The music in JM-YOU
Six a cappella groups seek singers in week long search for top talent
Posted on January 28, 2008
By 3 a.m. most students are tucked away in their extra-long twin beds, but James Madison’s a cappella community is not composed of typical students. Last week a cappella groups held auditions for potential new talent, resulting in a very exhausting week for members.
The halls of the Music Building were filled with singers hoping to earn a spot in the BluesTones, Clear Cadence, Exit 245, Into Hymn, Low Key or the Overtones. This is a stressful time of year for these groups, but Rachel Tombes, president of the all-female BluesTones, says that auditions bring the tight-knit group of 16 girls even closer.
“It’s a really fun experience, especially for the new girls accepted last semester,” Tombes said. “They get to be on the other side of auditions now, and feel like they’re a part of the group.”
Auditions take place at the beginning of each semester so that the accepted students, commonly referred to as “noobs” in the a cappella world, can learn music and get to know the group before performances begin.
The process began with two nights of open auditions, held Jan. 22 and 23. Those auditioning were asked to sing a verse and a chorus of a song of their choice (a cappella, of course) and also perform vocal exercises to give group members an idea of their tone quality. Thursday, after first cuts, a number of singers were called back. Group members taught those auditioning a portion of one of their songs and conducted individual interviews.
Once callbacks were completed, group members began the complicated task of deciding who would become their newest members. Billy Smith, the president of Low Key, explained that this is one of the hardest things about auditions.
“So many talented people audition for us, and we have to be so nit-picky,” Smith said. “If we accepted every person who could sing we’d have 50 people in the group.”
But, at the end of the day, Smith believes that the deliberation is well worth it.
“When you get new members, it changes the dynamic of the group,” Smith said. “You get a fresh start, and it brings back the fun, and there is a different kind of excitement.”
