It's hard to say exactly what drew me to the world of a cappella at Hopkins. I always loved to sing but never thought of dedicating most of my collegiate career to matching notes and syllables with 15 or 16 other crazies. I always loved making weird noises but never dreamed I could find a place in which doing so would be beneficial, indeed, beautiful-sounding. Let me take you back about a year ago, when I was a wee freshman ...
At parties, I would stand in a corner with my friends, bobbing my head to the music. When I heard some JT come on I'd scream "Tha's mah song!" and run on to the dance floor, like any other freshman girl.
Once I got there, though, I noticed something. While all the people around me were rubbing up against each other and swinging their hips, I was bobbing my head in time and shifting my weight from foot to foot, sort of squatting with the music. Occasionally I threw in a hearty snap.
A friend of mine pushed her way over to me and asked what I was doing. I honestly didn't know; I had always danced like this. My friend said, "Honey, you've got a problem, and I know just how to fix it." The next day she took me to sign up for auditions for the various a cappella groups on campus. I was nervous, as the only singing experience I had was in the shower! Nevertheless, I got into a group, and I've been bopping ever since.
The a cappella phenomenon is largely limited to the realm of the college campus. Originally, a cappella was experienced in the form of barbershop quartets and classical choirs, but after the 1990s, the popularity of a cappella exploded on college campuses. Whereas there were originally only about 250 a cappella groups in the United States before 1990, the number rose to about 1,000 groups within 5 years (according to Wikipedia).
Some of the largest universities are home to a dozen or more a cappella groups. What I think is great about a cappella at Hopkins is that there are so many groups to choose from. A fan can choose from cultural and religious a cappella, all-male and all-female groups, comedy groups and regular coed groups. There's something out there for everyone.
I've decided to help you understand what it's like to be part of this strange world by defining exactly what the members are not. Hopefully, by dispelling some common misconceptions, I can help you understand more fully just how a cappella operates at Hopkins.
Members of a cappella groups, for example, do not walk around campus singing in full voice (half voice, sometimes; humming, all the time). They also do not always speak in harmony with one another, although they have tried.
Even though at a cappella concerts, music directors distribute the note in a very awkward, drug-deal sort of way, there is nothing sinister about a pitch pipe. Also, members of a cappella groups don't communicate in acappella syllables ... all the time.
If you aren't familiar with a cappella syllables, some popular ones are "doo wah" and "jhem." The Vocal Chords, for one, have been known to use such syllables as "jehr" or, my personal favorite, "rekf bah."
Members of a cappella groups are usually a mellow bunch, complaining about hemiolas and high G-sharps rather than homework assignments or boyfriend/girlfriend troubles. Ask any member and they'll tell you: A cappella is not for the faint of heart. You have no idea what doing the a cappella bop for an hour during a concert can do to your thighs!
A cappella at Hopkins is a lot of fun, especially during a cappella season, that special time at the end of each semester when each group gets out there and shows you what they can do. It's the most wonderful time of the year.
