Dartmouth: The Land of A Cappella

The biggest music scene at Dartmouth College is undoubtedly a cappella.  In the past week, three different groups performed and debuted their freshmen members in a stunning array of performances.

 Last Wednesday, the Dodecaphonics sang for a packed-in crowd Sigma Delt.  The Dodec “babies” wore flair and were featured in various solos.  The energy and varied repertoire kept the crowd riveted, and the ‘15s proved their worth with their skit, including a parody of “Don’t Cha”:  “Don’t cha wish your babies were hot like us?”

 Yesterday night, Tabard hosted both the Rockapellas and the Aires.  Students staked out the best seats early to see the groups, especially the celebrity-status Aires.  The Rocks sported serious flair, and the Pebbles skit was adorable.  The Rockapellas’ freedom songs were also well received.

 The real stars, of course, were the Aires, especially due to all the hype from their stellar performances on NBC’s The Sing-Off.  Their mismatched sport coats and unmatched energy and obvious joy in what they were doing embodied the culture of Dartmouth College.  The audience demanded an encore, and the Aires obliged with a flawlessly prepared song that could have been part of their original repertoire.  I hadn’t watched them on TV at all other than the occasional clip recommended by a friend, but seeing them live made me understand why they were doing so well on The Sing-Off.  And even the officially famous Aires gave their freshmen plenty of time to shine solo, and they performed a well-executed skit poking fun of the senior Aires.

Each a cappella group has so much talent to offer and a huge repertoire of enjoyable music, making the a cappella scene easily the most fun and accessible Dartmouth has to offer.  There are constant campus-wide blitzes alerting students to new shows every few days or so, including the Decibelles’ show at AZD tonight, the Cords’ freshmen show on November 10th at AXA, and the Decibelles’ “babybelles” show at SAE on the 16th.  A cappella: it’s free, it’s easy, it’s cute, and it’s all over the place.

Meghan Hassett

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