So You Want to Sing A Cappella: A Guide for Performers

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Chapter 1  Chapter 2  Chapter 5  Chapters 18 & 19  Chapter 20  Appendix

Chapter 1 – The Evolution of A Cappella

Pre-Contemporary A Cappella Styles:

• Gregorian Chant
• Traditional Jewish
• Native American
• Madrigals
• Renaissance Polyphony
• Sea Shanties
• Field Holler
• Classical Choral
• Sacred Harp
• Folk Music
• Irish-Scottish-Gaelic “Mouth” Music
• Gospel
• Fisk Jubilee Singers

Early Twentieth Century:

• Barbershop
• Sweet Adelines
• Mbube
• Isicathamiya
• Taiwan           
• Klapa
• Bulgarian Women’s Choir
• Collegiate A Cappella
• Close Harmony
• Doo Wop
• Contemporary Christian

Chapter 2 – Contemporary A Cappella

The 1980s:

• Sweet Honey in the Rock
• The Persuasions
• The King’s Singers
• The Swingle Singers
• The Manhattan Transfer
• The Singers Unlimited
• The Hi-Lo’s
• The BOBs
• The Nylons
• The Buffalo Bills (Barbershop Quartet from The Music Man)
• Todd Rundgren
• Flying Pickets
• Ladysmith Black Mambazo & Paul Simon
• Billy Joel
• The Nylons

The Early 1990s:

• M-Pact
• The Edlos
• North Shore A Cappella
• SoVoSo
• Toxic Audio
• Naturally 7
• Bobby McFerrin
• Shai
• Huey Lewis and the News
• All 4 One
• Az Yet
• Bobby McFerrin
• Boyz II Men (“It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday”)
• Boyz II Men (“In the Still of the Night”)
• Take 6
• Montezuma’s Revenge
• Tufts Beelzebubs
• Spike Lee and Company: "Do It A Cappella" (full show)
• Rockapella: “Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego” (full episode)
• The 17^th Avenue All-Stars
• The (Trench) Coats
• The Flirtations

The 2000s/2010s:

• American Vybe
• Groove 66
• Straight No Chaser
• The Sing Off
• Pitch Perfect
• Camp A Cappella
• A Cappella Academy
• VoiceJam
• AcaWest
• Contemporary A Cappella League
• Pitch Slapped
• In Transit
• Vocalosity
• Take 6

Chapter 5 – Vocal Instruments

• Trumpet and Trombone
• Muted Trumpet
• Flute
• Pizzicato Strings
• Electric Guitar, Kazoo, Theramin & Bowed Violin
• Harmonica

Chapter 18 – Singing and Voice Science (Scott McCoy)

• Your Voice: An Inside View
• National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS)
• National Center for Voice and Speech (NCVS)
• The Voice Foundation (TVF)

Chapter 19 – Vocal Health and the Light Opera Singer (Wendy LeBorgne)

• Supplemental Bibliography

Chapter 20 – Using Audio Enhancement Technology (Matthew Edwards)

Equipment Manufacturers:

• Shure
• Sennheiser
• M-Audio
• Fostex
• Behringer
• Bose
• TC-Helicon

Recommended Equipment:

• SM58 Microphone (with on/off switch)
• Behringer Eurolive B212XL
• TC-Helicon Voice Live Play Vocal Effects Processor
• 10-Foot XLR Cable

Comparisons of Singers (on and off mic):

• Broadway Singers
• Rock Singers

Tutorials:

• Microphone Tips
• Equalization Tutorial
• Setting Input Levels on a Soundboard

Trade Publications:

• Sound on Sound
• Mix

Appendix – List of A Cappella Festivals Around the World

EUROPE

January:          

• Lievekamp A Cappella Evening, Oss (NED)
• VocCologne, Köln (GER)
• London A Cappella Festival (UK)

February:                           

• International Gdansk Choral Festival (POL)
• BALK Festival Oost, Ulft (NED)

March: 

