By: Abigail Day and Hannah Reynolds
Link to video: https://youtu.be/ArQkpsPi9qY
With the release of Pitch Perfect in 2012, making $115 million dollars worldwide in the box office, it is fair to say that we live in a generation of a cappella enthusiasts. There is no scarcity of a cappella enthusiasts in Athens, Ohio. What many students at Ohio University don’t know is that there are six student-run a cappella groups in existence on our campus, putting on performances weekly, some say in resemblance to, if not more striking, than “The Bella’s” featured in Pitch Perfect.
The six noteworthy groups comprise Section Eight, Leading Tones, The Tempo Tantrums, Title IX, New Chords and Picardy Thirds. Each group has 17 members currently and has varying qualifications and styles. For instance, Section Eight and Title IX are auditioned out of OU choirs, Singing Men of Ohio (SMO) and Women’s Ensemble (WE), both classes offered at the university. Some a cappella groups are all female, all male or both. Looking at the different styles, structures and objectives of each group is helpful in determining which group is best suited for a student’s entertainment and especially for students considering auditioning for a group next fall.
To start off, there are only two all-male a cappella groups on campus: Section Eight and Leading Tones. Section Eight is auditioned out of the Singing Men of Ohio, a 90-member, an all-male academic choir. President of the Singing Men of Ohio and senior member of Section Eight, Conor Emser disclosed, “My favorite part of being in Section Eight is to come together with some of my best friends and create something that otherwise wouldn’t exist. We arrange music, we put on concerts, we design the t-shirts and we work very hard for the sound that we deliver. It’s challenging, its fun, and its so rewarding.”
Section Eight was founded in 1991, when there were only eight members. Current members are from all majors, not just vocal music. The group got its name from the military term “Section 8”, which is formally defined as when an enlisted solider is discharged due to mental incompetence.
Leading Tones, another all-male a cappella group, also comprises members from first year students to graduate students of all majors. Matt Fujita, President of the Leading Tones admitted, “Leading Tones kind of has a reputation for being a fun, goofy group and I love that. It reiterates our mentality that there is more to performing than sounding perfect. It’s just as much about being entertaining and having fun.”
Leading Tones has had a vast number of opportunities to showcase their talent. They have been featured on the album Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella!, auditioned for NBC’s show the Sing Off and invited to American University’s 6th annual Acapalooza.
The women are not far behind the men when it comes music at Ohio University. There are two all female a cappella groups on campus: the Tempo Tantrums and Title IX. The Tempo Tantrums was founded in 2007 and became an official a cappella group in 2008 with three members. Current members perform at events on campus and in the neighboring areas. President of the Tempo Tantrums, Taylor Bowling, informed, “Because we are an all-female group, we also try to focus on presenting ourselves with encouraging attitudes. We like to choose songs and participate in events that promote positivity and empowerment toward women”.
Another aspect that sets The Tempo Tantrums a part from other groups is their bond through the belief of sisterhood. As a student working on her degree in Early Childhood Education, Taylor added, “The Tempo Tantrums pride our selves on being more than just a singing group, but more like a sisterhood. I have built some lifelong friends with ladies in this group that I know would not have happened without being in The Tempo Tantrums.”
Title IX is the other all-female a cappella group. The group was founded in 2001 because there were no opportunities for women to preform around campus. The name of the group comes from the legislation Title IX, a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender. Title IX is auditioned out of Women’s Ensemble, a 110-member, all female academic choir. Dr. Mayhew, director of Women’s Ensemble and a key figure in determining who makes Title IX auditions, proudly said, “I think Title IX stands out for ability to sing in tune, with good tone quality and good balance between soloists, vocal percussion, and back-up vocals”.
The song choices that T9 preforms are diverse, coming from all genres of music. Maggie Fahey, president of WE and senior member of Title IX asserted, “A big goal of mine for Title IX is to keep working on more challenging arrangements, and to get better recordings of us performing this music! I would love to release music on Spotify or iTunes.”
New Chords and the Picardy Thirds, are the only groups that have members from both genders. New Chords consists of members from all majors, following a similar pattern to the other a cappella groups. The group sees itself as a group of people who love to make music and enjoy doing it. Attending a New Chords performance is entertaining because not only are you enjoying their music, but you can tell that they are too.
The Picardy Thirds, joined the world of a cappella at OU this fall, making six a cappella groups on campus. Mattie D’Ernville, the founder of The Picardy Thirds, explained, “The Picardy Thirds was created because while there are other groups on campus, two are auditioned from a small group of people (in comparison to the campus) and three are auditioned from the entire campus. I talked to a lot of people last year that were interested in a cappella but there just weren’t enough opportunities available”. The group is working this semester on building their repertoire and already has five songs under their belt.
For students who are interested in seeing an a cappella performance on campus, Title IX is putting on an end of the semester showcase, featuring the Leading Tones. This event will take place at 7 p.m. on Dec. 5 in Front Room Coffee House at Baker Center.
For any additional information or interest in the six a cappella groups, check their individual websites and Facebook pages. Audition information and contact information can be found on their websites.