How to best incorporate popular music is somewhat elusive. The problems around non-notated rock quartet's original music which was and is often created and played "by ear" (Paul McCartney doesn't read music, for example) are compounded by the increase in the influence of production in modern music (looping, sampling, etc.). Top 40 music just doesn't come from a sheet of staff paper in almost all cases, and not surprisingly it's increasingly difficult to accurately represent it there.
Now, this can be a blessing, at least it has been for me. Trying to figure out how to sing (and notate) "In Your Eyes" as a member of the Tufts Beelzebubs turned into a recording in which we incorporated vocal percussion and other instrumental sounds (“Foster Street” in 1991), then my desire to form the House Jacks, resulting in a career in contemporary a cappella. There is a way to make modern music with your voice, or at least there are a bunch of us trying to figure out how. It’s fun, and some people really enjoy it (I’ll resist the temptation to a pun involving the expression “preaching to the choir”).
Different people have a different take on how to bring popular music alive for high school students, and contemporary a cappella or a vocal jazz program is just one way. Show choirs are another very popular alternative.
In some cases a choral program will grab a contemporary arrangement and fold it into their repertoire, much as the Kings Singers have done for thirty years (end the concert with some "light favorites," many of which have made it into the ‘Bubs rep). But the "takeaway" from modern music can be less about harmonies and more about costumes and choreography. Two people can watch an N'Sync video and come away with very different ideas of what a high school group can and/or should do to replicate it.
Obviously, I'm living on the harmony side of this equation. I often remark that contemporary a cappella can be a "gateway drug" into more serious choral singing, especially for guys (who are often desperately needed in high school vocal programs), and it carries with it the benefit that if a guy can sing a six-part pop arrangement, he’s probably gonna be able to carry the tenor line in any motet. Contemporary a cappella is often quite vocally challenging, which perhaps makes it out of reach for some singers or vocal programs.
And, to be fair, some of the nation's best choral programs as well as professional choruses come from the Midwest. There's probably more singing in school happening per capita in Minnesota than in Massachusetts and undoubtedly more in Kansas than in California.
It is valid to look at a popular music video and say let's focus on the performance aspects: the lights, the movement, the excitement, the facial expressions, the clothing. Although, with that focus, when all is said and done, it's not often that a group of high schoolers can belt out more than the melody, punctuated by occasional bursts of harmony, yet with plenty of dance (and panting) breaks throughout. A show choir's choreography is sometimes just shy of an aerobics class, which is an astounding physical feat.
Plus, when you add movement to the music, it takes a good deal longer to learn; One has to learn the music, then the moves, then integrate. Many college a cappella groups have some direct experience with this: you can have a repertoire of 30 tunes during the year, or far fewer and do some complicated choreography.
All that said, I think it bears mentioning: some people think show choirs are very cheesy. Laughably so. I’ve laughed quite a bit, and not always when it was appropriate. And yet, don’t forget that some people think the same of contemporary a cappella. One man’s art can be another man’s punching bag.
I personally applaud any program that gives students a chance to sing, and wish that there were more opportunities for vocal music in all school districts across the nation. It's my personal opinion that so much movement can undermine a solid musical foundation, resulting in a lack of a deep musicality. With so much emphasis on energy, the big smiles and big movements can read as insincere, and music as communication should be an honest statement. To extend the metaphor, hearing a group of people yell "I'M HAPPY!" doesn't necessarily fill me with joy, but they're probably not talking to me, and that's quite alright.
What am I trying to say? In the end, it's all art. Some people love it, some people hate it, and that’s as it should be. Long live show choirs, and any other educational vocal program that gets kids singing... even if it incorporates.... wait for it.... JAZZ HANDS!
<...hold that pose...>
<...a little longer...>
..and Scene!
Click on the wrench in the upper left-hand corner to see what else you can do.