Breaking into the A Cappella Scene
By Beth Hayden, N2Arts Correspondent
How to use your voice as an instrument
 

hat do Diane Sawyer, Paula Cole and Art Garfunkel have in common? They’re all a cappella group veterans! But what does “a cappella” mean, anyway? A cappella music is sung without instrumental accompaniment, which means the vocalists create all the sounds of the tune using only their voices. 

That’s right--all the sounds. Guitar, drums, keyboards, sax, trumpet, bass--you name it, you can sing it. The result is vocal groups that sounds like a bands--and that means a cappella singers get to have a lot of fun. Singing a cappella music is an exciting way to get musical experience, learn about harmony, and get in front of a crowd. 

A cappella music has grown into a popular phenomenon in the U.S. during the past few decades. With the success of professional a cappella bands like Rockappella and a cappella-influenced groups like Boys II Men, the “sans instruments” phenomenon is gaining steam with fans of all ages.

Groups can be coed, male only or female only, and vary in style across a wide spectrum of musical tastes. Many groups perform contemporary music, which means that if you sing with the right folks, you may very well get the chance to perform the Coldplay or Sarah McLachlan tunes you’ve been hearing on the radio. Some groups specialize in a certain kind of music, like doo-wop favorites or angst-ridden “emotional punk,” and some dip into a variety of musical styles for their repertoire. Most groups are small, ranging from 5-15 vocalists, and many do their own musical arrangements. 

“Performing a cappella music fed my inherent ‘ham,’” quips Shelby Wherry, former member of the Treblemakers, an all-female group from Penn State University. Wherry was the Treblemakers’ lead soprano and a frequent soloist during popular concerts on the Penn State Campus. “I got to meet like-minded people, sing music that was upbeat and current, and be the center of attention--what could be better?”

If a cappella sounds interesting to you, your first step is to find a group near you. Varsity Vocals, an umbrella organization that supports a cappella at both the high school and college levels, maintains http://www.highschool-acappella.com. This site has a list of high school groups, arranged by US region. If you’re looking to join a group, you can also put the word out by posting on Google newsgroups like rec.music.a-cappella and alt.music.a-cappella. New groups are forming and established groups are looking for new members all the time, and newsgroups are a great way to link up with the a cappella community.

If there’s no group near you, consider starting one of your own. By starting your own group, you can have more control over the ensemble’s direction and musical style. Arrangements may sound daunting at first, but there’s always the option of using other arrangers’ tunes to start. Once you’ve got some experience in a cappella voicing, you might want to start doing your own. Creating your own arrangements is a terrific outlet for your creative juices--and arrangers always get to sing the songs they want to sing!

The Web site of the Contemporary A Cappella Society of America (http://www.casa.org) includes an online arrangements library, where you can browse over 1200 arrangements searchable by original song title, number of voices and type of arrangement (male/female/coed). CASA also has classifieds (singers looking for groups, or groups holding auditions), information about a cappella radio shows, and an excellent Frequently Asked Questions section. At the time of this writing, CASA’s “A Cappella Almanac”—a searchable database of professional, collegiate and high school groups--is temporarily disabled due to maintenance issues. When it’s up and running, this almanac is the definitive source for information on individual groups.

In the a cappella world, there’s also opportunity for competition--Varsity Vocals hosts an annual huge national competition every year for collegiate and high school groups, and the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards recognize excellence in recordings each year. Once your group is ready to hit the big time, entering these types of competitions can be a great way to keep your musical chops in shape--and earn some recognition while you’re at it.

Not a singer?  You can still get involved in the a cappella movement. Groups need business managers to organize gigs and concerts, marketing wizards to sell CDs and concert tickets, recording engineers to help in the studio, and logistical wunderkinds to bring together all the aspects of a cappella performance.

Whether you’re a choir member with years of singing traditional choral tunes or someone who mostly sings in the shower, a cappella has plenty to offer. Meet new friends, hone your skills, and learn to perform in front of enthusiastic crowds--no instruments needed!

Beth Hayden is a freelance writer and former member of the Pennharmonics, a coed ensemble based at Penn State. She now lives (and supports a cappella music) in Boulder, Colorado. She can be reached at smart_scribe@yahoo.com.