The Daily Princetonian
Thursday October 10, 2013
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STREET’S ACA-ARTICLE
Senior Writer Lin King takes you on a journey through the world of Princeton a cappella PAGE DESIGN BY SENIOR WRITER LIN KING COURTESY OF THE TIGERLILIES
COURTESY OF KINDRED SPIRIT
COURTESY OF ROARING 20
Within the first week of arriving on campus, students have been introduced to the concept of “arch sings” as a quintessentially “Princeton thing.” Many attend the longest song-fest they have ever experienced at Tiger’s Roar. Some may have even seen one a cappella group shoved around by Tina Fey in “Admission.” Unfortunately, aside from those select students who landed a room in Blair, many of us lose track of the goings-on of a cappella groups after the frenzied performances of Frosh Week. From gospel to beatboxing to good ol’ power ballads, Princeton a cappella does it all. But when? Where? How?
COURTESY OF THE WILDCATS
COURTESY OF OLD NASSOUL
COURTESY OF THE NASSOONS
AUDITIONS It begins with one of the most dreaded words of all — auditions. Member recruitment happens in the beginning of the fall, with most groups holding spring auditions as well. Each audition, individually scheduled, usually lasts from 10 to 15 minutes; the audition material varies from group to group, but most feature vocal warm-ups with the group members and a solo piece of the auditionee’s choice. “Different groups handle the discussion and decision elements differently, but all groups discuss and vote,” Abby Kelly ’15, President of the Katzenjammers, Princeton’s oldest co-ed a cappella group, said. “Across the board, we try to keep auditions as equitable as possible,” she said. “We try to provide a slot for everyone, and there’s no pre-screening process at all.” For groups of a more specific genre, audition solos can involve much more than the ballad of your choice. Off the Record, Princeton’s only R&B and hiphop a cappella group, invites both rappers and beatboxers to come with material of their own creation. Umqombothi, the only African a cappella presence on campus, didn’t start holding auditions to select members until last fall. However, Umqombothi has quickly developed a tradition of “breakdown” at the end of each audition. “We have our drummer play something and everyone kind of joins in,” President Tola Emiola ’14 said. REHEARSALS Most of the groups’ interactions take place at their rehearsals, which are generally several times a week for two-hour sessions. “We rehearse in our room; all the groups have one,” Tigertones President Matt McCalpin ’14 said. “The newer groups are usually in Bloomberg and the older groups in the [junior] slums.”
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COURTESY OF TIGRESSIONS
The actual content of rehearsals include refreshing new members on old songs as well as instructing the group in new songs. The process of building and editing a repertoire varies from group to group, depending on the style and age of each group. For Shere Khan, one of Princeton’s co-ed a cappella groups, approximately three or four new songs, all arranged by members, are added per year. “We do a lot of top 40 from the 80s and 90s, but also contemporary, more alternative stuff,” President Scott Wise ’15 said. “We get rid of songs that people wouldn’t recognize or just don’t want to hear anymore, but some, like ‘Always Be My Baby’ by Mariah Carey, have really held the test of time.” While rehearsals are primarily dedicated to music, singing is hardly the only activity that takes place. Alexandra Cerf ’15, music director of the Tigressions, an all-female a cappella group, discussed her group’s dynamic. “If you happened to walk into a Tigressions rehearsal unannounced, you might find us singing a song while dancing ridiculously to try to get our energy up,” she said. On occasion, the groups even take over dance studios to work on choreography. All that work aside, the members of a cappella groups dedicate time not just to their tasks as a group, but also to forming relationships. “Shere Khan is first and foremost an a cappella group, but pretty close behind is the sense of being a family,” Wise said. “There’s a big social component to our rehearsals … during the breaks, we catch up on each other’s lives.”
COURTESY OF THE FOOTNOTES
COURTESY OF KOLEINU
PERFORMANCES The arch sings presented during Frosh Week aren’t necessarily the most accurate portrayal of a cappella performance throughout the school year. Arch sings, or “arches,” are divided into two sections, one of which is run by Acaprez, an umbrella organization that includes three all-female groups (Tigerlilies, Wildcats, Tigressions), three all-male groups (Footnotes, Nassoons, Tigertones) and two coed groups (Roaring 20, Katzenjammers). “It mostly functions for organizing arches; the Acaprez arches happen about every two weeks, with groups performing in 15-minute slots,” Katzenjammers President Kelly said. “Another role it plays is in the audition process. Groups check in with each other about scheduling and See A CAPPELLA page s2
COURTESY OF OFF THE RECORD
YEAR FOUNDED
# OF MEMBERS
SELF-DESCRIBED AS
Footnotes
1959
17
All-male; “From Cole Porter to Justin Timberlake”
Katzenjammers Kindred Spirit
1973 1991
11 15
Co-ed; mix of jazz, classical, oldies, current pop Co-ed; “Spreading the gospel through song”
Koleinu Nassoons Off the Record Old NasSoul Roaring 20 Shere Khan Tigressions Tigerlilies Tigertones Umqombothi Wildcats
1996 1941 2011 2006 1983 1993 1981 1971 1946 2012 1987
18 16 19 18 17 17 11 17 13 18 15
Co-ed; mix of Jewish and Israeli pop and liturgical First group; all-male; “Song, Fun and Camaraderie” Co-ed; R&B and hip-hop All-male; “Bringing soul and music with soul” Co-ed; “From Gershwin to Gaga” Co-ed; Top 40 classics and contemporary pop All-female; “Unique brand of bold and contemporary” First all-female; “Beautiful melodies and tight harmonies” All-male; “Good friends and good music” Co-ed; African sounds and some English gospel All-female; “Strong women with strong voices”