Updated as of 12:17 p.m. on Oct. 16 to include comment from Smooth Progressions and Shirley Tempos.
The sounds of singing and beatboxing echoed through Spence Pavilion. As students of different grade levels and majors filed into the room, they smiled and jumped right into the song that had begun. Rehearsal didn’t start for another 10 minutes, but everyone already wanted to start singing.
Vital Signs president and senior Aidan Coy called a cappella a staple of college life across the U.S.
“Ever since Pitch Perfect came out in 2012, people come to college and they’re like, ‘Oh my god, a bunch of people are making music but only with their mouths,” Coy said. “Our concerts are so much more than 10 to 15 people singing into microphones. I’d describe it as magical.”
The seven a cappella groups host mixers and activities to maintain the relationships between the groups, as well as attend each other’s concerts. At ROCKapella, a concert featuring all groups over Family Weekend, the groups could be seen jumping and clapping for each other’s performances, their signature colors blending together into a crowd of musicians cheering on other musicians.
Every year each a cappella group hosts a benefit concert, with Vital Signs’ being a fundraiser for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. All seven of Elon’s a cappella groups and two visiting groups from nearby colleges perform. A local family impacted by Make-A-Wish is highlighted and speaks to the audience, which last year surpassed 300.
Vital Signs performs "Espresso" by Sabrina Carpenter on Sept. 29 in Alumni Gym. The group is Elon University's all-gender A Capella group founded in 2011.
Past the concert, members that have spoken at previous concerts are still in touch with the a cappella groups, Coy said.
“Whenever we perform at Carowinds, she’s still there every year and she always comes up to us and introduces herself to the new members of our group,” Coy said of the Make-A-Wish kid honored two years ago. “I’ve kind of seen her grow up a little bit, which is super cool.”
Last year, the concert raised over $10,000 for the Make-A-Wish foundation of Central and Western North Carolina.
“I feel connected to the organization, which is just an incredible feeling,” Coy said. “I’ve talked with families, talked with kids, and it really has put a new perspective on life.”
Nature, culture of Elon a cappella
Rip Chord music director and senior Liam Kress said Rip Chord empowers all members, including underclassmen, to take risks and trying new activities with the group.
“The members who are young right now who will be leading the group in hopefully a year or two, they will not be a carbon copy of us,” Kress said. “They will become their own self and move the group in a new, fresh, and dynamic direction.
Sweet Signatures music director and senior Grace Angelo said she’ll never forget former music director Isabelle Hall ’22, who currently lives in Los Angeles and is pursuing a career in the music industry.
“She always had everything together, and she was so professional and made our group sound so amazing,” Angelo said. “I remember freshman year I was like, ‘Oh my god, I want to do that.’ So I’m really happy to follow in her footsteps.”
Sweet Signatures performs in Rockapella on Sept. 29 in Alumni Gym during Parents Weekend. The group is Elon University's oldest all-female a cappella group founded in 2001.
Sweet Signatures president and senior Lani Watson said that her favorite part of concerts is getting to see visiting alumni. Sweet Signatures sings a specific song every fall and spring concert that alumni come onstage and join them for.
“It’s nice to know that when we even graduate, we can come back and still sing with them,” Watson said. “It will always be a part of who we are.”
Rip Chord president and senior Duncan George said one of the most rewarding things about being in an a cappella leadership position is watching the group grow and evolve.
“It’s going to be one of the coolest things to see once we graduate,” George said.
A cappella is a challenge compared to singing in a choir, freshman and new Melanated Melodies member Olivia Waymer said.
“We’re moving around doing choreography, I’m next to a soprano and an alto, but I still have to stay really strong within myself,” Waymer said. “We also learn music a lot faster than I did in high school. It’s a more vulnerable experience because you’re a lot more responsible for yourself in a cappella than you are in choir.”
Melanated Melodies performs "Can't Hold Us" by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis on Sept. 29 in the Alumni Gym. The group is Elon's predominantly black A Capella group founded in 2019.
Senior Madison Williams of Melanated Melodies said she loves seeing the Elon community show up for concerts.
“It’s really a booster to our morale,” Williams said. “It lets us know that what we’re doing here is important to the students of Elon, creating that space for people to just have fun, be a community and sing.”
Williams said she would love to see a cappella become a bigger part of Elon culture.
“I want students to know that you do not have to be a music buff or even know how to sing to love a cappella,” Williams said. “A cappella really is a culmination of different people coming together to produce one beautiful sound.”
Smooth Progressions Public Relations Chair and sophomore MJ Schaeffer said that Elon’s a cappella groups are sometimes viewed with a bias against outgoing performers and stereotypes from Pitch Perfect. They said they’re trying to change perceptions through their social media work for Smooth Progressions.
“I want to be able to let people see that it’s not just like Pitch Perfect, and subvert those expectations,” Schaeffer said.
Close-knit communities
Sweet Signatures treasurer and senior Reagan O’Toole said there’s a different kind of atmosphere when all of the a cappella groups are together.
“We all have something that unites us,” O’Toole said. “Each group has a very different vibe and goal of what they were founded for. I think it’s really special that even though we all have our own separate groups, our love for music is what kind of unites us and gives us that common thread that we can all relate over.”
Shirley Tempos President and senior Emily Cozzone said Elon’s seven a cappella groups make up a big family.
“We have friends in all the other groups, and it is such a great community to be a part of,” Cozzone said.
Smooth Progressions President and junior Patrick Tuohy said it’s less overwhelming to perform at benefit concerts when all groups are there with their own varying performance styles.
“Each group has a really unique sound developed by either the group’s history or just the songs they choose and how they generally vibe with those songs,” Tuohy said. “Sometimes it’s not that the songs necessarily are different, it's the way they’re performed, and the people performing them bring the personality.”
Williams said that the a cappella groups could all improve and benefit from hosting events together, such as ‘riff-offs’.
“That’s something that’s often asked about, and it’s something that’s in progress, so I really hope it gets put together soon.”
Williams said the members of Melanated Melodies, Elon’s predominantly Black a cappella group, organize study groups in the library to encourage time management and check up on how one another’s classes are going.
“All the a cappella groups are kind of like family, but I think that Melanated Melodies does a great job in creating that space specifically for Black students,” Williams said.
Freshman and new member Jaydon Jefferson said his fellow Melanated Melodies singers are like siblings and that meeting with the performing arts communities at Elon is like seeing cousins.
“Music brings people together, and that’s why I love it so much,” Jefferson said. “In college, you meet people that you’ll most likely stick with for a lifetime. I would love to see these people grow up, get married, have jobs, have families.”
Shirley Tempos hosted the Acapocalypse on Oct. 5, a benefit concert for Elon Academy featuring all seven groups.
The Shirley Tempos perform "Like A Prayer" by Madonna on Sept. 29 in Alumni Gym. The group is Elon's all-female A Capella group founded in 2014.
Twisted Measure did not respond to Elon News Network’s requests for comment.