CASA - The Contemporary A Capella Society

Vocal
percussion… Let’s face it, vocal percussion takes skill, and when done
right, can be really awesome. Learning it may not be that much of a
problem. Jordan Suchow of Brandeis Voicemale feels that “…most of
percussion is mental. There's no reason why anyone (male or female)
who's willing to spend a couple of months sounding really dumb in the
shower can't become a solid percussionist, on par with most of the
collegiate stuff out there.” But while vocal percussion can be amazing,
and not too tough to pick up, it rarely, if ever, LOOKS good. And that
may be the heart of the issue (as far as women’s avoiding it is
concerned). “…Girls grow up self-conscious and don't want to look silly
or gross, and nothing looks sillier or is more gross than spitting
every second into a microphone,” said Shalisa James (Toxic Audio).

As far as CD production goes, Deke Sharon put it best when he said “Frankly, women are less apt to sit in a small room for 14 hours staring at a computer screen, saying things like "Great job! Perfect! Now just one more time for me." Well, this is a very fair point.  From collegiate a cappella on up, most CD production roles tend to be taken on by men. Then again, men tend to be more interested in technology in general (think about how many men have/had engineering- or technology-related majors, versus women, at your college/alma mater).

But what about all-female groups in general? Nobody can deny that men’s groups tend to be received better than women’s groups. Amy Malkoff (of All About Buford), brings up “…how many women make a point of confessing that they don't like the sound of women's a cappella.” Ouch. “Many male groups have larger vocal ranges than female groups…and can sometimes put forth a richer sound,” noted Desiree Pointer, from the University of California (Berkley), in a rec.music.a-cappella post. Cassie Pierce of Rutgers Shockwave, brings up that, “… it's because guys are more willing to take risks, whether in the a cappella community or otherwise.” Also, Pointer and several others mentioned the humor aspect, and how male groups tend to translate as funnier to an audience, while women’s groups don’t fare so well at attempts to be funny. To counter that point, Sarah Klein of U. Oregon’s Divisi notes, “I have seen quite a few female groups make up for this…with good arrangements, good choreography (one skill that is more female-dominated), and super solid solos,” which basically points out the simple truth that, yes, men may have some things, but women can hold their own if they make the effort to do so.

In any case, whether the solution is more encouragement from male counterparts, women simply taking a more proactive role, or if women are on the way there and it’s just a matter of time, it seems to be the general consensus that having more women involved in other ends of the a cappella world, and a general upswing in “girl power” applied to all-female group performances would be an interesting and welcome change. Women are already asserting themselves as far as arranging goes, so hopefully the trend will spread to other areas of a cappella (and even more-so in regards to arranging). Encouragement, assertion or time, whatever is needed, Shalisa James put it perfectly when she said, “We can't blame the male-dominated a cappella world for not letting us in if we're not presenting a powerful, dynamic product.”

Then again, maybe Amy Bob Engelhardt (from The Bobs) pegged it right when she answered the question (in an article about the same topic, which you should all check out, that lady has some smart things to add on the matter) by saying “[her] first unedited response” was, “Women don't need to imitate drums in order to get dates.”  Simple, hilarious, and, well, true.

{mosimage}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).