College a cappella has changed immensely since the first group, the Yale Whiffenpoofs, was founded in 1909. Collegiate a cappella groups are “student run and student directed singing groups that perform entirely without instruments” (Wikipedia.com). Over the past 30 years in particular, the number of a cappella groups on college campuses has more than quadrupled. Much of this increase in popularity is due to the change from repertoires based on jazz standards and barbershop classics to those mostly featuring popular music with overlaying beats and vocal percussion. The forms of the groups have also transformed over time: today, the a cappella scene abounds with single-sex groups, co-ed groups, and groups that focus on a particular genre including Jewish and Christian music. Theme groups, such as Brown’s own Pirate a cappella group, are also prevalent on many college campuses. A cappella at Brown began in 1949 when the Jabberwocks came into existence. Today, Brown is home to 16 a cappella groups with the most students involved in a cappella per capita of any American university. Because of this, complex interactions within and between groups are an important aspect of many students’ Brown experience. For my ethnography project, I plan to work with Brady Waibel and Chantel Whittle to observe, study, and compare the intricacies of Brown a cappella, from auditions to arrangement to performance. We plan to focus on three different a cappella groups (one all-male, one all-female, and one co-ed).
Some questions I hope to explore are:
-Who joins an a cappella group? As a cappella is a huge commitment, why would these students choose to devote such a large amount of time to a cappella music? Are they doing it to further a musical career? To make social connections in the a cappella community? Purely for fun?
-At what sorts of venues do different groups perform? How do the groups get these gigs?
-What kinds of interactions are there between groups? Is there an inherent competition to be the best group on campus? Does the a cappella community operate as one whole or as many separate groups?
-Who are the fans of a cappella? Do a cappella groups have “groupies” as a band might?
-How do a cappella groups choose which songs to sing? Do they arrange their own music? How do they pick solos and voice parts?
-What is the audition process like? How do they choose who gets into the group?
- What is the repertoire? Which types of songs get the best reception from crowds?
- Are there broader differences in a cappella groups based on gender? What do all-male groups think all-female groups are like (and vice versa)? How do boys and girls interact within a co-ed group?
In order to conduct our research, we plan to observe rehearsal and performance, survey the fan base of the various groups, and conduct questionnaires of the members of the groups themselves. Because all of us are involved in our own a cappella groups, we will try to be as objective as possible by studying groups in which we are not involved (namely the Bear Necessities, Higher Keys, and Ursa Minors). By looking at a cappella culture from a broader perspective and by using a comparative approach, we hope to gain valuable insight and perspective on our own involvement in collegiate a cappella.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
When I first came to Brown, I realized that there are many a cappella groups here. Those groups present a visual show as well as singing. How do they decide on their choreography or what clothes to wear? The music they sing is usually based on jazz, but what kind of music do the members actually listen to? What is their musical background? To what musical culture do they belong? I wonder: are there any other countries where a cappella culture is popular?
ReplyDeleteI think this is a really interesting topic to study, as a cappella seems to almost be a "given" on college campuses these days, at Brown especially as so many students are involved. All of your questions are fascinating and will definitely shed some light on a culture on our campus that many of us take for granted. I'm particularly interested in your questions about interaction between the groups and who their fans are. I've always wondered why non-participants choose to attend the concerts of some groups but not others (for example, the Derbies, but not the Bears, when they are both all-male groups - or vice versa). It has always seemed to me that it was the members of the group rather than their particular sound that made the difference but I'm really curious to see what you find out. As someone who goes to a lot of the concerts, I'd definitely be willing to share some thoughts with you.
ReplyDeleteI think Brown is the perfect place to be asking these questions! I look forward to what you discover about a cappella culture on our campus!
I'm very glad you have formed a group to work on this topic -- it will be a great way to make your comparative approach as productive as possible. I would encourage you to check out (and possibly cite) some recent student projects on a cappella groups at Brown. Look at their fieldnotes, interviews, etc. (for this class there was a final presentation instead of a final blog post, so there won't be a big final entry to read).
ReplyDeletehttp://squeakybassoon.blogspot.com
http://ethnomusicologyandme.blogspot.com