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Running From Krueger

Before I start…

This post is the combination of two things: 1) A phenomenon I have witnessed many times throughout my life, often with me as the gullible subject, and 2) A post on Facebook, asking for someone to invent terminology for said phenomenon, which I had hoped would cure the writer’s block I had.

So, special thanks to Alex Green for making me aware of this actual, real, psychological term that I can totally make fun of now. (P.S. If you’re wondering why I had never heard of this before, it’s because I failed psychology in college. And by fail, I mean I never showed up because it was early and I needed my sleep)

Does this scenario apply to you?

It’s the first rehearsal of the new year, and your group sounds AMAZING! Like, they sound as good as Pentatonix and you suddenly believe all your dreams are possible! I mean, sure, you’ve only heard them sing one chord in the warm-up procedure, but who cares?! They sound incredible and you really feel like this is the year you will win the ICCA.

Later that night, you go home, happy and exhausted. You fall asleep dreaming of all the wonderful possibilities your new group can achieve and then all of a sudden Freddy Krueger enters your dreams and stabs you in the eye.

Okay…maybe not the last part, but the first part for sure. We’ve all been there. Hell, this happened to me two weeks ago, and I’ve got a doctorate in music education. I should know better.

Let me explain..

It was the first rehearsal of my Beginning Contemporary A cappella Ensemble (college-level). Every semester brings a new crop of students, with only a handful returning. The students quickly learned the first half of an arrangement and sounded pretty good singing it for the first time. It was here that I became the victim of a horror movie. I went home with more cheerful optimism than I should have had; my brain whirring around deciding how much the ensemble could handle and how difficult I could make the arrangements. I believed this group could accomplish anything with enough time and dedication, so I began to arrange our second song with the difficulty scale ramped up to 11. The next rehearsal, we read through the new, much more difficult arrangement and it was a complete disaster. That was when Freddy stabbed me in the eye.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s great to have optimism, especially if you’re an extreme pessimist like me. But there’s a difference between optimism and misplaced optimism. That’s where Freddy Krueger comes in.

This cognitive bias is known as the “Dunning-Kruger Effect.” (See where I’m going with this?) In a nutshell, the Dunning-Kruger effect is a bias in which people mistakenly assess their cognitive ability as greater than it is. According to verywellmind.com:

“The effect is a type of cognitive bias in which people believe that they are smarter and more capable than they really are. Essentially, low ability people do not possess the skills needed to recognize their own incompetence. The combination of poor self-awareness and low cognitive ability leads them to overestimate their own capabilities.” -Kendra Cherry

Okay, readers (all 4 of you) put away your pitchforks, because I’m not saying any of you are incompetent. But it is time to assess whether or not you have enough information to accurately judge your group’s ability. One good chord? No. Six rehearsals? Maybe.

I’m sure when Alex Green (Hi Alex!) first mentioned the scientific explanation for this scenario, he probably didn’t expect me to misread the first word, and then immediately think how I could compare a cappella rehearsals to 80s horror movies. But here we are.

So how do you combat this Dunning-Kruger effect? Simple. You run from Krueger.

Imagine that Freddy Krueger is stalking your a cappella ensemble and of course, you are unaware this is happening. Freddy represents “reality,” or the actual ability of your ensemble. The less you believe in him (and overestimate your group’s ability based on insufficient evidence) the closer he gets to “stabby-stabby-town.” To keep him at a distance, you have to believe he is real, keep an eye out for him, and know how to kill him.

How do you kill him?

-Plan realistic goals that ensure success but also challenge your      ensemble to work harder

-If your group is competing this year and you’re not the Socal Vocals, consider you might not win. Instead, strive for a smaller goal, like making it to semi-finals. Or placing top 3 in the quarter finals. (I just know I’m going to get flak for that Socal Vocals joke…)

-Test the waters- Maybe break out an arrangement that you think is probably above your group’s skill level and see if they can learn it and/or how long it takes them to learn it.

-If you’re the music director, stay firmly in the land of reality. Be the voice of reason if you suspect Freddy Krueger is behind the door.

-Pull Freddy into the real world and stab him in the chest with his own glove.

No matter what you do, DO NOT call Jason Voorhees for help. He does not care about your problems. He only wants to stab you in the eye.

Oh…there is no a cappella equivalent for asking for help from Jason Voorhees. I’m just saying don’t do it.

Marc Silverberg Follow the Quest

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Special shout-out to Alex! http://plaidacappella.com

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Wii Fit Trainer

In the last few days of summer, I’ve been playing a lot of Smash Bros. Like, a lot. Like, a lot a lot. 

Now that the school year has begun, I expect that amount to significantly decrease (and then Borderlands 3 comes out Friday…)

Out of your many choices of playable characters, only one, Wii Fit Trainer, has the ability to heal herself during battle. (I mean, technically Wario can as well, but he needs to eat the opponent to do it)

This got me thinking about a cappella. (BTW, if you’re reading this blog for the first time, I’m terrible at segues)

Lately, I’ve noticed a spike in articles about music therapy. Music therapy has never been something that I took much of an interest in. I mean, the ability to heal yourself through music sounds more like “crystal gems and incense” than “real legitimate medicine.” And this, dear reader, is one of the reasons I don’t use Wii Fit Trainer. To heal yourself in battle is complicated and takes time; and as any Smash Bros. player knows, time is something you absolutely do not have.

Okay, it’s a weird link between Smash Bros. and music. But come on! I haven’t done this in two years. I’m a little rusty.

ANYWAY, let’s get back on topic. Music therapy. What is it and why should we care?

Well, after reading several articles on the topic and learning more information than I already had (which was none), I have now come to understand the purpose of music therapy. My hope is that if you’re someone who feels like I once did, I can change your mind.

No, music therapy is not a magical spell where singing will heal your broken arm. I thought at first that music therapy shared something in common with physical therapy—like if you had damaged your voice and specific coaching could help repair it. True, that is a component of music therapy, but there’s more to it than that. Here is a definition from the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA):

“Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program.”

In “Music Therapy for Dummies” terms, that means these trained professionals have evidence to suggest that music can heal you physically, mentally, and emotionally.

So how does it work? Well, like Wii Fit Trainer, it doesn’t mean healing yourself, although music can certainly fix emotional and mental states. And also like Wii Fit Trainer, you can’t shoot giant sun spheres out of your stomach.

Music therapists (according to AMTA) “assess emotional well-being, physical health, social functioning, communication abilities, and cognitive skills through musical responses…”

Once I began reading these definitions, I realized that, without even knowing it, I had designed music therapy lessons while teaching high school. In one public school, I had a self-contained special needs class. I used my elementary training to design lessons that helped these students work on their issues as designated by their IEPs. That, apparently, was considered music therapy. So, again, as an a cappella nerd, why should you care? I argue that several facets of a cappella benefit your well-being:

-Going to a cappella rehearsal can simply make you feel good, which alleviates stress. Consequentially, going to rehearsal where everyone in your group is fighting or arguing can create stress.

-Choreography can enhance a person’s motor skills and physical movement. Dancing helps patients feel a deep connection between their minds and bodies. It helps them relax and reduces stress. They feel more comfortable with who they uniquely are.

-Singing and music in general is a “mega-vitamin for the brain” (Wendy Magee, M.D. at London’s Institute of Neuropalliative Rehabilitation)

-Singing can help control chronic pain and repair muscles.

-Writing music allows you to deal with your emotions constructively. It gives you a chance to do mental work that’s not only fun and enjoyable but also improves your mental capabilities. (https://www.regain.us/advice/therapist/music-therapy-techniques-exercises-and-outcomes/)

-A cappella singers drink more water during rehearsals, which hydrates the body. As Brody McDonald says in his book A cappella Pop:“Pee white, sing right.”

The benefits of music therapy are many and varied, but it is important to understand that therapy takes time. None of these outcomes is guaranteed right away. But evidence suggests that the outcomes of music therapy are similar to the arguments made to keep music in schools, so now you have a defense for your music department.

However you use the benefits of music therapy, believe in them and don’t dismiss them, much like I will dismiss Wii Fit Trainer as I play Smash tonight.

Marc Silverberg Docacappella.com

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The A cappella Starter Package

Surprise! I’m back!

So…it’s been a little while…(2 years in fact…) since I’ve updated this blog. A lot has happened over that time, and my hope is that once you read this list of things I’ve been doing, you’ll stop being mad at me:

           -I finished my 509-page dissertation, “The A cappella Major” and earned my doctorate in

                  music education.

           -I became the director of vocal music at Five Towns College, which changed my adjunct

                  status to full-time associate professor.

           -I became the director of the FTC Chamber Singers, a traditional choir who recently

                  performed at the Association for Popular Music Education’s National Convention.

           -I co-authored a reference book with Deke Sharon and Dr. J.D. Frizzell (release date: Spring \

                 2020)

           -My wife and I bought a house—a process that was so long and painful that I now suffer from

                  PTSD anytime I try to buy something from a store.

           -My wife and I had a daughter. That alone should be enough to explain my 2-year absence.

So…yeah. The blog kinda fell off the radar. To be fair, I’m still convinced that only 4 people read this and that the 200+ hits I receive daily are just random bots from Russia (one of my videos was a victim of that—true story BTW).

ANYWAY, enough about me! Let’s talk about a cappella music!

This post is dedicated to the people who want to jump right in the deep end of a cappella but are afraid to swim past the kiddie pool. This post is all about the “A cappella Starter Package!”

Like Dungeons and Dragons (my character is a level 2 chaotic neutral Spanish Rogue), A cappella takes some getting used to. Yes, anyone who plays D&D says that anyone can “Jump right in! It’s just interactive storytelling!” And speaking as a noob, that’s true. Anyone can jump in and start learning. But there comes a moment when you’re ready to go full throttle and really learn the ins and outs of the game. And there’s A LOT of rules. Sooooooo many rules.

In other words, the suggestion that anyone can “jump right in” is…not exactly accurate. You can start, but if you want to be good, you need to know much more.

A cappella is the same way. Deke Sharon’s favorite proclamation is that we’ve been singing a cappella for centuries, and that it’s easier than ever to form a group. And he is absolutely correct. Anyone can form a group. Anyone can sing.

But let’s think about the future for a moment. You’ve formed your group. Your group has a terrible name based on a music pun. You found a pdf of “Daft Punk” by Pentatonix online. But you want more. You really want to plant your feet firmly in the community.

