Ithacappella

Ithacappella Block I Concert

When I think of acapella I think of the movie "Pitch Perfect". I think of the extreme acapella battles that the different groups have. When I went to go watch the Ithacappella's Block I concert I had expected it to be something to what I've seen in that movie. Although there was no "cup song" or puking on stage from nervousness, it was such an awesome event to watch. I have never been to an acapella concert before so I didn't know what to expect. 

I anxiously sat in the dark, crowded, Emerson Suites this past Friday night and when the singers emerged from the side doors, the audience went wild. They started off by singing the Ithaca College anthem and it was done so beautifully, way better than Convocation. You could hear all of the different melodies and harmonies because of how in sync everyone's voices were. After the opening the group made their way to the stage and the stage lights emerged from the background. The group came in with Sing by Ed Sheeran and proceeded with the songs, Working for the Weekend, Mr. Brightside, September, Bang Bang, Sitting on the Dock of the Bay. 

During intermission I had entered a raffle and I so badly wanted to be serenaded by Ithacappella but sadly my darn raffle tickets weren't chosen. Anyways, besides that tragic news, I could clearly hear the different textures of the songs because I could recognize the different sounds being made from each singer (since they are making every sound of the song from their mouths and no instruments). I could hear the beat from the beat boxers, the bass from the bass singer and so on. 

I gained appreciation for the acapella singers when I listened to them sing. I couldn't imagine picking out each sound of a song and trying to re-create the sound with your voice. That's hard work! The coolest thing about listening to acapella singers is that even though the voices blend well together to create the song, you can still clearly pick out the different textures. The music that was sung at the concert wasn't exactly related to what we've been learning in class but I would consider the song Sitting on the Dock of the Bay a folk song. The lyrics of the song are memorable and the music doesn't contain leaps which makes it easy to sing.  

There wasn't a song that stood out to me because every song was performed so well! I did love the freshman introductions though. I love that they didn't just sing the songs, they performed them as actors too which made the show interesting to watch and not just something to hear. This was such a great event and I'm so happy I got to see it. I most definitely will be going to the other events they put on to see how they improve as a group. By the end of the year they are going to be "on point" and I can't wait to hear that progression!

If you want to hear Ithacappella perform, check out their YouTube! 

youtube.com/ithacappella