CASA - The Contemporary A Capella Society

There is a time and a place for everything, and sometimes a simple song requires nothing more than a few simple harmonies that are easily achieved with nothing more than your ears. However, that's the exception, not the rule. I believe notating your arrangements has great value for many reasons:

 Let me start with an explanation of a theory I've developed about contemporary a cappella syllables: The human voice, though most of history has been used in a very limited function, singing words, or simple syllables such as "ooh" and "ah." More recently, "bum" and "doo" have come into the vernacular in doo wop and barbershop styles.

It's the spring, which means it's competition season. The ICCAs, the ICHSAs, the Harmony Sweepstakes... people from age 14 to 70 will be performing on stages across the US over the next couple of months, hoping their group proves to be the best of the night. I'm often asked how a group can improve, and what they should focus on in the rehearsals before the performance, as well as when they're on stage. Here are a few suggestions I find myself saying often: featureimage: 

Let's just say you're in an a cappella group, and you're getting a nice, warm reaction from the crowd, but it's nothing amazing. No stomping, no screaming, no undies thrown on stage. You'd like a bigger response, but you're not sure why you're not getting one. Let's figure it out. Is it your tuning? featureimage: 

Let's just say you're in an a cappella group, and you're getting a nice, warm reaction from the crowd, but it's nothing amazing. No stomping, no screaming, no undies thrown on stage. You'd like a bigger response, but you're not sure why you're not getting one. Let's figure it out. Is it your tuning?