so, i go to a school where it's "the cool thing" to be in an a cappella group. it gives you a higher social status, but the groups are HORRIBLE! they can't arrange and they're not tight at all. i want to start a group that's more focused on the actual arrangements of songs and how they are performed. any tips on how i can get to doing that?

What worked for me when I formed a group was I started with all the choirs in the music school. The advantage was you already have experienced ensemble singers and all voice parts are represented. I talked to the groups to generate interest. I asked them to spread the word, word of mouth is huge! I then held auditons and filled my group through those auditions. I started with bass. The low man has to be your foundation on which you build everything. Next I looked for a solid lead , and so forth. Good luck.

I'd love to give you some focused advice. Shoot me an email and I'll do whatever I can to help: dave at casa dot org.