U-High extracurricular a capella groups have been around for decades. In place of Madrigals, this year a capella groups Tempo Tantrum, and Vocalicious (previously called the Chromatics) are being reintroduced.
“A capella groups in the fall are a good contrast to the jazz groups we do in the spring,” Chris Corpus, the U-High choir director said.
The treble a capella group, Stella a capella, has been inactive over the past few years. But students Joshitha Bodavula, Benedicta Johnson, Emma King, Ava Frazier, and Ella Mueller reactivated the group and introduced pop music to its repertoire.
“They led the auditions for Stella, ordered the music, [and] decided practice times,” junior Annika Armstrong, a member of Stella and Tempo Tantrum, said.
Stella A Capella is different from the other a capella groups because it is not led by Corpus. This year Stella A Capella is 100% run by its members. The students choose the music and dance moves of their pieces.
“If they ask I will come in,” Corpus said, “This year they have been incredibly independent and are doing amazing work on their own.”
Stella A Capella creates an environment for students to learn and collaborate on music that is different from the conventional choir structure.
“[Being in Stella was] the first time someone told me to loosen up in choir,” Bodavula said.
The unique structure allows for a democratic system that can be a nice shift from the autocratic system that is typically found in a choir rehearsal.
“The leadership is very connected with every member,” Armstrong said. “We all feel like we get a say in what we are singing [and] we get to bounce ideas off of each other.”
Stella and the other a capella groups only appear every other year. Corpus has been alternating between the treble a capella groups and the mixed a capella group, Madrigals. This alternation creates a space for students to enjoy different genres of music and sing with different vocal parts.
“Madrigals is more classical music while these groups focus on pop,” Corpus said.
Stella members use a capella as an outlet, but also as a means to grow as people. Members like Bodavula and Armstrong participate in Stella not only to further their musical abilities but also to build leadership skills by becoming better communicators even in non-verbal ways.
“I gained a lot of communication and teamwork skills,” Armstrong said. “The thing about a capella is that we can all look at each other and keep each other on track [during hard parts of a song.]”
The a capella groups are hosting an “A capella Night” on Thursday, November 30th at 7 p.m. in Stroud Auditorium. Tempo Tantrum, Vocalicious, and Stella A Capella will be featured with the ISU a capella group, Secondary Dominance, as a special guest.
“A capella offers a new variety of choral singing for everyone to enjoy,” Bodavula said.