All the resources are there. (They are…believe me) But they’re scattered in websites you’ve never heard of, books you’ve never read, and most importantly, passed down conversationally from person to person.

How do I get better? Is there ONE place that can tell me EXACTLY what I need to know to get started?

Yes. Yes, there is. Hi. I’m Marc and I’ve created the “A cappella Starter Package.”

STEP 1

Go here and add your name to the list: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ACappellaNow/

This is the Facebook group for CASA, the Contemporary A cappella Society of America. More often than not, most breaking a cappella news, announcements, and releases show up on this group. This is your regularly updated newsfeed and your window to other avenues.

STEP 2

Buy this: A cappella Arranging

AND this: A cappella

These are the most commonly referenced a cappella books. These will answer a majority of your questions and also help you get started arranging.

STEP 3

Now you need some arrangements.

Go here: https://www.noteflight.com

Here: https://www.sheetmusicplus.com

And here: https://www.musicnotes.com

Search “a cappella.”  

Every arrangement sold on these websites is 100% legal. By purchasing arrangements on these websites, you will never be treading the thin grey line of “is this arrangement legal or is this entrapment?”

The majority of a cappella groups commission arrangements or purchase stock arrangements directly from the arranger. But chances are, you probably don’t know the names of those arrangers.

STEP 4

Listen to the following albums:

“Bioluminescence” by ARORA

“Nothing But The Real Group” by The Real Group

“Take 6” by Take 6

“Rockapella Live” by Rockapella

“PTX Vol. 2” by Pentatonix

“Ticket To Ride” by The Swingle Singers

“Postyr Project” by Postyr Project

“Steps” by Cluster

“In This Together” by Accent

VOCALbularies” by Bobby McFerrin

“You’re The Voice” by Club For Five

“Collective” by Duwende

“Twenty for One” by Cadence

The latest volume of Best of College A cappella (BOCA)

The latest volume of Best of High School A cappella (BOHSA)

The latest volume of Voices Only

It’s a long list. I know. But this will give you a good idea of what’s possible with a cappella. Plus, every album is an A+ album. I guarantee it (guarantee not legally binding).

STEP 5

Go here: https://thevocalcompany.com/services/education/

Here: https://acappellaeducators.com

And here: https://www.campacappella.com

Also here:http://team.singstrong.org

Plus here:https://bostonsings.com

Don’t forget here: http://sojam.net

Oh, right…here too: https://varsityvocals.com

These websites will help edu-ma-cate you in all things a cappella. Plus, they have details on all the happening a cappella festivals and competitions. Bookmark these websites.

Hopefully this is enough to get you started. Will it make you an a cappella expert overnight? No, but at least you’ll have the resources you need at your disposal.

BONUS STEP 6!!!

Subscribe to this: Youtube Page

It’s me! I have a Youtube channel! And since this is MY blog, I’ll post what I want. So there.

Marc Silverberg

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A cappella Burgers

A cappella Burgers

One of my favorite cartoons on television is Bob’s Burgers. If you haven’t watched it, I suggest you do.

HOWEVER...

If you have never seen the show before, this is how I recommend viewing the episodes:

1)  Watch the pilot

2) Watch season 1 but skip “Crawl Space,” “Bed and Breakfast,” “Spaghetti Western and Meatballs,” “Weekend at Mort’s,” “Lobsterfest,” and “Torpedo.”

3) Go right to season 2 and enjoy.

I used this equation to effectively hook my wife (who is very picky about what she watches) onto Bob’s Burgers.

Why did I skip those particular episodes? It’s not because they are bad. There’s not a single episode of Bob’s Burgers I would say is “bad.” They are just not as strong as a lot of the other episodes, and to effectively convince someone to watch the entirety of a show, you need to give them a string of great episodes in a row.

I find that when I listen to a new a cappella CD, I’m hoping for a string of tracks that convince me the rest of the album is worth it. And often, I’m disappointed. This really comes down to the order of tracks. And just like the guide to Bob’s Burgers, I wish someone would give me a specific listening order so I instantly become intrigued by the remainder of the album.

I find with my short attention span I tend to make snap judgments about what I’m hearing. I can like or not like something very quickly. I know I’m wrong. But I also know I’m definitely not alone.

I learned over the course of my studies that a cappella experts place a cappella albums into two categories: Concept albums and Yearbook albums. The concept album leads the listeners through a journey with either a plot or a moral.  The yearbook album is a collection of songs you’ve been working over the past [insert amount of time here] with no discernible link between them.

Anytime I review/listen to a yearbook album, I always have the same complaint: The tracks are in a bad order. And just like my Bob’s Burgers preferred watching order, I’m always left disappointed that groups did not take into account the same formula: Hook the listener quickly, THEN break out the other stuff.

Concept albums should stay in the order they are written in. No one can really deny that. But yearbook albums need a re-organization.

I believe tracks 1 and 2 (and maybe even 3) should wow me immediately. Put your best stuff first, because listeners tend to go in track order when listening to a whole album. Once I’m impressed, then I’m more willing to listen to the risky stuff or willing to sit through the mediocre tracks.

This is just my opinion, but the second-to-last track needs to be where you bury your worst song. Either I’ll skip to the last track to hear what kind of explosive ending you’ve crafted, or I’ll leave the album running to the end and not even realize what track number I’m listening to.

I’m not an expert sound engineer. I’m not a producer of a cappella albums. I’m just a listener who hungrily grabs every album he can get his chubby little hands on. But speaking as an a cappella mega fan, if you want me to appreciate your yearbook album, I need to know you’re thinking about how to convince me as quickly as possible.

The next time you design your track list, pretend the listener is my wife. She's really picky about what television I watch, she makes snap judgments, and the only way to get her to stay is to give her your best stuff first.

Marc Silverberg

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BONUS SECTION!!!

Speaking of Bob’s Burgers…here are my 10 favorite episodes (in case you were wondering)

10) Hamburger Dinner Theatre

Linda, obsessed with dinner theatre, stages her own murder mystery in the restaurant. This was also the first episode to include music (which is now a staple in every episode) and establish that Gene is the “composer” of the family. The best feature is the naiveté of Linda, who believes her “twist” ending is brilliant, and the argument that ensues.

9) Glued: Where’s My Bob?

The 100th episode rightly keeps the family, and every character whose ever appeared on the show, firmly in the restaurant. Suffering from a prank gone wrong, Bob becomes glued to the bathroom toilet right before a big magazine interview. In true Bob’s Burgers fashion, the ending is both good and bad for the restaurant’s reputation.

8) Bob Actually

Easily the best Valentine’s Day episode, this collection of separate stories ends in the most satisfying way possible. Also, nothing makes me laugh harder than the hip-hop class Bob takes in order to impress Linda.

7) Purple Rain-union

This episode has some of the best musical material from the show, and also a strong story for Linda and her sister Gayle. Haunted by the events of her high school talent show, Linda’s band is asked to play at their high school reunion. Their first song, written by Gayle, has probably the best rhyming couplet of all time.

6) The Deepening

Bob’s Burgers likes to parody other movies and television shows, and they range from good (O.T. The Outside Toilet) to mediocre (Aliens/Freaky Friday). This Jaws parody however, is pitch perfect. Who’d ever think a mechanical shark would be a threat to people on land? Best line: “I’m literally grasping at straws.”

5) Dr. Yap

Ken Jeong plays the family dentist, Dr. Yap, who invites the family to spend the weekend at his cabin for a ski weekend. Oh, and Bob has to pretend to date Gayle, Linda’s sister. Oh, and the kids have an outstanding competition for a jawbreaker.

4) Broadcast Wagstaff School News

This episode features the best appearance by Jenny Slate, who plays Tina’s rival, Tammy. Tina investigates the mysterious “Mad Pooper,” whose been leaving poops all over school. This episode also helps establish a staple in the series: that every teacher in this school is a horrible person.

3) The Equestranauts

A fantastic parody of the “Bronies” culture, Tina gets swindled by an evil fan and Bob must participate in the convention to get her toy pony back. I love this episode for two reasons: The mispronunciation of the word “tattoo,” and the extremely quotable “Non canonical! Non canonical! Non canonical!”

2) Work Hard or Die Tryin’ Girl

Gene stages Die Hard the Musical. His ex-girlfriend, Courtney, stages Working Girl the Music at the same time. Then they combine musicals and create the original work: Work hard or Die Tryin’ Girl.” ‘Nuff said.

1) Topsy

This episode has SO many things going for it: A duet between Kevin Kline and Megan Mullaly, a villain for Louise to destroy, the first appearance of Billy Eichner, a definitive argument that Thomas Edison was a terrible person, Spi-ceps, and the absolute best song in the history of the series. If you never watch another episode, at least see this one.

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T he Best A cappella Songs You’ve Never Heard

On this blog, I usually highlight a cappella albums that I believe deserve as much attention as the latest release by Pentatonix. You can view those posts here:

https://acappellaquest.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-best-albums-youve-never-heard-part-1.html

https://acappellaquest.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-best-albums-youve-never-heard-part-2.html

I’m going to change things up a little bit and talk about specific a cappella songs that I think also deserve special mention. Why am I changing from albums to songs? The reason is simple... I’ve discovered that it’s becoming more common for a cappella groups to release small EP’s or singles. By releasing individual songs more frequently, a cappella groups can stay relevant in this ever-growing musical marketplace. To help foster that trend, here are some a cappella songs you should be listening to. (In no particular order)

The criteria for selecting these songs are as follows:

A. It has to be a song I believe the majority of blog readers have not heard yet. This eliminates songs from more popular albums like the BOCA compilations and Sing-Off winners.

B. I have to be totally obsessed with it.

1) “Real Thing” by Hive

It’s probably a good sign you like this song when you downloaded it last Wednesday and it’s already on your “top 25 most played” playlist. The ladies of Hive are clearly sending a strong message with this first single- female a cappella is here to stay, like it or not. In fact, the entire production of this single, from the arrangement to the mixing, was done by female a cappella artists.

The song is a little offbeat- It’s an arrangement by the “Tune Yards,” a band I had never even heard of until last week. The song begins in a typical R&B style, but the sudden shift in the middle is enough to excite music nerds like me. Don’t judge the book by its cover- listen all the way through.

