Second Set of Fieldnotes

Since the last time I posted a set of fieldnotes, I have conducted two more interviews with members of the Higher Keys, attended two A cappella concerts, and spoken to many other people involved in A cappella less formally about their experiences. Already I feel like I have learned a lot about what it means to be in an A cappella group to different students around campus, and the perception of these groups by A cappella fans and non-fans alike.

I conducted one interview with a female senior from the Keys and one with a male junior from the Keys. I knew both of them very well because we were in a show together, and this may have contributed to the openness of their answers. In the scope of the A cappella community, everyone I interviewed thought of Brown’s a cappella community as unique because of its warm and inclusive vibe. They felt as though there was a true “a cappella culture” at Brown. Both interviewees noted the “Midnight Meeting,” when all the a cappella groups come together to choose new members, is one of their favorite times of the year because all the members can interact as this one community, something that doesn’t happen at any other time in the year.

All of the people I interviewed has similar ideas about which groups portrayed which style of music. Because I was interviewing Keys, which is perhaps the most unique of all the groups musically because of their Jazz-based repertoire, the members were proud to separate themselves from the other groups on campus. They also tended to lump all the other groups together into the “contemporary music category,” although the male picked out some particular differences in the sounds of the other male groups, though he did not have enough knowledge to speak on the female groups. One of the most interesting things I found is that both Keys had a similar image of the personalities of the other groups. The Keys are thought to be more formal and “sexy” while the bears were described as “peppy,” “silly,” and “fun.” The Jabberwocks, in contrast, are thought to be the egoists of the a cappella community, and portray a “we’re tight and we’re awesome” aura. Perhaps the most interesting thing I noticed, however, is that neither the male or female I interviewed mentioned the girls groups without my asking about them first. Perhaps it is because the Keys do not interact with members of girls groups as much as with the boys groups, or perhaps it is because girl’s a cappella is not seen to be as legitimate as all male. Whatever the reason, the defining factor for both members’ choosing of the Higher Keys was the fact that it was coed. Although the Jazz music of the Keys appealed to both members, they made it clear that they each wanted to be in a Coed group going in to auditions because of the full sound and the warm community vibe.

For members of the Keys, music is perhaps the most important factor in a performance. Both students noted being “musically on point” as the number one thing to strive for. When I asked them whether they attended other groups’ performances, they gave very different answers. The straight male I interviewed said he hardly ever went to other a cappella performances, saying that he “doesn’t really enjoy [a cappella music]” unless he’s making it himself. The female, on the other hand, said she often went to other groups’ concerts, both to watch the concert itself and to see her friends perform. This brought up an important issue about the fanbase of a cappella. The male I asked told me frankly that “if you’re not in a group and you’re a guy, but you go to a cappella concerts anyway, you’re probably gay.” According to his perspective, most of the Keys fanbase (and the fanbase of Brown a cappella in general) is “girls or gay men.” The female I interviewed agreed with this statement. “Most of the people that come to our shows,” she stated, “are the musical theatre community” (a notoriously gay scene) “and our roomates.” “Girls are very supportive of the scene,” she continued. “That’s why male groups get more people to come to their concerts.”

I asked about the common stereotypes associated with each group and both Keys gave me similar answers. Here is a short breakdown:
Male= Arrogant, cooler, funnier, more popular. Have less advanced arrangements.
Coed= The Keys have an arrogance because of their musical style. Hard to get things done because a lack of communication between males and females.
Girl= Catty, sorority, less of a full sound. Neither Key could verify these rumors.
Although some of these stereotypes had played out in front of the interviewees, many, such as the “Jabberwocks are all assholes and the Bears are all gay” rumor, had not. Everyone I interviewed believed it to be true, however, that male groups are the most popular on campus.

Another interesting thing I found out from the Keys I interviewed was that they really don’t consider Harmonic Motion (the other Coed group on campus) a threat at all. The two groups do not often perform together. Because HarMo is Brown and RISD, they do not perform on Brown’s campus as often as the Keys. This might be the cause of the lack of animosity between the groups. Although none of the Keys had witnessed it first hand, they did believe there to be more competition among all-female and all-male groups.


When I went to the Bear Necessities-Higher Keys Flip Flop Arch Sing and the Grillin’ and Chillin’ concert featuring the Bears, Derbies, and a girl group from Smith College, I was intrigued how all the things I had learned from the interviews would come into play. I began to look with a more subjective eye at the inner workings of the concerts. For example, I started listening to the syllables that the different groups used. The Keys did tend to use more open syllables, while the Bears had a more blasting “ber ner ner” sound. The Keys also seemed to be keeping their composure while the Bears were all over the place, running and jumping around to get a crowd reaction. I surveyed the crowds at both concerts. For the Arch Sing, it really was mostly girls and the musical theatre community. The Grillin’ and Chillin’ concert, however, seemed to be a bigger event for these groups, as there were many older people there I assumed to be parents or relatives. There were also more males present in the audience at this concert, and a large number of people I had never seen before at a cappella concerts or at musicals. I can hypothesize that less publicized, more intimate a cappella performances are most often attended by close friends, other a cappella members, and members of the theatre scene (I was there, for example, with my entire girls a cappella group), while bigger and more formal concerts attract a more diverse crowd. One generalization I can make, however, is that a cappella crowds are vocal crowds. They cheer and scream for their friends and are not afraid to shout out when they hear something they like.

For further research, I plan to interview a Keys sophomore to get a broad range of classes, and also to interview both fans and haters of a cappella to get their perspectives on it.