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Calling it “an exciting little scene,” students confirmed that a capella singing groups are beginning to pop up on campus. Though it remains small, many students speculated that a capella groups could become a permanent fixture on campus one day.
“Everyone has to start somewhere,” said Danielle Janda ’15, who sings in one of the a capella groups that have been appearing around campus. “It’s not easy because most people have never heard of a capella before. That’s why we’re really trying to increase our visibility.”
Janda said her a capella group has taken to giving concerts outside in major thoroughfares to increase awareness of the a capella scene on campus. “It’s a bit unorthodox, but we figure there’s no better way to get noticed than to stand right where people usually walk and just sing,” said Janda.
“With no instruments. We sing but we don’t have instruments,” Janda added.
Janda and her fellow singers agree that the a capella scene faces the same challenges as any new group. “Not everyone likes a capella music,” said a capella singer Walter Triche ’14. “But this is what we love to do, we love to sing pop songs in a group without accompaniment. That’s what we want to spend a lot of our time doing.”
Students reported that the small scene was enough to meet the demand of the two or three dozen students who enjoy listening to a capella music and the three or four dozen students who enjoy singing a capella music. Students who like watching people bounce up and down a little bit in unison also expressed support for the newcomer scene.
Though it may be too early to say whether or not the a capella style of singing will catch on at Brown, many students are already supportive of the a capella scene’s success. “I like hearing songs I’ve heard before but a little different,” said Chelsea Walco ’16. “I like how you can tell what song it is.”
At press time, Janda mentioned that her group was toying with the idea of wearing matching hats for their performances. “They might even be silly hats that you wouldn’t normally see someone wearing,” Janda remarked. “I know it sounds strange, but some people might really get a kick out of it.”