Download it here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/real-thing/1298618940?i=1298619284

2) “Agua De Beber” by Sambaranda

About a month ago, I asked the Facebook hive mind to suggest Latin a cappella albums that I could listen to, having little-to-no idea what groups specialized in Latin music. This is how I found Sambaranda, an a cappella group from Brazil. Their cover of Jobim’s “Agua De Beber” simply rocks. Half of the entire song is in 7/4, a meter that most of us never dare to tread.

What I love most about the arrangement is the beginning loop, repeated several times throughout the recording. I use that loop as inspiration for several a cappella arrangements I’ve recently written, and I’ve mentioned the song in last week’s post about informative arrangements.

Download it here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/%C3%A1gua-de-beber/1171576410?i=1171576503

3) “Love is Just That Way” by Accent

As a massive Take 6 fan, I’ve played their albums to death. Naturally, this has led to some jazz withdrawal- It’s extremely rare that anyone is writing complex harmonies that only Take 6 can deliver.

This is why I was so happy to find Accent’s new album In This Together. Their penchant for jazz writing breathes new life into my a cappella addiction. These harmonies are probably as close to “Take 6” as any group has gotten thus far. Every song on the album is amazing, but my personal favorite is “Love is just that way.” Only a group like Accent could rock that hard and still be considered jazz.

Downlaod it here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/love-is-just-that-way/1266524440?i=1266524931

4) “Stay” by Vocalight

Vocalight is the new “it” group in town, and they deserve it. A mix of alumni from Eleventh Hour and Forte, they stunned the world by taking 3rd in the Varsity Vocals Aca-Open, and now they’re debuting complex arrangements in the vein of Pentatonix, but without the restraints of trying to please a general audience. My expectation of “Stay” was for them to over-emphasize the harmonic clashes in the chorus—probably the most well-liked part of that song—but once again the group shocks and amazes me by totally reinventing the song and inventing their own groove. It’s like they removed all the "Zedd" and added more "Alessia Cara."

Download it here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/stay/1247700681?i=1247700682

5) “Wildest Dreams” by Drastic Measures from A cappella Academy

An older inclusion in the list, this insanely difficult version of the Taylor Swift tune makes me hate the fact that I’m too old to apply for the academy. If you were ever looking for a way to totally re-imagine a song, this would be a good example. Rarely have I heard a group sing an arrangement this complex. From now on, THIS is how I'm going to arrange Taylor Swift.

Download it here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/wildest-dreams/1147839392?i=1147839754

6) “Home” by Freshmen Fifteen

Another oldie but goodie. The absolute best arrangement of this song comes from the Freshmen Fifteen, who meld “Home” with several others spirituals. There’s a moment, right before the final chorus, that no matter how many times you hear it, you never fail to get goosebumps. The soloist emits more emotion in this recording than every solo on the last BOCA...COMBINED. It’s raw, imperfect, and absolutely outstanding.

Download it here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/home/371227358?i=371227452

7) “Talk2Me” by House Jacks feat. Postyr Project

“Talk2Me” is a strange mix of rock and electronica that works a little too well. The House Jacks' album Pollen is a concept album that has them traveling and recording with a cappella groups all over the world. The entire album deserves your attention, but “Talk2Me” is the one that grabs your attention the most. The song manages to build an enormous amount of tension in the sound and never really releases the pressure, but you don’t seem to mind.

Downlaod it here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/talk2me-feat-postyr-project/932053911?i=932053936

8) “What Kind of Band” by Avante

Avante is not widely known in the a cappella circles yet, but probably more so in the vocal jazz community. This song was written for a specific kind of audience—the major a cappella nerd. I bet you’re shocked why I love this song…

Just try to catch all the a cappella easter eggs if you can…

Download it here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/what-kind-of-band/955049450?i=955049461

9) "In The River" by ARORA

I’m cheating a little here, because this song is not commercially available yet. As an attendee of SoJam 2017, I was able to purchase a copy of their demo CD for their upcoming album release. "In The River" is shaping up to be the next “Bridge-” a seamless mix of electronica, rock, and calming ambiance- a grouping of styles that only ARORA could pull off. While you probably can’t listen to this one yet, you can ABSOLUTELY set your expectations high and your anticipation at maximum. ARORA will deliver.

10) "Little Drummer Boy" by Five O' Clock Shadow

This one is definitely the oldest song on the list, but I have gotten multiple uses out of it in educational settings. The vocal percussion solo is a testament to both the incredible talent of David Stackhouse and the musicality one can bring to a percussion solo that is more than “look at the cool sounds I can make.” Whenever I introduce a class to vocal percussion, this is always the first track I play, because it never fails to shock and amaze. Couple that with the insane talent of this iteration of Five O’Clock Shadow, and you get my favorite a cappella holiday track of all time.

Download it here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/little-drummer-boy/342769403?i=342769834

Marc Silverberg

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Informative Arrangements 2: Electric Boogaloo

So…apparently people enjoyed last week’s post. Well, I’m glad you liked it. In case you missed it, here’s a link:

http://acappellaquest.blogspot.pe/2017/10/informative-arrangements.html

Also, I’ve finally accepted that more than 3 people read this blog. So that was nice. (Hello 4 readers!)

Addison Horner, content creator for the AEA, went ahead and put the songs on Spotify. Here’s a link:

https://open.spotify.com/user/1265875697/playlist/5wvbxJdq6QQwRYhTRSeRlx

I'd have done that...but I don't have a Spotify account. Plus, I'm lazy. Plus, meh.

It’s time for round 2!

Q: My group wants to do this pop song that EVERYONE and their mom is singing right now. I want to turn it into something totally new like it’s almost unrecognizable. What can I do?

A: Listen to:

“Can’t Buy Me Love” by The King’s Singers

“I Want You Back” by SONOS

“Billie Jean” by Fermata Town

“Killing Me Softly” by Singers Unlimited

“Swingle Ladies” by The Swingles

“I Knew You Were Trouble” by Blackout

“Hildepunk” by MIX

Q: I want to write something that sounds exactly like a jazz big band. Where can I find textbook examples of that?

A: Listen to:

“I’m With You” by The Real Group

“Straighten Up and Fly Right” by Acoustix

“Softly As in a Morning Sunrise” by Quintet

“Have You Met Miss Jones” by The Swingle Singers

Q: Where can I find really good examples of what a “mash-up” is supposed to sound like?

A: Listen to:

“Never Close Our Eyes/As Long As You Love Me/Sweet Nothing” by OneVoice

"Another Way To Die/Skyfall" by The Amalgamates

“How Far I’ll Go The Distance” by Scott and Ryceejo

"Gravity/Run To You" by Jonathan Reid

"Single/Acappella" by Eleventh Hour

Q: My arrangement is missing a really cool chord. Like “Whoa! What was that?!” kind of chord. Where I can I find one of those?

A: Listen to: (You'll know it when you hear it)

“And So It Goes” by Groove For Thought

“Water Night” by Eric Whitacre

“224” by Cluster

“My Future Self” by Postyr Project

“God Bless The Child” by SoCal VoCals

“Hide and Seek” by Imogen Heap

“I Got Rhythm” by Glad

“Locked Out of Heaven” by Vocalosity

Q: We have a really good bass and he/she gets bored really easily. Where can I find examples of more interesting, and difficult bass lines for him/her to sing?

A: Listen to:

“Sing a Song” by On The Rocks

“Feel So Bad” by Voices In Your Head

“Dance With Me” (or really anything) by Rockapella

“Agua de Beber” by Sambaranda

“Wrecking Ball/We Can’t Stop” by Delilah

Q: I’m a live looper and I need some inspiration. What can I listen to so I can get an idea of how to arrange for a loop station?

A: Listen to:

“Cupcakes Can Kill You” by Mister Tim

“Whiskey” by Julia Easterlin

“I Shall Be Free” by Kid Beyond

“Ave Maria” by SONOS

“Unison” by Bjork

“Don’t Worry Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin (even though he doesn’t use a loop station, the arrangement is very repetitive)

Do you have an arrangement question? Send me a tweet @docacappella and I'll include it in Informative Arrangements 3!

Marc Silverberg

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Informative Arrangements

I’ve discovered that the key to writing great a cappella arrangements, especially if you don’t have any formal training, is listening. And stealing. More stealing than listening. About 60/40 stealing.

The great composer Igor Stravinsky once said “Lesser artists borrow. Great artists steal.” Don’t think of it as the negative connotation we apply to stealing- that you are plagiarizing someone else’s work. Think of it in terms of borrowing knowledge. Knowledge belongs to everyone and cannot be owned.  

"There's no ownership of a musical texture, vocal lick, or arranging trick." -Deke Sharon, A cappella

I’m drawing inspiration from existing a cappella arrangements to help me learn. A chord here, a texture there- all adapted to fit the particular song I’m arranging. I don’t directly copy the material note for note, out of respect for the arranger I’m studying, but I use the musical material to help inspire me to create something new.

Sharon, the father of contemporary a cappella, has made this point before. In fact, chapter 9 of the book A cappella is titled “Steal from the best.”

To better help you improve your craft, I’ve compiled a list of arrangements or recordings that I’ve found to be extremely inspirational. (Or in other words...I've stolen from these songs...)

Q: How do I compose a more interesting and varied harmony for a song that originally only has four chords?

A: Listen to:

"Stereo Hearts" by Fermata Town

"Rude" by Accent

"Lady Madonna" by Swingle Singers

"Get Back" by Overboard

"Chandelier" by Twisted Measure

"Up On The Roof" by Countermeasure

Q: How do I create a really interesting rhythmic texture?

A: Listen to:

"Brand New" by The A cappella Group

"Everlong" by Tufts Amalgamates

"Cherry Pie" by Men in Drag

"Drive" by Seven On Earth

"Let Me Entertain You" by The Chordials

"I’ll Be Waiting" by the Northwest Undertones

Q: My group is really small or can only sing 4 parts maximum. How do I create an interesting arrangement with such few resources?

A: Listen to:

"Water Fountain" by GQ

"Who’s Gonna Be Your Man" by Honey Whiskey Trio

"Friend Like Me" by Dakaboom

"My Shoes" by The Bobs

"Say My Name" by The Funx

"Moments of You" by Rockapella

"Cheerleader" by Pentatonix

Q: My arrangement needs a really BIG moment. What can I do?

