The Story

Do be do be doo, doo

Jul. 11, 2008 | By Jake Robert Nelson, DSJ Opinions Editor

It was a Saturday night. I had just moved in to Monroe Hall a week earlier and was only beginning to befriend my hall mates and accustom myself to life sans parents. All of a sudden, a group of eight screaming men threw open my door and turned off the light. They seized me and subsequently barraged

my ears with barbershop music. Throughout the rest of the night, members of the group imbibed the foulest-smelling liquid with which I had ever come in contact -- a certain Wild Irish Rose.

To your surprise (and mine at the time), this is not a police report but a recounting of my induction into the Gentlemen of the College, one of the College’s 11 a cappella groups.

For those not in the know, a cappella is a subgenre of vocal music made only with performers’ voices. The name originally comes from an Italian phrase meaning “at the chapel,” which signifies where it was first performed.

But a cappella at the College is definitely not a regurgitation of Baroque church music. Collegiate a cappella has become a subgenre in its own right. It started way back in 1909 by the Whiffenpoofs on the campus of Yale University and quickly proliferated to similar northeastern colleges before finally making its way to all four corners of the U.S.

Today’s collegiate a cappella music can be easily identified by a few important traits.

First, rather than guitars or pianos that make up the background of most song, a cappella songs instead use strange syllables to imitate instruments. In my own short career with a cappella, I have sung all of the following: doo, ba, wah, bow-wow, zot and jen-da, certainly not sounds that pop up in everyday conversation.

Second, rather than use a drum set for any percussive elements of a song, one especially crazy member of the group will beatbox, using only his or her mouth and diaphragm to emulate cymbal crashes and snares. These sounds may often be accompanied by flailing body motions. That being said, the “vocal percussionist” is often one of the more quirky members of the group and may embarrass the rest of the group when in public by beatboxing along with the radio.

Third, an identifying trait of live a cappella music is the specific type of movement associated with the singing. Often, members of the group will “bop” along with the song, bouncing up and down and swinging arms back and forth. Other songs may require handclaps or finger snaps. Some more daring groups have attempted to add goofy choreography to their songs, resulting in either riotous applause or perpetual pariahhood.

Fourth, a key part of a cappella music is the commonly occurring simple harmony with the main soloist. Because of this, any member of any a cappella group is able to harmonize on command and will often (like the beatboxer) use his or her skills to do so, thereby enhancing any prerecorded music. I personally like harmonizing to Kelly Clarkson’s Because of You.

In your tenure at the College, you will undoubtedly get the chance to witness first-hand each of these traits of a cappella music, as the College’s 11 groups have somewhat pervasively invaded ordinary social dealings. The a cappella craze hit William and Mary a mere 21 years ago but has since left an indelible mark on the campus and its students.

It is not too uncommon to happen upon a serenade or impromptu concert, and on weekend nights it is sometimes possible to overhear “drunk-appella,” the lovely dulcet tones which follow a group’s night of binge drinking.

Every Wednesday at 10:00 p.m. during both semesters, a group performs on the portico of the famed Wren Building. The weekly event, colloquially called a “Wren Ten,” allows a group to showcase some of its new repertoire and to introduce newly inducted members. At the most popular Wren Tens, enough eager students amass to fill the Wren Building’s portico and lawn, providing an oft-unneeded ego boost.

Because of the sheer number of groups on campus, each group has taken on a somewhat distinct identity and an equally distinct fan base.

Information about each of the groups can be found through the A Cappella Council, which facilitates auditions and the Wren Tens.

If you are interested in auditioning for an a cappella group, more information will be available at the Student Activities Fair during orientation. There is also a showcase each semester that allows interested students to hear snippets of each group’s repertoire before auditioning.

Auditions (in my experience) include three or four distinct parts. First, a singer’s range is tested with scalar movement up and down. Second, a singer’s knowledge of music is tested with various rudimentary exercises like filling in the missing note of a chord or repeating back a series of random notes. Third, a singer will perform a song of his or her choice to show capabilities as a soloist. Fourth, a group may require a singer to perform a small piece of sight-singing to further test his or her knowledge of music.

The auditions are scary, especially for more anxiety-prone students like me, but anyone can audition for as many groups as he or she desires. And if the results are not so pleasing the first time around, you can audition as many times as you want, each semester until graduation!

Maybe - just maybe - a group of men will barge into your room and frighten you with tight barbershop harmonies and bum wine.


Jake Robert Nelson is DSJ Opinions Editor and a regular opinions contributor. His opinions do not necessarily represent those of the entire staff.



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