• The Voice Festival (UK)
• Total Choral: Pop/Jazz Chor-Festival, Berlin (GER)
• A Cappella Rorschach (SWI)
• EverySing! Festival, Ville de Montlouis-sur-Loire (FRA)

April:                                    

• Prague Aca Fest (CZE)
• Internationaler Chorwettbewerb & Festival, Bad Ischl (AUT)
• A Cappella Woche Hannover (GER)

May:                                     

• Wetterauer Musik Sommer Akademie: Festivokal (GER)
• A Cappella Festival Appenzell (SWI)
• Aarhus Vocal Festival (DEN)
• Stimmakrobaten Festival (GER)
• Festival für Vokalmusik Leipzig (GER)
• Voxon A Cappella Festival, Bleiburg (AUT)

June:                                    

• Tampere Vocal Music Festival and Competition (FIN) 
• Vocaal Festival Amusing Hengelo (NED)
• Chortreffen Ibbenbüren (GER)
• Sing A Cappella Festival and Workshop Day (UK)
• Odense Vokal Festival, Odense (DEN)
• Hofkonzerte: A Cappella, Winterthur (SWI)
• Solevoci A Cappella International Contest and Festival, Varese (ITA)

July:                                      

• Vokal Total International A Cappella Competition, Graz (AUT)
• Crest Jazz Vocal Festival, Crest (FRA)

August:

• Choralies, Vaison-la-Romaine (FRA)
• Ohrid Choir Festival (MAC)
• Vocal Pop & Jazz Days, Oberhausen (GER)
• Nuits des choeurs / Stemmen onder de Sterren, Braine-l’Alleud (BEL)

September:                       

• Acappellica, Hamburg (GER)
• BerVokal: A Cappella Pop Festival, Berlin (GER)
• Chor.com, Dortmund (GER)
• Sangeslust, Bayreuth (GER)
• Zoom+ Festival, Trnva (SLO)

October:

• Fool Moon International A Cappella Festival (HUN)          
• Voice Mania, Vienna (AUT)         
• Festival Espoochor, Espoo (FIN)

November:                        

• Tonart-Festival Ilmenau (GER)                   
• BALK Top Festival, Rotterdam (NED)                       
• Vokal Total, Munich (GER)                           
• Polyfollia International Summer Festival, Saint-Lo (FRA)

December:                        

• Stemvork Festival, Torhout (BEL)

NORTH AMERICA

February:

• Los Angeles A Cappella Festival, Los Angeles, CA
• NE Voices, Wilmington, MA
• Mile High Vocal Jam, Denver, CO

March: 

• Texas A Cappella Celebration, San Antonio, TX

April:

• Boston Sings [BOSS], Boston, MA

May:

• Toronto Vocal Arts, Toronto, ON, Canada

June:    

• Camp A Cappella at Wright State University, Dayton OH

August:

• VoCALnation, Philadelphia, PA
• AcappellaFest, Chicago, IL

November:

• SoJam, Raleigh, NC

February–May:

• Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival (various locations)

January–May:  

• ICCA & ICHSA (various locations)

ASIA

March: 

• Hong Kong International A Cappella Festival (HK)
• Youth Vocal Music Fest, Singapore (SIN)

April:    

• Spring Vocal Festival, Taipei (TAI)
• FAN: Festival of A Cappella Nagoya (JAP)

June:

• Yamanashi A Cappella Summit, Yamanashi (JAP)

July:

• National A Cappella Championships, Singapore (SIN)
• Shanghai A Cappella Festival (CHI)

August:

• Vocal Asia Festival (location moves each year)
• Kanazawa A Cappella Town, Kanazawa (Japan)

October:

• A Cappella Society’s International A Cappella Festival (SIN)
• Taiwan International Contemporary A Cappella Festival, Taipei (TAI)

November:

• Asia A Cappella Festival (HK)

AUSTRALIA

May:     

• Get Vocal: Melbourne Vocal Music Festival

July:

• Festival of Voices in Tasmania

AFRICA

August:

• Namibia International Vocal Festival, Windhoek (NAM)