A: Listen to:

"Diamonds" by The Nor’Easters

"We Found Love" by Voices in your Head

"Expensive" by The Hexachords

"The Bridge" by ARORA

"Starry Eyed" by The Virginia Sil’Hooettes

"Uprising" by Pennharmonics

Q: I need to write a looped section. Where can I find good loops?

A: Listen to:

"I Want You Back" by Ithicapella

"Earth" by Imogen Heap

"Go Straight Away" by Julia Easterlin

"Plain Gold Ring" by GQ

"Walking Down The Street" by The Real Group

Q: What’s a good representation of a typical large group arrangement? You know, with one section singing pads, one section singing guitars, etc.

A: Listen to:

"I’ve Got The Music In Me" by Sing Off Season 2

"Better" by The A cappella Group

"Love Runs Out" by The Academical Village People

"Real Love" by Onevoice

"Blown Away" by Forte

Q: I have to write a medley. What’s a good representation of how to write a good medley?

A: Listen to:

"Bella’s Finale" from Pitch Perfect

"Super Mario" by BYU Vocal Point

"Ode to Donna" by Musae

"Country Dances" by Swingle Singers

Q: How do I write crunchy, shiny, complex pop chords that don’t sound jazzy?

A: Listen to:

"Where The Sidewalk Ends" by Euphonism

"Never More Will The Wind" by Ghost Files

"Run To You" by Pentatonix

"Hallelujah" by Cluster

"Poor Wayfaring Stranger" by Swingle Singers

"I Will Wait" by The Vassar Devils

"We Three Kings/O come Emmanuel" by Groove For Thought

Marc Silverberg

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A cappella Power

Okay. This one is going to get about 10% political. Apologies in advance…

I’ve been unable to blog the past couple of weeks, once because I had the black plague and the other because I felt that whatever I blogged about was just not important. The crisis in Puerto Rico. The shooting in Las Vegas. We seem to be hit with a large number of catastrophes lately and many of us have felt almost powerless to do something about it.

If you’re reading this, then you are part of an elite group of human beings who have the ability to make music. And not just any kind of music…a cappella pop music.

A cappella pop music goes a long way.

So firstly, I need you to keep an open mind.

Whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican…

Liberal or Conservative…

Dog person or Cat person…

Morning person or Night owl…

Iphone or Android…

Coke or Pepsi…

It doesn’t matter. 

Because you’re an a cappella person.

And an a cappella person can help people in need.

You see, I don’t think you really understand how much power you have. You have the ability to sing the music that people actually want to hear. 

I’m not trying to put down unfamiliar music. We all need to experience unfamiliar music, because listening to unfamiliar music is how we grow as musicians.

But let’s be honest. The average non-musician doesn’t want to hear unfamiliar music. They want to hear “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

And there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, that’s great, because we can sing Bohemian Rhapsody. We can perform the entire song without instruments in any acoustical space.

We can travel. We can sing in any environment. We can sing any song we desire. We can design a set of songs for a specific audience who only wants to hear Michael Jackson.

We have that power. And we have to put it to good use.

How you ask? It’s simple. We sing.

We put on benefit concerts that raise money, even if it’s just $100. 

We make inspirational videos that give hope to anyone who watches.

We write and perform songs that show others we are watching, and we do care.

As an a cappella person, I’ve felt powerless these last two weeks, thinking there was nothing I could do to help.

I’m done feeling powerless. I’m ready to do something, even if it’s just a little something.

And so, if you’ve stuck with me to the end of this post, you have been challenged. I challenge you to use your a cappella powers to help. 

It doesn’t matter who you help, or what cause you believe in. You can reach the masses faster and more efficiently than other artists.

I’ve been working on something myself, and when the time comes, I hope you’ll participate. I’ve been (slowly) planning and designing a collaborative album of a cappella superstars and any a cappella singer who wants to participate. I plan to record and release the album and donate 100% of the profits to organizations I support.

I don’t know how it’s going to work yet. I don’t know who’s going to help me. I don’t know if it’s going to fall apart before it even begins, thus ruining my credibility and reputation. I don’t know any of these things.

But I’m going to try, because as an a cappella person, I have the power to do something.

And so do you. Marc Silverberg Follow the quest:

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*A portion of the blog post above was taken from Theoatmeal.com. You can read the original comic here: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/believe

[docacappella]

The Case for Curriculum

There has been a lot of debate and discussion lately about whether contemporary a cappella should be included in the music curriculum, whether that be a cappella examples in the general music classroom, a cappella ensembles at the college level for college credit, or most importantly, the creation of a four-year degree in contemporary a cappella.

Today, I make my case.

Including a cappella music into a formal curriculum has far more advantages than detriments.

Before I begin my incoherent rant, I must clarify the argument I’m making. I’m making the case for adding a cappella music into a formalized school curriculum. I’m not addressing education initiatives such as Next Level, A cappella Academy, Camp A cappella, or the A cappella School. I love and support all of those creations, but none have specific ties to a formal college or degree. I’m suggesting we take the model that the aforementioned organizations have already devised and add it to a degree-granting institution.

The benefits are:

1) Popular Music Base

This is nothing new. Most students respond better to popular music than they do classical music because it is familiar and more representative of the current music trend and their culture. But choral teachers are still hesitant to include popular repertoire into their curriculum, because popular music is made for the masses, and the simplistic, repetitive composition of pop music yields little material to study and analyze.

But (of course) I disagree with the above assessment. If utilized correctly and fully, a general music classroom can go a full year teaching new musical concepts with just a popular music base, and nowhere is that more prevalent than a cappella.

Last year, I joined the Association for Popular Music Education (APME), an organization that promotes the inclusion of pop music into the classroom, not as a one-off lesson anomaly, but as the fundamental basis for all musical learning. It’s entirely possible (and utterly plausible) that your kids aren’t ready to appreciate the complexity of Mozart, the uniqueness of Stravinsky, or the thematic development of Wagner. So I say, screw it. Don’t teach it until they’re ready, even if that means they won’t be ready until they go to college.

2) The End of Mediocrity

Behind closed doors, buried deep within the confines of Facebook comments, there is a word understood by many a cappella professionals who dare not speak its name. It’s called mediocrity.

True, the a cappella community has never shone brighter, thanks to all of the educational initiatives and the sudden expansion of a cappella companies. But for every new bright star, five more groups are struggling to keep up, unaware that educational resources are easier to find than ever.

An a cappella major, or a cappella college classes would help in the fight against mediocrity. Imagine if you will, a recent college graduate who has had 3 dedicated semesters of a cappella arranging, covering everything from medleys to barbershop, 2 semesters of recording techniques covering everything from tracking to mixing (not mastering because there just wasn’t enough time to squeeze it in), a full semester of vocal percussion techniques and live sound, a comprehensive knowledge of contemporary a cappella history, and seven semesters of training in pop vocal styles. 

I imagine if a college began churning out students like that, the fight against mediocrity would be more evenly matched.

3) Ensembles for College Credit

When a college includes a dedicated a cappella ensemble as part of the course offerings (as they do in many colleges such as Wright State, Tiffin, or UCD), it sends a clear message that a cappella is considered to be a legitimate style of singing.

Let’s take the age-old Pentatonix discussion: Pentatonix, and Ben Bram, wanted to be known in the music industry as a band. Not an a cappella group…a band that just happened to use no instruments. Their desire to send a message was clear: "A cappella is as legitimate a musical style as pop, hip-hop, or heavy metal." The unique characteristic that this particular group sang without instruments was less important than the fact that they SAAYNG. (pronounced “sang” with extreme emphasis on daaaammmmmnnnnn!!!)

They have made many strides in this endeavor. Now, it’s education’s turn. To truly legitimize a cappella music as an art form equal to classical choral music, educational institutions must transform it into a credit-worthy ensemble, under the umbrella of the music program.

4) Better for Beginners

I teach a for-credit a cappella ensemble where I work. The ensemble is unique for three reasons: one, we exclusively sing contemporary a cappella arrangements from a variety of arrangers, two, it is a non-auditioned ensemble so anyone can join, and three it is made up of mostly beginning singers who can’t even identify a treble clef, let alone sight read.

By the end of the semester (or more likely two consecutive semesters), several changes have occurred: The students can sight read, but only in a stepwise direction, the students have learned the basics of pop vocal production, the students have sung complicated, syncopated rhythms, and the students have freely improvised over a simple chord structure. True, none of these advancements are at an expert level, but the change from day one to the end is significant, and I believe the unique characteristics of chosen a cappella arrangements contribute to it:

A. I choose arrangements where the background voices serve as chordal accompaniment so that the voice leading is simple and stepwise.

B. I choose arrangements where the pitches are almost identical, but the rhythms are very challenging and fun to sing, requiring a high level of concentration and internal counting.

C. I choose arrangements with repetitive chord progressions so that the students can have the freedom to improvise a section.

D. I choose arrangements with a limited range so that I can demonstrate healthy chest singing and the transition from chest voice to head voice. What do you think? Does a cappella belong in the school curriculum? Marc Silverberg Follow the Quest:

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Where Do I Sing?

One of the biggest challenges of being in a cappella group (in my opinion) is finding and landing a gig. A cappella has the distinct advantage of being portable and adjustable- the group can basically go anywhere and fit in almost any space (assuming they aren't using microphones). However, a cappella has the distinct disadvantage of being insanely dorky, shunned by the traditional choral community, and in need of amplification, whether that be from the acoustical environment or with sound equipment. These disadvantages may seem overwhelming but fear not. A cappella groups can sing in more places than you realize... Allow me to list 100 places where an a cappella group can find a gig: 1) Be an opening act for another group

2) Local television appearances

3) Radio appearances

4) Sporting events

5) College a cappella shows

6) Public school concerts

7) Workshop demonstrations

8) A cappella festivals

9) Local theatres

10) Nightclubs

11) Corporate gigs

12) Private parties

13) Amusement parks

14) Specialty fairs

15) In the studio

16) Weddings

17) Funerals

18) Private shows for one or two people

19) Restaurants

20) Gigsalad.com

21) Charity events

22) Religious houses of worship

23) Marathons

24) Caroling door-to-door

25) Caroling door-to-door on a day that isn’t Christmas

26) Music festivals that are for voices

27) sonicbids.com

28) gigmasters.com

29) Family gatherings

30) ACDA festivals

31) NAfME festivals

32) Your local music organization’s festival

33) Post on Youtube

34) Post on Dailymotion

35) Post on Vimeo

36) Career fairs

37) Libraries

38) Public parks

39) 4th of July festivals

40) Pet adoption places

41) Music stores

42) Open Mic Night

43) Comic conventions

44) Other conventions

45) Planetariums

46) Museums

47) Malls

48) Famous landmarks

49) Cruise ships

50) Movie theatres before the movie starts

51) Country clubs

52) Local sports games

53) Zoos

54) Comedy clubs

55) Casinos

56) Outlet malls

57) Bowling alleys

58) Private classes

59) Cocktail hours

60) Wineries

61) Tastings

62) Camps

63) Flea markets

64) Farmer’s markets

65) Ski resorts

66) Beaches

67) Boardwalks

68) Playgrounds

69) Fashion shows

70) Gigfinder.com

71) Mini golf courses

72) Botanical gardens

73) Penitentiaries (Don’t laugh…it’s been done)

74) Boy scout meetings

75) Girl scout meetings

76) Fraternity houses

77) Sorority houses

78) Showcases

79) Tournaments

80) Another country

81) Another island

82) Magic shows

83) Aquariums

84) Monuments

85) Gift shops

86) Auctions

87) Veterans Hospitals

88) Any hospital

89) Nursing homes

90) Assisted living centers

91) Banks

92) Rooftops

93) Public pools

94) Rec centers

95) Gymnasiums

96) Game rooms

97) Arcades

98) Proposals

99) Hallways

100) Make your own damn concert

There. Now you have no excuse.

