Let's face it, kids: we go to a dorky school. There's just no way of getting around it. We study so hard that there's a Facebook group called "I go clubbing at Tisch." And while some schools are crazy about fraternities, Tufts students are crazy about... a cappella?
Yes, it's true. But when Tufts students do something, they do it right. That means that our a cappella groups aren't just a bunch of people standing in a circle trying to sing. We're lucky to have six of the classiest, most talented a cappella groups around right here on campus. And even better, three of them are performing this weekend.
This Friday and Saturday, Shir Appeal, sQ! and the Beelzebubs will hold their formal fall shows. Summing up each group is easy: Shir Appeal is Jewish, sQ! is co-ed, and the Bubs are all male. But the truth is that each group has its own distinctive feel that goes far past the simple makeup of the group.
Take, for example, Shir Appeal. Although the group is usually thought of in terms of its religious affiliation, it also has a distinctive musical and performance style. Junior Jessica Stiss, a member of Shir Appeal, explained that it's not just Jewish music that sets the group apart. "We perform a lot in communities, for synagogues and children, not just for college kids," she said.
This gives the group a performance style that is interactive and accessible. It also requires them to look for songs that appeal to people of all ages and religious backgrounds; the result is a set that includes songs from many different genres of music, from Israeli rock to liturgical tunes.
The sound and style of sQ! also extend beyond the rudimentary descriptor of "co-ed a cappella." The group specializes in modern and classic pop music, requiring them to come up with arrangements that sound fresh but still do justice to the original songs.
Because their songs are often well-known among audiences, sQ! takes great care with their song selections. "We take into consideration how an audience might react to a song," said senior Andrew Chapman, president of sQ!. "Is it overplayed on the radio? Exciting? Known?"
One of the biggest questions Tufts students usually ask about sQ! is what distinguishes it from the Amalgamates, Tufts' other co-ed a cappella group. "I think that the main differences are in our sound, our musical selection, and our personality as a group," Chapman said. "We like different music, we have different senses of humor, and we each produce a different sound."
For those of us less attune to the subtleties of a cappella music, this difference may be hard to hear on a song-by-song basis, but it is easy to see what sets each group apart after listening to the sets in their entireties. Fall Show is a chance for sQ! to let the Tufts student body appreciate its unique sound and personality.
The Beelzebubs, Tufts' heartthrobs who occupy a place akin to that of football players at other schools, also define themselves by more than just their "all-male" label. Senior Eric Fuerstein, president of the Bubs, explained that the group defines itself stylistically by its emphasis on energetic showmanship.
"We put a high premium on performance," Fuerstein said. "Energy and audience involvement are really important." That means that no matter what the Bubs are singing, audiences usually come out of their shows awake and smiling. Perhaps that's why both of their fall shows usually sell out so quickly.
When asked what they were most excited about for their fall shows, all three groups said the same thing: the opportunity to perform with their new members for the first time. "I remember my first fall show," said Stiss, "and I'm excited for our new members to have that experience, too."
This Friday and Saturday night we'll be enjoying some first-rate a cappella, even if students on other campuses might not follow suit. But there's something cool about that too. All three groups are energetic, talented and full of personality, and by the end of this weekend, even the most vehemently anti-a-cappella among us may be rocking out to the sound of the Bubs' "Cecilia" on iTunes.
