CASA - the contemporary a cappella society - Top 10 Things I Focused On While Musically Directing A Group Going Into Competition

Top 10 Things I Focused On While Musically Directing A Group Going Into Competition

Written by Candice Helfand

Wednesday, 01 February 2006

ShockWave performing at the ICCA Mid-Atlantic QuarterFinals

(Y’ know, David Letterman's Top 10 titles are a lot catchier... then again, the lists themselves aren’t that funny, so if all the creative juices are going toward naming the list, then I guess I can be forgiven for a lack-luster title if I try to infuse some kind of creativity into the entire piece.)

I'm a list-making kind of girl. Always have been, always will be. So naturally, when presented with the task of writing about my experience in leading a group into its first competition heat ever (the ICCA quarter-finals)… yeah, odds are it will be in list form. So what I did was put together a list of things that I, as musical director, did my best to reinforce with the group. They’re basics, but sometimes being in a leadership role requires you to tirelessly reinforce some basic principles in your group, especially when a group is as young as ours is. So here are the ones I focused on:

10. Haters will hate, lovers will love, and neither has anything to do with your competition set, so don’t worry about it.
Whenever a group tries to take itself to the next level (competition, recording, whatever), there will always be that set of jerks standing around to say that either they could do it better, or that your group shouldn’t bother, like the jerks who said we wouldn’t even get into the competition itself… Me? Bitter? NEVER! And it has NOTHING to do with why I’m mentioning this point! But seriously, don’t let those people get you down. They’re not helping you in any way. Just do your thing, and be confident about it. No matter what the result is, the hard work will show, and the audience will tell you so. And let me tell you, that audience reaction is the best kind of “Word-I-Can’t-Put-Here YOU!” that you can give to the nay-sayers.

9. Tradition eats babies.
My group, ShockWave, is from Rutgers University. In the past, groups that compete at Rutgers have gone to the semifinals, the finals, and received all kinds of awards along the way. To say that this did not cross our minds would be a complete lie. Of course, we were very eager to keep up tradition. But it’s probably not the best motivator (UNDERSTATEMENT ALERT). The other groups at Rutgers that have had competed are a co-ed group and an all-male group. And my all-female group is not just different in that there are no guys involved; we’re just a different group of people, with a different vibe, a different feel, and an overall different attitude and presentation. How could we know if our kind of performance would go over as well as the presentations the other groups put forth? We couldn’t. So it shouldn’t be a point of focus. This segues nicely into my next point…

8. Be yourselves.
There are a LOT of awesome groups out there, each with their own individual style. They didn’t get there by copying other groups. Being inspired by a group is one thing; ganking a group’s personal mojo is quite another. Hang out as a group, and get to know each other. Figure out what kind of performance would compliment you guys the most. Is most of your group from the cheerleading squad? Use the group’s ability to move. Is your group formed within an arts and music school? Then odds are you can get a VERY musical performance from people who have a lot of experience doing so. Each group will have its own set of strengths, and you should figure them out and play to them. Not every group has to be able to blast out En Vogue, or be able to do the entire dance from Rhythm Nation perfectly, in order to be considered talented.

7. Do your homework.
You took the time to think about your set. Now think about each of those songs individually. What are they about? When were they made? What kind of mood/feel do they have? What kind of choreography (if any) would serve this song well? Don’t just make it about going out there and singing. Make it a presentation. Make it a performance. There’s a huge difference between just singing, and really performing. Show the audience (and the judges) that you know that. Also, when it comes to competition, the judges’ scoring sheets are available online. LOOK AT THEM! Look at what they’re going to be watching for, what counts when it comes to points.

6. Every time you procrastinate, God kills a kitten.
Use the time you have wisely. One of the worst feelings is that last-minute scramble to get your paper in before your Mussolini of a professor downgrades you for… sorry, transference is bad. Back to a cappella. Don’t put things off; start early and build a good work ethic. If you start planting seeds like that early, they will grow and become a part of the group’s general practice, I’m telling you. Planning and preparation are your friends, and not the kind that borrow stuff and never give it back…OK, sorry, transference again. Let’s move on, shall we?

5. Play nice, because everyone worked hard to be there.
Fortunately, we didn’t have that kind of problem; the groups we competed with were full of awesome people, and it made the experience a lot more fun when we got to just talk and chill with the other groups there (the way it should be, really). But I’ve heard horror stories, and to me, THE WORST thing ever is an a-hole, or a group of a-holes that think coming to competition means a great opportunity to take out parental issues on other competitors, and that’s just not cool. Everyone put in the time and effort to put on the best show possible; don’t playa hate. This rule goes for after everything is said and done, also; just be classy and professional about it, because guess what? People have feelings, and those feelings can be hurt. So don’t be a d**chebag.

4. Other opinions are money.
Have people come in to watch your set, and critique you on it. Be careful about who these people are, though. Suzy Q’s football-playing boyfriend may not be able to give you the best, most detailed analysis of what was good/bad about your set, but the grad student/a cappella nut who helped form one of your school’s older groups will be able to tell you what he or she thinks, and make it count. Make sure these people know music, and know a cappella. Make sure they know about what it really takes to give off a memorable performance. Make sure it’s not the guy you saw walking home from class who seemed “artsy”.

3. Practicing is your friend.
Unless you’re all perfect, you’re not going to get a great set out of the group unless you work hard. No matter how good you think you are, you can always be better, and there is always going to be a group out there that is better than you. The only thing you can do is just make sure you’re making every effort to make sure your group’s performance quality keeps rising, or stays at a high level. This is an extension of Number 6, yes. But along with putting in the time, you have to put in the effort. If you schedule a 2-hour competition rehearsal, and spend most of it talking about the Gilmore Girls or playing X-Box (fun though it may be), and spend about 20 minutes going through the set, then you’re not really practicing effective time management. And people in charge? Sometimes it’s going to be your job to be the Johnny Crappy-Pants and curtail the fun in favor of work.

2. In the end, just do your best.
This point’s pretty simple, and it’s hard to make into a snarky comment. When it comes down to it, the only thing you can do, after hours of practicing, is just do your best when you finally take the stage. If you’re nervous, turn that into excited energy, and use it when you’re out there. You have to trust the work you did, and trust your other group members to do the same. If everyone is dedicated to that, then you should have no problems putting for a unified and energetic performance. Just make sure you interact with each other, and with the audience. Oh, and also? Have fun, people. Because that’s why we all do this; it’s fun to sing and perform. So just enjoy it.

1. No family members will be shot and killed if you don’t advance.
Seriously, it is just a competition. Maybe people will figure it’s easy for me to say, but I mean it, and this is the thing I’ve really been trying to reinforce with my group from the get-go. It’s an important competition, yes. It’s important to put your best foot forward, of course. But it’s NOT the end of the world if you don’t happen to advance, or get that certain award you were gunning for. The best thing about competition, to me anyway, is that packet of judges’ notes. These are experienced, trained ears that are giving you detailed advice for free. Take the advice; these people know what they’re talking about. You can only grow and get better as a group from there.

Also, the hard work you put into the competition set can be applied to everything you do, making your home concerts that much better, for your dedicated fans who come to see you time and time again. Don’t they deserve the best product, too? The work ethic, the professionalism, the individuality…these are great things for a group to practice when planning for other shows, too. Use competition as a way to step up your group’s game in general, not just for those 12 minutes.

Candice Helfand is a Rutgers alumna with a degree in Journalism & Media Studies. She currently directs a new, awesome all-female a cappella group at Rutgers (ShockWave), for which she also arranges, percusses, and manages their website (http://www.rushockwave.com).