But wait! There's more!

I would argue that finding and booking a gig is as important, if not MORE important than rehearsing whatever score you're working on right now. You NEED to spend time hunting for gigs. 

I firmly believe that if the group does not have an upcoming gig, there is no reason to practice.

That's not saying there's no reason to meet/hang out/sing together and improvise. But as far as practicing and perfecting scores, a live performance is the main motivator. 

How do you find gigs? Here are some ideas:

1) Gig Committee Assign 2-3 people from your group to be part of the gig committee. The SOLE PURPOSE of the committee is to do the legwork on finding and booking gigs. And yes...it requires work. Gigs don't fall out of the sky like cupcakes in my recurring dreams.

2) Gig-finding Party Assign part or all of one rehearsal for researching, finding, and booking gigs. It's a lot of hard, annoying work, so anything you can do to make it more fun should be encouraged.

3) Hire a Manager My group has discussed this option in the past. The advantage of a manager is that he/she takes care of all that annoying work so you can focus on singing. The disadvantage is, of course, money. Plus, professional managers probably aren't sure where to book an a cappella group. Is there someone you know personally, whom you can hire (pay a small fee) to be your unofficial manager? I know if someone gave me money, I'd work much harder for them.

4) Gig Websites Websites like Reverbnation, Gig Salad, and others charge a monthly fee for membership. In return, the company frequently contacts you about possible gigs. Yes, you have to do the follow-up leg work (calling, texting, begging, crying) but the difficulty of finding the gig is made much easier.

Find a gig. Do it. Now.

Marc Silverberg Follow The Quest:

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Audition Bingo

The quest is back!

For real!

Seriously!

I'm not joking!

Prepare yourself for another full year of ridiculous posts, opinionated articles that everyone disagrees with, and inane discussions that go absolutely nowhere! Hooray!

But for the start of the year, I thought we'd have some fun first.

It's time to play....AUDITION BINGO!

This bingo sheet should make things MUCH more interesting, especially when your group is staring down the never-ending line of freshmen who don't understand the difference between Pitch Perfect and perfect pitch.

You can download a FREE copy here:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/n2rnghngqhj92fd/AADx3Ur4wCus8UZeMijUvmBda?dl=0

Enjoy!

Marc Silverberg

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A Swingles Moment

My very first experience with a cappella music came when I was in 9th grade. My choir teacher, Kevin Badanes (the very same Kevin Badanes in the brilliant vocal jazz group Avante) played a recording of the Swingle Singers singing “The Theme From Superman.” That was when my life changed.

I’ve mentioned this story in a previous blog, but chances are you didn’t read that one, so I’m reiterating the point. It was The Swingle Singers who started me on the path I’m on today. Before that moment, all I listened to was Weird Al and Jimi Hendrix. After that moment, it was Weird Al and A cappella (sorry Jimi).

A cappella CD’s were hard to find in 1996. You had to order them from magazines (which seemed sketchy…though I later found out they were just run by Deke and friends of Deke). CD stores (you may not know what those are…) did not have a “contemporary a cappella” section.

Perhaps if CD stores still existed today…they still wouldn’t have a "contemporary a cappella section."

Anyway, back to the story. So I tried to devour as much a cappella as I could, which was difficult since I didn’t know where to begin or how to find the music. I was able to find “Chameleon” by Vox One and a CD by The Nylons, but not much else. Thanks to the Internet, this problem is now solved…but it’s been eclipsed by a new problem: Now there’s just too much a cappella out there and if you’re new to the a cappella scene, you could be as lost as I was in 1996.

I’ve mentioned that point in a previous blog as well, but chances are you didn’t read that one either. So far, you’re 0 for 2.

I swear, I’m getting to the point.

In 1996, life-changing a cappella music was hard to find. You had to stumble across it accidentally. The same goes for 2017, but now you have too many sources to check and too many opinions to sift through.

In the expanding world of contemporary a cappella, an a cappella nerd like me can be overwhelmed by the amount of new content. When all a cappella starts to sound the same, it can be hard to love the style as much as you once did.

But that’s when I turn to my Swingle Moments.

What is a Swingle moment? Simple. It’s a term I invented just now (yay me!) to describe a personal, life-changing a cappella moment (not necessarily from the Swingle Singers). Hearing or seeing a Swingle moment is like having a nerdy divine intervention where you suddenly know the next step of your a cappella journey. The build-up of fatigue from hearing too much a cappella is released in a glorious puff of smoke, like a big satisfying aca-fart.

Here are my Swingle Moments. (Sorry/Not Sorry for the fart joke):

The moment I realized any song could be arranged a cappella: “Steven’s Last Night In Town” by Pandemonium.

My collegiate a cappella group, Vocal Point, had dug in their heels and refused to sing any music later than 1990. This meant our repertoire consisted of *gasp* “Lion Sleeps Tonight, ” “Day-O,” and “Eleanor Rigby.” And no, we did not sing it well.

For one of our concerts, we invited a group from the University of Maryland, Pandemonium, to sing with us. At the time, I had expanded my listening tastes to Weird Al, Monty Python records, A cappella, and Ben Folds Five. When I heard Pandemonium sing my favorite Ben Folds Five song “Steven’s Last Night In Town,” I suddenly knew that anything was possible. It was at that moment that I realized our tired arrangements of burnt-out oldies were not going to satisfy me as a musician anymore. I wanted to expand our repertoire to include the off-beat songs that no one would think of and original songs that no one would dare to write.

The arrangement that taught me how to write an a cappella original song: “What’s It All About” by Five O’Clock Shadow on Wonders of the World

This song remains my favorite a cappella original of all time, mainly because how it uses so little to rock so hard. When I wrote my first a cappella original “Power A cappella,” I copied the form and style of “What’s It All About,” because I knew if I used the same mechanics that made that song successful, mine would also be successful.

Fun fact: “Power A cappella” was terrible.

The arrangement that taught me how to compose polyphonic a cappella textures: “Everlong” by The Amalgamates on BOCA 2005

That arrangement is still one of the gold standards of polyphonic a cappella arranging (in my opinion). Just listen and try to pick out the numerous intersecting lines within the overall groove. I wish more a cappella groups would create dense, driving textures like this one.

The arrangement that changed my mind about medleys: “Super Mario” by Vocal Point on BOCA 2009

Normally, I hate medleys. The medleys I’ve heard are usually clumsily-arranged song cycles that give you the “greatest hits” without any substance. Plus, they’re sooooooooooooooo long.

My attitude about medleys changed after hearing “Super Mario.” Besides the fact that I was thrilled Vocal Point (different Vocal Point) had dedicated an entire medley to a video game, I loved the concept (moving from level to level), the inclusion of sound effects, the adaptations that added new lyrics, and the seamless change from the “invincibility star” song to “Shining Star” by Earth, Wind, and Fire. If you ever write a medley, please listen to this one first and follow their lead.

The album that shaped my current arranging style: Hold That Thought by Fermata Town.

For a brief few years, a cappella music didn’t thrill me. I felt like the BOCA compilations were churning out the same types of arrangements, and I hadn’t heard anything that I truly “loved.” By complete accident, I found Hold That Thought on iTunes. And then the light bulb turned on.

The group’s merging of radio hits with extremely complicated (and often surprising) jazz harmonies threw me for a loop. And let’s be clear…this is not a jazz album. They can rock as hard as Pentatonix, but with harmonies that are much more complex. Ever since hearing this album, I’ve been trying to model their style and substance. I’ve rekindled my interest in learning jazz theory and I’m constantly trying to shock the audience with interesting chords and dense harmonies.

The performance that set my career in motion: Mister Tim at the Amplify A cappella Festival, 2012

No live a cappella performance has ever had a greater impact on me than seeing Mister Tim perform in 2012. In that performance, I learned how to operate a live looper, I learned that you can be silly in a cappella, and I learned that there was now a way for me to make the a cappella music I had always wanted to make, without interference.

I’m not a professional live looper yet (nor will I probably ever be), but I owe much of my silly Docacappella persona to Mister Tim.

The arrangement that expanded my concept of harmony: “Poor Wayfaring Stranger” performed by The Swingle Singers with Peter Hollens, written by Tom Anderson.

There’s a reason I believe Tom Anderson is the greatest a cappella arranger living today: he sees music, writes music, and hears music in a “Beautiful Mind” like way. Despite his endless portfolio of arrangements, the immediate proof is in “Poor Wayfaring Stranger” where he utilizes chord combinations I haven’t even heard of (and I’m getting a doctorate!) and creates a rich tapestry of sound I didn’t even know was possible.

It’s been 3 years since I bought the arrangement from him, and I’m still combing through it, trying to decipher what the hell he was thinking when he wrote it.

The performances that changed the way I visualize live a cappella: “Titanium” by Voices In Your Head, 2013 and “Mad Hatter” by LARK, 2016

Both of these groups demonstrated what I feared I would never see again in a live a cappella performance: innovation.

