On a recurring basis, 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.

A lot of the appeal of collegiate a cappella comes from contemporary music choices, and entertaining performance choices, in contrast to more traditional performances from more traditional performance ensembles. With this in mind, a collegiate a cappella show should push boundaries. Skits, multimedia clips, costumes, cameo appearances—bring them all on! The more special attractions at a show, the better.

True: One of the coolest parts of attending a collegiate a cappella show is that you never know what you’re going to see. I’ve seen comedic videos. I’ve seen a member of a group come out dressed like a banana. I’ve stomp routines, alumni guests, school mascots joining in the fun. Part of what makes these shows great is just how unpredictable they are, and the opportunity they afford truly creative groups to shine.

False: There can be fun extracurriculars in an a cappella show, but it’s only worthwhile if it doesn’t come at the expense of the musical performance. A show should be entertaining for a full audience—not a few select friends of a group who will get the inside jokes. Videos and skits should complement a show, but they shouldn’t be what the spectators are talking about afterward. The core of a great a cappella show rests with the music, and the level of performance. A few special attractions are OK, but they’re best limited to a rational level.

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Want to write for The A Cappella Blog? Want to have your photos posted on the site? Want to join The ACB team in another capacity? You’re in luck because we are looking for new staff! Go to our contact page and write to us about what you would like to do.

The 3 Gs of American Idol

In a departure from our normal content, we will be guiding you through this season of American Idol from The A Cappella Blog’s perspective. We’re going to do this through the 3 Gs format.

Great/Good: Represents my thoughts on the best performance(s) of the night—these are the star-makers, the tearjerkers, the ones we’re all going to remember.

Gone: Represents my thoughts on the contestant(s) who I think is most likely to be going home (not necessarily the one I think should be going home).

Give it a second look: Represents the act(s) you might not remember, or that we might not have expected much from, but which delivered just the same, and deserve another listen.

Here are my thoughts from tonight’s episode:

GOOD

Crystal Bowersox gives us one reason she should stay here: I was skeptical of Crystal’s act in the early-going, but week in and week out she’s turning in the most consistently strong performances of anyone on Idol. Mellow as it may have been, this performance was more comfortable, confident, and professional than any act, male or female this week.

Andrew Garcia rubs things the right way: Say what you will about this being re-hash of Andrew’s “Straight Up” style from before. It was a nice twist on an established song and one of the best sounding performances this week.

Read the rest

On Saturday, February 27, a dream came true for The A Cappella Blog crew. After attending dozens of ICCA shows over the years, the blog staff had the opportunity to host its very own ICCA quarterfinal. The result was one heck of a night, filled with good music, good friends and a good time to be had by all.

A call to arms

It all started when the Varsity Vocals organization put out the call on its website, seeking a host for a Mid-Atlantic quarterfinal. It didn’t take long for ACB Production Manager Mike Scalise to get on the phone with Content Manager Mike Chin with an idea.

As an alum and current employee of Nazareth College, Scalise had a number of connections at the school, not the least of which was a tie to Naz’s only all-female a cappella group Call4BackUp. Working with Nazareth colleagues Jamie Fazio and Sara Rusick, Scalise and Call4BackUp secured a time and venue, and, working with ICCA Director of College A Cappella Programming Lindsay Howerton sured up the details for the event.

Read the rest

Each Tuesday, The A Cappella Blog presents a link to a collegiate a cappella performance, or related material, that we recommend to you.

We welcome clip suggestions from anyone who would like to submit them.

This week, we present Oxford University Out of the Blue performing Jimi Hendrix’s “Crosstown Traffic.”

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You can support music in our schools through the VH1 Save The Music Foundation by purchasing a wristband from our site. Go to our Donate to Save the Music page for more information!

Take Note is a top-notch mixed group out of Catholic University. Group President Kim Clark took the time to answer questions from The A Cappella Blog

The A Cappella Blog: What is the audition process like for Take Note?

Kim Clark (KC): This is Take Note Acapella’s third year in existence so we’ve only had a few auditions up to date. At auditions, we have students fill out a history form explaining previous singing and/or music experience. We also make them answer a goofy question, normally along the lines of, “If you could be a cartoon character, who would you be?” or, “Did you cry at the end of Titanic?”. We have each auditionee sing a verse and a chorus of a pop/rock song that shows off their range. Next we ask them to sing up and down the scales and harmonize with us. We accept people in based on the spots we need filled and their musical/vocal abilities. A big deciding factor for our officer board is whether or not this auditionee has that special “it” factor we are looking for. We love seeing students that are filled with charisma and positive, upbeat energies!

ACB: How does your group go about deciding which songs to add to its repertoire? Who is responsible for arrangements?

KC: Almost all of our arrangements are purchased from professional a cappella arrangers. Although these can get expensive, we love having songs written custom to our groups needs and strengths. Our group also spends a lot of time thinking ahead, figuring out what songs will be the next big thing. Although we keep in mind not to choose an overplayed song that too many a cappella groups have done. Recently, we’ve been picking a lot of slow tempo, alternative, ballad pieces. Slower songs are fun to work on because it allows us to closely knit-pick harmonies and hone in on each dynamic at an unhurried pace.

Read the rest