You might not expect such obedient silence at the sound of an A-flat note, but for the UCLA Scattertones, one of eleven student a cappella groups on campus and one of two UCLA groups heading to the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella west competition on Saturday, it’s a signal. Members of both Scattertones and Random Voices, an all female a cappella group that chose not to go to the competition, comment on how the increase in media exposure and popularity that a cappella has seen has affected the a cappella community both on campus and at large.

TRANSCRIPT:

FRANCIS: The buzz of student chatter is commonplace on a Tuesday night in Ackerman. What’s not is the silence that follows with the sound of a single A-flat note. For the UCLA Scattertones and Random Voices, two a cappella groups on campus, this sound means get down to business and sing. The Scattertones will be performing in the regional quarterfinals of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella this Saturday at UC Berkeley, a competition in which they placed second last year. Rishi Menon, a fourth-year psychology student and president of the Scattertones, tells us what is required of groups preparing for the competition.

MENON: For a competition like ICCAs, we sit down and have sort of a round table discussion on the uh songs we want to sing for the competition … we arrange them ourselves, then we add a second layer of choreography … And then, once all of that is ready: boom, competition time.

FRANCIS: Though the Scattertones attend the competition every year, the pressure is higher than their sopranos, as not all UCLA groups decide to go. In fact, the only groups from UCLA that will be attending this year are the Scattertones and the Medleys. Even successful groups like Random Voices, which was recently selected to perform at Spring Sing, decide to devote their energies to different pursuits. Anelise Chin, a third-year communication studies student, explains why participating in the competition is not on the Random Voices agenda:

CHIN: It added competition to it, it added stress, it added conflict, it added an element of being the best as opposed to being our best I guess. It’s not one of our goals to be a competition group.

FRANCIS: A cappella has surged in popularity in recent years. Glee was an Emmy favorite for best comedy series from 2010 to 2012. The a cappella group Pentatonix blew up on the internet with their cover of the Christmas song “Little Drummer Boy” this past holiday season on YouTube, Upworthy and iTunes. In addition, the movie “Pitch Perfect” made $65 million at the box office in 2012, making it the second highest grossing musical comedy film after “School of Rock.” Members of the Scattertones and Random Voices have all noticed a key change on the a cappella scene after “Pitch Perfect” swept through the box office.

“We actually had a few people that when they came in and auditioned for us they did the Cup Song… that song. We got a lot of those.”

“It’s definitely contributed to the popularity of a cappella, especially, if I may point out, all female.”

“Oh my god, its always pitch perfect.”

“Actually Pitch Perfect was really accurate to things that actually do happen in the a cappella world …”

FRANCIS: Menon shares his perspective on how the popularity affects the group dynamic.

MENON: People are expecting us to bring, you know, just a high level every time. And its good, you know, it’s a good challenge, but it also just feels like, you know, like a burden, sometimes.

FRANCIS: But on the whole, most group members feel positive about the increased interest and exposure a cappella has seen. Random Voices veteran and fourth-year biology student Marilyn McGowan says it has helped increase their audience.

MCGOWAN: There’s been a big boom since shows like “Glee” and “Pitch Perfect” have come out.

FRANCIS: India Carney, a third-year music student and music director of Scattertones, elaborates on how she sees this exposure affecting the future of a cappella.

CARNEY: Movies like “Pitch Perfect,” a cappella groups like Pentatonix who are really getting out there and have a huge fan base, are really starting to bring people’s attention to a cappella music and I think that’s awesome.

FRANCIS: A cappella music has gained a powerful presence in popular culture, and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. And with these heightened expectations, Scattertones will be hoping to make more than just an impression or win second place at the competition this Saturday.
For Daily Bruin Radio, I’m Quinn Francis.

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