Personally, I’m tired of watching the “hey-we’re-trying-to-be-really-cool-and-hip-by-standing-in-a-double-arc-or-adding-sexy-dance-moves-to-our-set” kind of choreography that plagues many inexperienced groups at ICCA and ICHSA competitions. When I wanted someone to show me something new, both of these performances did just that: Voices in Your Head manipulated the position of the microphones to create a sonic pulse and LARK added costumes, makeup, and staging to their performance, enhancing what could have been a tired power ballad into a spectacle.

This is one of the goals of my group, Satellite Lane: To create a show out of a cappella, not a set of songs with individual choreography. We’ve achieved this by writing 10-minute short plays, making “faux a cappella commercials,” or adding thematic dance moves that re-appear throughout all three songs.

For the theatre geek inside of me, I will always prefer “innovative and wacky” over “cool.”

The album that blew my mind:  Bioluminescence by ARORA.

Sure, Pentatonix is credited with bringing a cappella to a current mainstream audience (as they should be). But within the a cappella bubble, the album that essentially "changed the game" was ARORA's masterpiece, Bioluminescence. What makes this album great isn't necessarily the songs themselves (all originals, all incredible), but the way ARORA uses so little to create so much. A group of only five singers, ARORA layers harmonies over harmonies to produce a "wall of sound" set to a tight, rhythmic groove.

My very first thought after listening to this album was that I need to work harder so that I could one day create an album like this one.

Those are my Swingle Moments. What are yours?

Marc Silverberg

Follow The Quest For The A cappella Major: twitter.com/docacappella facebook.com/docacappella docacappella.tumblr.com docacappella.com

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Writing A Dissertation

First, let me address the question on everyone’s mind:

WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?

True, I haven’t written on my blog in three months. Here’s why:

I’ve been busy working on my massive dissertation, the a cappella major, and I’m proud to say that the first draft is FINALLY submitted.

A few friends have mentioned to me that they were thinking about applying for a doctoral program. If you were thinking “maybe one day I’d like to get my doctorate,” please do the following:

1) Go to the nearest hardware store. 2) Buy a hammer. 3) Use said hammer on your face.

All kidding aside, as someone who is only months away from completion, let me give you some real advice about the doctoral program.

Disclaimer: Not all doctoral programs are the same. This advice may not apply to you.

1) Classifications

When you enter a doctoral program, certain terminology is used to describe your progress:

Doctoral Student- Until you physically enter the writing phase, you are classified as a doctoral student. During this phase, you take the necessary classes to complete the program. Some programs (like mine) require you to take a comprehensive exam when the necessary classes are finally completed.

Doctoral Candidate- Assuming you have to write a dissertation (some doctoral programs don’t have that stage), your first task will be to write a proposal that outlines the dissertation (more on this later). At this stage, you become a doctoral candidate.

ABD (All But Dissertation)- In the ABD stage, the only thing you have left to complete is the physical dissertation. You have completed the classes, passed the comprehensive exam, written your proposal, and now it’s time to write the behemoth that is the dissertation. The good news is, many full-time college jobs will hire people in the ABD stage, as the ABD stage implies your doctoral degree is close to completion.

2) Doctoral Proposal- The single most important document you will ever write.

The phrase that was worth repeating at Five Towns College was “The proposal is the hardest part.” Why is the proposal, a 20-30 page document, harder to write than the dissertation, a 150-300 page document?

The dissertation proposal is equivalent to a formal business contract. The members of your committee debate and sign it, and once completed, you are bound to its content. The proposal essentially tells the members of your committee what your dissertation is about, how the dissertation will be organized, and specifically what you will write about.

The proposal is the hardest part of the dissertation process, because once completed, all you have to do to pass the dissertation is follow the proposal. Think of the proposal like a big mind map or outline. All you have to do is follow it to the letter, and your dissertation is complete.

3) Strategies for success

I didn’t write my 844-page dissertation overnight (though if you knew how many sections were written “overnight,” you’d slap me). It took 3 years to complete the draft you saw above.

Writing a dissertation is sometimes known as “the loneliest activity in the world.” Once you begin your dissertation, there is no due date. There is no friendly reminder to keep working. There is no time table, and no one can help you. Your biggest challenge in writing isn’t the writing itself, but the self-motivation to keep working when there is no ticking clock. As someone who has never been good at self-motivation, here’s how I finished:

A) I employed the Pomodoro Technique time management method. (link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique) Work for 25 minutes, break for a few minutes. Though I didn’t follow the technique exactly, setting short bursts of “work time” helped me visualize the task as a series of much shorter goals. I focused on one lesson at a time, rather than “get as many pages done as possible.”

B) There were times I knew that work was not going to get done, even if I forced myself to try. When those times came, I put the computer down and picked it up the next day. Sometimes, you just can’t work.

C) I rarely, if ever, did work at home. Home is a terrible place to complete work. Your stuff is there. The kitchen is there. The bed is there. The television is there. Your wife is there.

The majority of my work was done at my desk at Five Towns, where there was no major distraction.

D) I said “NO” to a few opportunities. I’m typically a guy who says “YES” to everything, and then tries to figure out how to make it work. This year, I had to say “NO.” No, I will not arrange that song for you. No, I will not help you with your musical. No, I do not want to be part of your next project.

E) I knew that my biggest challenge in writing would be the lack of deadlines. I’m a guy who thrives under extreme pressure and makes it a top priority to never miss a deadline. To combat the fact that dissertations have no deadlines, I had to create them.

I told my advisor “I’ll have that chapter done for you by Monday.” Of course, I hadn’t even started that chapter yet, but once the words came out of my mouth, I knew that it had to be done, otherwise I would look like a liar, or incapable of completing tasks on a schedule.

You need to force yourself into a corner, and then get out of it.

Marc Silverberg Follow The Quest For The A cappella Major: twitter.com/docacappella docacappella.tumblr.com facebook.com/docacappella docacappella.com

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ICCA or ICCA(s)?

Oh boy…this one is going to get me in trouble…

The ICCA is upon us once again! Soon our social media feeds will be swamped with groups who win, groups who lose, groups who should have won but didn’t, and groups who won but shouldn’t have done so.

Chances are, another ICCA-related matter will probably pop up on our social media feeds…Someone will inevitably say “ICCAs” and someone else will yell at him/her.

But here’s my question…Is it grammatically incorrect to say ICCAs? Your first thought is probably: “Yes. Obviously. Why are we even discussing this matter? Your blog is stupid.”

Let’s put aside personal opinions and hatred of me for a moment, and let’s take a serious, analytical look at this issue:

The case for “S”

While writing my dissertation, I came across the very issue I am analyzing now: Do I write the “ICCAs” or “ICCA competitions,” or something entirely different. I decided to ask the style guides, (APA, Chicago Style, MLA) for help.

Unsurprisingly, the amount of information they had on pluralizing acronyms was small or non-existent. But I was able to find the following:

“In APA, abbreviations should be limited to instances when a) the abbreviation is standard and will not interfere with the reader’s understanding and b) if space and repetition can be greatly avoided through abbreviation.” -Purdue Online Writing Lab

“To form the plural of most abbreviations and statistical symbols, add s alone, but not italicized and without an apostrophe.” -Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, pgs. 44 and 110

“If you can stop thinking of the spelled-out meaning of the acronym and just treat the acronym itself as a word with its own meaning, you should be able to add that little s without fretting.” -Chicagomanualofstyle.org

“Write the plural form of an acronym without an apostrophe” -MLA Style Sheet

The information gathered from this research draws no formal conclusion as to whether pluralizing an abbreviation of an acronym is correct, but style guides tend to agree that it is generally okay to do so.

During further research, I found this example on the American Journal Experts webpage:

“Regarding pluralization, abbreviations should reflect the meaning you wish to convey.” -American Journal Experts

In this case, the intent of the writer is valued above the accepted rules. It really depends on how a writer uses the ICCA acronym.

Usually, when we say ICCAs, we are probably trying to say this: “The International Championships of Collegiate A cappella.” We are, in effect, pluralizing the correct word as our intent, but by writing the ICCAs, the reader chooses to think we are pluralizing the A, which is not a word that has a plural form.

This is the main reason why we are split on whether or not the ICCA can have a plural form. Technically, when we use the acronym, we are using it as a noun and we are referring to the “C,” or championships.

A concrete piece of evidence, however, can be found in the nonfiction book Pitch Perfect by Mickey Rapkin:

“Now, back in competition with a near all-new roster of girls, could they return to the ICCAs and avenge their good name?” -Pitch Perfect, pg. 14

Not only does Mickey Rapkin, senior editor at GQ magazine, use the pluralized acronym in the above quote, the term “ICCAs” appears 50 times within the book.

The book A cappella, by Deke Sharon, Brody McDonald, and Ben Spalding also uses the pluralized acronym 13 times.

To provide a contrary argument, take a look at Powerful Voices: The Musical and Social World of Collegiate A cappella, based on the dissertation by Dr. Joshua Duchan. In the 20 or so times that ICCA is mentioned, never once does he use the plural acronym, but he does mention it when quoting a contributor of RARB:

“…cause I haven’t heard their recordings or heard about them winning in ICCAs or anything.” -Powerful Voices, pg. 177

Now I know what you’re thinking, and I agree: Just because a few people do it, does that make it right? If that argument were always true, I could hypothetically jump off a bridge and all you blog readers would say “Oh. I guess all bloggers should jump off bridges to emphatically prove their point.”

But the pedigree of the authors should count for something. I’m not saying that because they said it, it automatically means it is correct. But if they can do it and no one raises a big fuss, it should be okay to do it as well.

The case for no “S”

The way I see it, there are two main reasons why opponents of “ICCAs” have valid arguments:

1) The “A” in ICCA stands for a cappella, and a cappella has no plural form.

Think about other acronyms you have used in plural form before: VCRs, DVDs, UFOs…These work because the last letter in each acronym stands for an object that does have a plural form. Technically, if everyone wanted to have their cake and eat it too, the ICCA should be re-named the ICACs, or the International Collegiate A cappella Championships, which would allow the plural form to be justified.

2) They don’t want us to.

Okay. Full disclosure: When I set out to write this article, my goal was to prove that ICCAs was and is a viable plural abbreviation and when someone uses it, we should all calm down and let it happen.

But then, I proved myself wrong when I remembered another post I wrote almost 2 years ago: “2 p’s, 2 l’s, and no O.”

