too small and too self-contained to compound itself. This group simply will not grow in a meaningful way.
False: Collegiate a cappella has grown dramatically. There are more groups performing, more groups competing—groups representing new regions, groups representing new interests. And then there’s high school a cappella, where the field is ever expanding and, in competition, we have seen the emergence of perennial powerhouses like the Men of Note and Crimson. There’s no shortage of professional groups making names for themselves, and a cappella has made its mark in pop culture, including comedic cameos in films like The Break Up and TV shows like The Office. Increasingly, a cappella is mainstream.
With greater acknowledgment has come a greater number of groups. Each year, new a cappella groups surface on college campuses across the United States and abroad. With each new group, musicians who may not have been a part of the a cappella community learn that it’s there, get lured in by a friend, or get wowed by their campus group’s performance to the point where they decide to try out the following semester. The addition of these new participants in collegiate a cappella is, in itself, growth. Add in the friends and families who come to see them at shows, or cheer them to victory at competitions—well then, it’s not all that difficult to see how collegiate a cappella will continue to grow for many, many years to come.
Beyond an expansion in collegiate groups, as the Content Manager for The A Cappella Blog, I would remiss not to observe the ever-growing presence of collegiate a cappella on the Internet. There is, of course, Varsity Vocals, the official page for ICCA, ICHSA, and BOCA. There are well-known sites such as CASA and the RARB. Beyond that, most of the groups out there today have their own sites, and you have A Cappella Hosting helping bring all groups up to speed. Many, many individuals have their own websites, and even those who do not are attracting worldwide attention with clips of their performances appearing on YouTube. And then, of course, there are the blogs. In addition to this very page, you have sites like All My Friends Think They’re Instruments, Take Note, and many more throughout the Internet.
When The A Cappella Blog returns from its annual hiatus, we are certain that a cappella and its enthusiasts will not only be there waiting for us—they will have brought along a few friends, to continue the perpetual expansion of the collegiate a cappella community.
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I love acappella, I’ve only participated in the movement in a very limited way, but I can’t help but being wowed by the fine artistry of some of the groups and fantastic arrangements of the music. I think it will continue to grow. How much so? No one can say that about anything, but a key to the success of any movement is faith and enthusiasm. The second people start telling themselves there is a ceiling, then one will appear, but for the faithful, the sky is always the limit.
M. Ryan Taylor | May 31, 2008 | Reply
Perhaps, one main problem with a capella is it’s not interactive or accessible. A great number of people who can carry a tune and sing in key can’t be in acapella groups because the auditions are very selective. than what’s their motive to follow the group?
Most sports or activities are both spectator and participatory sports. You can watch an NBA basketball game and play basketball yourself. How many fans would the NBA have if noone played basketball? (that’s why it’s a global sport, because everyone plays).
You can love listening to rock music and if you’re really into it, it’s because you play guitar, keyboard or drums. Because you might play guitar But it might be hard to love listening to a capella music in getting into it, if you’re miles away from making an a capella group. Except for joining a choir, which isn’t really the same, your options are very limited for participating in it.
Also, it might just be like opera (Josh Groban), jazz vocalists (Nora Jones) or crooners (Michael Buble). It has its own niche and on occasion an artist breaks through to the mainstream. In a capella’s case, that might be Boys II Men or Rockapella.
ej | Jul 21, 2008 | Reply
I would hesitate to say that a cappella music is not interactive. I fully understand what you are saying when you cite the inability to sing as somehow increasing the gap between performer and audience. However, the comparison to an a cappella concert to a sporting event is not really that relevant and also not that strong an argument because although someone may have the ability to dribble a ball (or carry a tune), they will never reach the level of performance of Michael Jordan.
Furthermore, the participation of an audience in an a cappella concert is a product of the group performing. Any group can go on stage and sing their songs and be done, without bringing the audience in. That is where you lose people and their interest. It is when you give the people something extra that they want to come back for more. How each group decides to do that is up to their own devices and style, but I feel that the inclusion of the audience rests solely upon the group performing.
-Doug B.
Doug B. | Jul 23, 2008 | Reply