CASA - the contemporary a cappella society - Butler University Jumps On A Cappella Bandwagon

Butler University Jumps On A Cappella Bandwagon

Written by Ashley Martin / Dawgnet

Tuesday, 31 January 2006

INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- If a Butler student walks through Jordan Hall at about 9 p.m. on any given night, he just might hear something out of the ordinary. Occasionally the sweet sound harmonious voices will echo through the halls instead of the buzz of different professors giving lectures. In these hallways, the Butler men’s a cappella group Out of the Dawghouse house their practices.

Since 2003, a cappella music has become one of the biggest trends at Butler with the creation of two student a cappella groups, the men’s Out of the Dawghouse and the women’s Freshly Brewed. For those outside the a cappella scene, this trend might seem new, but in actuality, Butler is one of the last campuses to jump on the a cappella bandwagon.

Over 900 a cappella groups exist on campuses around the country, most of them forming in the 1990s when the trend hit its biggest growth. More popular on the East Coast, a cappella has made its impact on many campuses. Here in Indiana for example, Indiana University has six different groups.

As a freshman, Butler student Andrew Michaud could not understand why a cappella music had not yet hit Butler’s campus since it has a well-known music department. Michaud could not fathom why something so popular on other campuses had not been established at his school, a school known for the arts. In 2003, with a little help from Butler’s Student Involvement and Leaderships Programs office, Michaud held auditions for Butler’s first men’s a cappella group, Out of the Dawghouse, a group that has left its mark on Butler’s campus in just three short years.

“As a freshman I wanted to start it and wanted my friends to be in it. But now as a senior it has become so much more than that,” Michaud said. “Now I look at it as my legacy. I will be able to look back and see that I made a change, a change that has had a positive effect on Butler.”

Shortly after others started seeing Out of the Dawghouse’s success, plans to start a women’s a cappella group formed. During a philosophy class in his sophomore year, Michaud would talk to classmate Kathleen Marvin about Out of the Dawghouse. Interested in cappella music herself, she began wondering whether or not Butler was ready for its second a cappella group in just two years. In the spring of 2004, Marvin’s group, Freshly Brewed, joined Out of the Dawghouse in Butler’s a cappella invasion.

Out of the Dawghouse and Freshly Brewed now have a large fan base that can be found humming their tunes and wearing their T-shirts. But for those unfamiliar to the strong a cappella scene, it seems strange that college students would find a cappella music so popular. For a group of young people often characterized as listening to loud, instrumental-heavy music, how is it that three-part harmonies can be so popular?

Michaud says that the songs are what draw students in.

“It’s already music they listen to. It’s just a different take on it. All of our stuff is at least from 1980-on. Plus seeing your friends do it and do it well draws people in.”

“I think in colleges in general music is big with everyone,” Butler junior and a cappella fan Jenny Stoops said. “I think this is true of others too, but I like all variations of music so is not out of the ordinary for me to like something new.”

Freshly Brewed treasurer Kelly Johnson says she thinks students like a cappella music because it is something they can relate to.

“It’s upbeat and people are drawn to happy things,” Johnson said. “I think it is fun to watch. Everyone can sing whether they can carry a tune or not, so it is something can relate to. With other types of music it is hard to relate. I mean, not everyone can play an instrument.”

Fans have taken to the type of music that both groups sing so well, Out of the Dawghouse is in the process of making a CD to sell to its fans. The group received so many requests to make a CD, it was a hard option to turn down. Michaud hopes that the love of a cappella music will spread even more with the project.

“It’s already something that they like now, so if they can have us on a CD and take our music with them wherever they go, you don’t really get more support than that,” Michaud said.

Michaud credits the group members as another reason the groups are so popular. With almost all of the members being non-music majors, the novelty of the group is something else students seem to be drawn to.

Even though the groups have successfully brought a cappella music to Butler, they still have a long way to go to get to the levels other a cappella groups are at.

One setback for the groups is that they are still so new. Right now, the groups are still in the stage of securing their spot in Butler’s future. Hosting concerts, singing at other appearances and trying to generate more fans is almost a full time job. Once the groups secure their places, Michaud says they can then begin to better define themselves.

“Once we get bigger and stronger, I would like to see the groups arrange its own music,” Michaud said.

Right now, the groups mainly rely on arrangements created by other groups because they don’t yet have the time and all the resources to do. By being able to create its own unique sound, Michaud thinks each groups will be able to grow even more.

“You only get better with time,” Johnson of Freshly Brewed said. “I know that over the years Freshly Brewed will get better and larger. We are just starting from scratch here.”

For the first time in the groups’ existences, this year they will be graduating members, providing another obstacle. Both groups will be loosing their creators and several members that have helped define the groups. The challenge now is to make sure the group can continue to strive amidst the changes.

By looking at how are both groups have come in just a few short years, Michaud is optimistic about starting a cappella tradition at Butler.

“Our level of a cappellaness is no where near the level of other campuses. But historically it has worked,” Michaud said. “And it will work at Butler.”

As the groups continue to grow, both look to the future but embrace their pasts. Johnson hopes Freshly Brewed will continue to host free concerts in Starbucks while Michaud still has Out of the Dawghouse sing in the same stairwells they started in.

“I think it’s our passion, and our hobby is music, not our profession. We are doing this for fun. If that mentality continues, so will a cappella music at Butler,” Michaud said. “It has become bigger in the last three years. It’s not just sitting in stairwells anymore and singing. It’s a whole different level.”