If you’re reading this, you’re probably a fan of a cappella. Unless you found this blog by mistake, which would explain my viewership over the last 5 years…

And if you’re a fan of a cappella, chances are you hate when people spell a cappella “A-C-A-P-E-L-L-A.” It’s a sore spot. It’s a pet peeve. We hate it because it doesn’t seem right.

However, groups, especially international groups, have continued to use the word “a capella,” and they have a good argument- when the word was first written, it was spelled “a capella,” not “a cappella,” because it was originally written by Renaissance composers and in Latin:

“The spelling capella is occasionally found; Giovanni Gabrieli marked sections for chorus alone “capella” and J.J. Fux referred to ‘Stilus a Capella.” -Grove Dictionary of Music, A cappella

Just seeing that version of spelling makes my blood boil, and that’s the very point. The company that runs the ICCA, Varsity Vocals, is made up of very nice people. (I say that because it’s true and also because they all probably hate me right now) They have repeatedly asked in person and on social media to not use ICCAs:

“Your friendly reminder: It is ICCA, NOT ICCAs.” -Emily Flanders, Facebook

Despite your belief in what is right and what is not, the employees of the company have asked you to not say ICCAs, and their opinions should matter.

The verdict:

In academic writing, the pluralized form of ICCA is probably fine to use, but there is no empirical evidence to suggest that ICCA can be pluralized, so don’t fight the powers that be. If you do use it, I doubt anyone is going to raise a fuss over your choice, but make sure you know what you are referring to, and who your readers are. Ask yourself these questions:

1) What’s the best way to phrase this sentence? 2) Do you ABSOLUTELY have to use “ICCAs?” 3) Will your readers hate you for doing so?

One final thing…

ICCA’s is totally incorrect. Acronyms cannot have possession of anything. No apostrophe. Ever.

Marc Silverberg

Follow the Quest For the A cappella Major: twitter.com/docacappella docacappella.com docacappella.tumblr.com facebook.com/docacappella

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How To Organically Arrange

I’ve been organically arranging songs with my a cappella class for some time now, but just recently, my CAL group, Satellite Lane, began working out arrangements by ear, rather than using sheet music.

If you don’t know what I mean by organic arranging, let me explain: Organic arranging is the process by which your a cappella group, as a whole, creates a new arrangement from scratch, by combining group improvisation with a lot of trial-and-error.

I highly recommend attempting this process for two reasons: First, it gives your group a sense of accomplishment and pride to know that they contributed to the arrangement. Second, it’s a great way to develop everyone’s aural skills.

Here’s what I learned from going through the process multiple times, and maybe you can use this as your how-to guide:

Step 1-Start with a song everyone knows

The best results come from a song that most or all of your members know, especially if this is your first time organically arranging. If the majority of your members don’t know the song, they will have to split their focus between learning the song and listening to an unfamiliar chord progression.

These characteristics work best when choosing a song for organic arrangements:

1- Everyone or almost everyone can sing the solo 2- The chord progression is mostly or entirely repetitive 3- The song does not have a significant a cappella cover that everyone already knows (Like the Pentatonix version of “Somebody That I Used To Know”) 4- The majority of group members seem excited or interested in covering this song and putting in the time to work on it

Step 2- Sing with chords.

I have found that the best way to begin an arrangement by ear is by playing and singing along with the chords. Pull up a lead sheet or sheet music off the internet, and have someone just bang out the chord progression on a piano or guitar while everyone improvises along.

Don’t have anyone sing the solo. Have them hear the solo in their heads.

The first time we approach a new song, I have everyone sing all the way through, even if they don’t know exactly what to sing. This helps outline the form of the song and, since the chorus most likely repeats several times, provides everyone wth multiple chances to improvise and revise their part during the chorus.

Sing the entire song at least twice, with someone playing the underlying chords. Once that’s finished, break the song down by section. Tackle one verse or chorus first, and sing it through a few times until everyone has a general sense of what to do.

Step 3- Know your individual roles

A good a cappella arrangement has many moving parts. If everyone sings something rhythmic, the song sounds too choppy. If everyone sings long whole notes, the arrangement sounds too static. You need a mix of both to fill the space.

You can decide who does what using a couple different ways. Typically, less confident improvisers will want to hold long notes, while more confident improvisers will want to add rhythmic ostinatos. If everyone is shy and/or confident, elect a leader to choose who will do what.

Don’t forget that there is more to an a cappella arrangement than long whole notes and rhythmic ostinatos. Here are some other background variants:

-Bell chords (each voice enters one at a time) -Duets and Trios with the soloist -Instrumental impressions like a guitar countermelody -Changing the style of the song (rock to doo-wop or country to gospel, etc.) -Countermelodies, canons, and echoes -Changing the underlying harmony

Step 4- Write it down AND record it

When you agree on something you like, make sure somebody writes it down AND someone records it on his/her phone. Always have a backup memory system, or chances are you will forget what you did then next time you revisit this arrangement.

Step 5- Try Everything

No idea is a bad idea. (unless, of course, this suggestion is a bad idea…) Don’t be afraid to try something that completely fails. Don’t play it safe. Don’t stick to what you think everyone expects.

Step 6-Interject with some direction

Organic arrangements, unless your group is REALLY GOOD, will need some specific guidance to avoid a stale, repetitive arrangement. It’s okay every now and then to suggest a technique that relies on theory or is based on an existing arrangement. If you are having trouble thinking of new ideas, try to include the following items in your organic arrangement, whether by group improvisation or direction from an arranger:

1- Every verse must sound different. 2- The chorus can use some of the same background parts, but every chorus must add something new 3- Change at least 3 chords in the original progression 4- Insert a glissando somewhere in the arrangement 5- Insert a quote from another song 6- Change the musical style of one chorus 7- Everyone sings the lyrics in a homophonic texture for one chorus 8- Change the key 9- Sing one section without a strict tempo 10- Change the meter of a verse 11- Eliminate the bridge, intro, or transitions between verses

Marc Silverberg

Follow The Quest For The A cappella Major: Twitter.com/docacappella Facebook.com/Docacappella Docacappella.tumblr.com Docacappella.com

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To Compete Or Not Compete

When I was an undergraduate student at the University of Delaware, I took a number of courses dedicated to “choral methods,” or the preparation of becoming a choral director in school. During one particular class, we had a stirring debate over whether or not a school choir should enter a graded festival or competition.

No clear winner emerged.

There are both advantages and disadvantages to entering your groups in a competitive festival, such as a CASA competition, the AEA national competition, or the most common, the ICCA (International Clam-bake and Cartwheel Association).

If you’re on the fence about whether or not to sign up for these competitions, then read on. I’ll do all the hard debating for you!

Yes, you idiot! Competitions are great!

1) Competitions are sure-fire ways to get on-the-ground feedback about how far your group has come and how far it needs to go.

2) Winning a competition makes you feel better than eating a double-fudge brownie topped with ice cream and money.

3) When gigs are hard to find and hard to book, competitions can help fill the schedule and give you something to practice for. After all, a competition is a guaranteed gig with a deadline and (almost always) a packed-house audience.

4) For a new a cappella group, competitions can unite your members under a common goal: “Be the absolute best you can be.”

5) A dedicated rehearsal schedule for an a cappella group wishing to compete separates the adults from the children. After a few intense rehearsals, you will know who is 100% committed and who is ready to quit. Remember, “there’s no crying in a cappella…unless you’re performing ‘Cry’ by Faith Hill in which case there absolutely is crying in the form of a lyrical shoutout.”

6) Working under competition guidelines can highlight your group’s strengths and weaknesses. I’ll bet you ten dollars (legally non-binding) that by the end of the competition, your group will know who the best soloists are, who can dance and who can’t, and how effective your arrangements are for a competitive setting.

7) Most a cappella competitions have individual awards in addition to group awards. Even if your group doesn't take home the gold, someone in your group might get a really good consolation prize.

8) Competitions give your group a chance to watch and evaluate other a cappella groups, and possibly be inspired to use new techniques.

9) Winning a competition can rocket your group’s momentum. As the old sports-ball saying goes, “No one remembers who came in second.”

Except me. I do. ‘Cause I’m a freak. And I also don’t watch sports.

As demeaning as that saying is, there is a nugget of truth to it. A competition-winning a cappella group can use their newfound fame to kick open doors that would have once been closed. And with the ever-growing number of a cappella groups around the world, winning a competition is the “get-rich-quick” version of standing out in a crowd.

Now the big question…

Is there an educational purpose to competitions?

I think the answer is: “Well, if your group learns something new, then YES!”

You must understand that competitions are not built around educational foundations. Competitions, especially those “sing-for-us-and-then-go-enjoy-yourself-in-your-selected-theme-park-while-your-chaperones-constantly-worry-about-whether-you-will-get-kidnapped” festivals are built around big hefty piles of cash. That’s not a critique, it’s just the way businesses work. Competitions cost money and if people don’t buy tickets, there is no money.

I know firsthand, having judged a few ICCA rounds, that the company who runs the competition, Varsity Vocals, cares deeply about giving everyone a “meaningful” experience. The on-staff producers advise judges to write comments that provide thoughtful feedback that groups can use to improve upon. (Disclosure: This may not be true in every region. I just know that it was always true for me, and I’d like to believe it’s a company policy).

Of course, there is that possibility you won't get an educational experience…

No you idiot! Competitions are the worst!

There are some serious downsides to competitions and let’s all address the one big argyle elephant in the room…

Losing sucks.

Losing sucks worse than eating a no-fudge brownie topped with cream cheese and garbage.

Let me tell you astory:

I’ve competed in the Harmony Sweepstakes six times in the last three years. I’ve competed in the New York region four times, and the Boston region twice. How many times do you think I’ve won?

Zero.

That’s right. Zero times.

UNTIL…wait for it…

Last year, my vocal jazz group, Quintet took second place in the New York region, and I personally won the “best arrangement” award in the Boston region. Those awards did nothing to cheer me up. I was unable to shake the other, humiliating losses. I couldn't be happy or satisfied. (Like Hamilton, I am never satisfied…or able to rap)

Now before I make my point, let’s rewind the clock a moment.

When we applied for our first ever Harmony Sweeps competition in 2013, my other CAL group, Satellite Lane, was not aiming for first place. We were aiming for the “Audience Favorite” award, which is voted on by the members of the audience and not the judges.

That night, we won that award and I won the night’s “best arrangement” award. That night was a triumph. I was happier than a kid at an all-you-can-eat-candy-buffet (I’m making a lot of food references…I think I’m hungry).

So what changed? Why was I happy then and not now? Well, in between those two victories, I suffered four terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad losses. Those hits kept coming and each one hurt just a little more than the one before. By the time I had finally won anything else, during my SIXTH time competing in Harmony Sweepstakes, the burn of the losses overpowered the euphoria of the triumphs. I had become numb to the win, because, in my mind, we still didn’t win “first place.”

Here’s my point. Yes, you could infer from this post that I’m a dedicated pessimist and that you understand why I’m an “emotional eater” but that’s not what I’m trying to say. I’m speaking to the people out there who have become obsessed with winning, obsessed with earning the only achievement that could possibly make them happy. Don’t let the dozens of losses taint the eventual win, even if the win is not what you had hoped for.

Losing over and over can really take a toll on your self-esteem and the group’s self-esteem. You need to monitor your group’s emotional state carefully. If competing is no longer fun, you should no longer do it. Otherwise, you may lose more than a competition; you may lose your a cappella group.

But enough depressing stories. Let’s break down the negatives of competition:

1) The judges of competitions can sometimes be, intentionally or unintentionally, really mean (More on this later.) I’m sure they aren’t trying to put you down, but there’s always that one comment that haunts your very dreams for the next ten years. Maybe you’re not the accomplished beatboxer you thought you were. Maybe your arrangements are not at complex as you thought.

Take the comments with a grain of salt and remember that one person does not speak for everyone else.

Also, the judges don’t have time to write inspiring comments that give you fully formed ideas for your next rehearsal. They have a limited amount of time to get everything in, AND score your set, AND sign every piece of paper shoved in front of their noses. This is not to say we should take pity on the judges. This is just a reason why competition comments are often blunt, a little vague, and occasionally contradictory to one another. (Again...more on this later)

2) Competitions, especially the desire to win, can sometimes bring out the worst in people who are hungry for the win. Those self-prescribed desires can make someone look at another group as if these perfectly normal singers are the devil incarnate.

We must stay strong and united as a community if a cappella is to thrive and evolve. Plus, let’s all remember who the real enemy is: Bagpipe players.

3) Competitions are subjective, and therefore, who wins and who doesn’t is entirely up to a small panel of individuals. To think that your recent competition performance is the be-all-end-all representation of your group’s skill is incorrect.

Maybe the microphones were in a bad spot. Maybe your bass got sick. Maybe the room wasn’t what you thought it was going to be. Maybe you got a sudden case of stage fright.

All I’m saying is, don’t interpret competition performances as a serious representation of what your group can do. A cappella is not foremost a competitive sport, like sports-ball.

4) Too many wins can make a group cocky and stagnant as well.

Let’s say you are a group who continually wins (good for you…please hug me so you can rub your magical winning-juice all over my body). If you win too often, you start to believe that no one can beat you and everything you are doing is absolutely perfect. so there’s no reason to change. This is as dangerous as losing too often. A cappella groups need to think about new techniques to remain relevant in such a fast-moving musical marketplace. True, you may be on top for a long time, but when you start to go down, you’ll go down hard.

5) Judges suck.

I’m sorry. I know this will anger those of you who judge competitions, but we all suck.

We are snarky, judgmental, harsh, confusing, arrogant, miserable creatures who control the fate and emotional state of up to ten groups of singers, which is decided in the span of 10-12 minute sets, all within one night of competitive mayhem.

In short, we are A-holes. We don’t take into account the other 364 days in an a cappella group’s lifespan, and we can only draw on the experience we ourselves possess.

Now before you troll my comments section with pitchforks and inappropriate GIFs, let me just say this: If we weren’t all of those things, we wouldn’t be qualified to be judges.

If you’re reading this blog post and you are a judge, all I ask is that you keep in mind that competitions are more than just one-night spectacles of a cappella domination. Competitions are, purposely or not, educational experiences for those involved because every group is coming from a place where education is the priority.

And if you’re reading this blog post and you are a director of an ensemble, try to restrain your venomous thoughts about judges until you put the entire night into perspective. And maybe count to 100 before yelling.

Marc Silverberg

Follow The Quest For The A cappella Major: Twitter.com/docacappella Facebook.com/Docacappella www.docacappella.tumblr.com

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A Review of Next Level

We're back... (A dinosaur's tale)

This past summer, I attended (for the first time) a Next Level session, hosted by The Vocal Company. For those of you unfamiliar with Next Level, let me describe it briefly:

Next Level is a week-long workshop, held at the home of the Vocal Company in Rochester, NY. Each Next Level session invites several participants (spots are limited) to observe and participate in specific, a cappella-related activities with a special guest, usually someone who has achieved a large measure of success in the a cappella world. Examples include a week-long arranging session with Robert Dietz (from The Sing-Off), a week-long teaching/coaching session with J. D. Frizzell (director of One Voice) and Dr. Erin Hackel (director of MIX and LARK), or in my case, a week-long recording and mixing workshop with Ed Boyer (recording engineer for Pentatonix and Glee’s “The Warblers.”)

The week, which begins Monday morning and usually ends Friday afternoon, is expertly organized and planned by The Vocal Company’s director of education, Shannon McNulty, who manages to cram an entire a cappella curriculum into a specific time frame, ensuring that participants are given plenty of one-on-one time with instructors and ample time to work as a group on assigned projects.

Just so you get a better understanding of what to expect, should you ever decide to attend a Next-Level event, let me give you a few highlights:

Monday

Monday began with a “so…what do you want to learn” power session. I appreciated this because it gave everyone a chance to voice their concerns and open up about what experience they already have. The instructors took note of this, and it was clear during the week that they were addressing each participant’s level of expertise differently.

For example, many of the participants had no experience with either Pro Tools or Melodyne, so these students were led through the process of using each program slowly, while some participants already understood both and were able to get an advanced understanding of both programs.

The Vocal Company gave every participant a chance to record another singer and a chance to edit a track in Melodyne; an experience one would never get at an a cappella festival.

Tuesday

Tuesday’s mission statement was simple: “HOLY CRAP! ED BOYER IS COMING TOMORROW AND THIS TRACK ISN’T EVEN REMOTELY DONE YET! WE HAVE TO SCRAMBLE AND PUT EVERYTHING TOGETHER IN A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

While this might seem like a chaotic nightmare of disorganized planning, the real-world scenario of falling behind a deadline is part of almost every recording process. When the deadlines start piling up, engineers invent shortcuts and pieces of the recording are left out purposely. For anyone who wants to record a cappella music or open up their own recording studio, this is the day when you take notes and watch the magic happen within a blink of an eye.

Oh. And we played laser tag. It was very intense.

Wednesday

So Wednesday morning offered up my first critique of the process. Ed Boyer was trapped in Hurricane "I-Don’t-Care-About-Your-Schedule” and unable to arrive on time, so the morning was divided up into learning segments. Some participants learned about songwriting, some got more experience with editing, and some, like me, were able to have prepared mixes critiqued by David Longo, head of the Vocal Company.

Now I LOVED this because it gave me a chance to present a mix I had already done and watch a master like David tear it apart with sharp pointy teeth. I feel like I learned more in this short session than most of the previous two days, and my critique simply is that this section needs to be much longer. I know it was a spur-of-the-moment choice, but out of those moments comes something really valuable.

Ed arrived sometime mid-morning and began working on the mix we had spent Monday and Tuesday preparing. Watching Ed mix was like watching Mozart compose or watching Picasso paint/rip off his ear. Ed Boyer moves so fast and flawlessly that it almost seems like what he’s doing isn’t even human.

We were warned beforehand to ask lots of questions because Ed moves so quickly that he rarely stops to explain what he’s done. Of course, I was the jerk who asked the most questions, and Ed always gave me an answer. Whether or not I understood the answer was a different story, but that was my problem, not his fault.

If it wasn’t clear already, this is one of the best parts of Next Level: the close proximity and one-on-one time you get with each artist. True, a cappella festivals give you that same proximity, but the schedule is so compacted that it is often difficult to corner someone and get all the answers you are looking for. Plus, with hundreds of people, artists tend to hang out with the friends they already have, whom they haven’t seen in months.

Here at Next Level, the group is small and everyone is in the same house for five days, so there’s nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.

Thursday

Ahh. Now here is my biggest critique of the week, and it comes with some explanation, so bear with me.

On Monday, Shannon mentioned in passing “On Thursday, you will arrange, track, and edit an entire recording in one day, so Ed can mix on Friday.”

At first, I wasn’t exactly sure what she meant by that, and then Thursday came around…

No. She wasn’t kidding.

Thursday was a 24-hour, you’ll sleep-when-you’re-dead, track-a-thon. Four participants arranged the song by 1 p.m., we tracked until 10 p.m. and we edited all night.

Now, I’m 33 and my all-nighter days are FAR behind me (see: Marc’s grad school experience). To effectively describe the mood I was in that night would be…Imagine if a mouse was eaten by a leopard, and then that leopard was crushed under the foot of an elephant. I was the mouse.

Why was in such a bad mood? Well, I explained this to the instructors on Friday: I'm old and tired. With the rigorous schedule and lack of adequate sleep I had already experienced, I wasn't in the mood to go all-in.

To be fair, the other participants, all far younger, were bundles of energy, bouncing around until 5 a.m. ready for the next task, while I was cursing every minute I still existed. And to be fair, this was common practice for Next Level recording weeks, and I just wasn’t in the loop.

I tell you about this not to keep you away from Next Level, but to give you the early warning I never had. It’s a great exercise, as most a cappella albums are put together in a very short amount of time (some even over one or two days). It just wasn’t for me.

Unable to keep my eyes open any longer, I went to bed around 4 a.m. which no one seemed to have a problem with.

Friday

Friday was the shortest day, as we only had activities booked in the morning. We watched Ed mix our Thursday track, once again pestering him with questions until he could stand it no more.

As a final celebratory “get-the-hell-out-of-my-house,” the Vocal Company has a chalk-throwing party in their backyard. So…bring clothes you don’t care about.

Final Verdict:

The Vocal Company’s Next-Level events are the next evolution in a cappella experiences.  To really get a sense of where a cappella is moving and to get a complete knowledge over one area of expertise, you MUST attend this event at least once in your life. I know I’ll definitely be back.

Marc Silverberg

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