<p>Which are some of the "better" groups at NU? What's the audition prcoess like and are they usually competitive?</p>
<p>-future freshman (tenor)</p>
<p>There are many great a cappella groups on campus. Everyone has their own opinion as to which are the “better” ones. The audition process is extremely competitive, with many more students auditioning than there are spaces available. Out of curiosity, are you an incoming (ED accepted) freshman, either a voice major or a theatre major?</p>
<p>of course, i wanted to get some opinions about what some of the better groups were.
and i am ED incoming, potential econ major, but i love singing and have been involved in choir and such all throughout high school, so i have musical experience and such.</p>
<p>thank you for the input by the way!</p>
<p>I have a son at NU who is involved with a cappella (he’s home on break) and he said to tell you to audition for as many groups as possible since it’s very difficult/competitive to get in.</p>
<p>As for the actual process, you sign up for audition times in the books which will be located in the student center. At the auditions, the groups all tend to test your range using scales, they may test tonal memory, etc. You should prepare 16 bars/1 minute of material to sing. They will also talk to you to find out a little about you and may ask some wacky/fun questions. :)</p>
<p>D is in a great a cappella group, and she totally agrees with momof3sons that there are MANY amazing a cappella options at NU. In fact, this fall there was a “Best of the Midwest” a cappella performance at NU and many students commented that if it had truly been the BEST of the midwest, most of the groups would have been from Northwestern (of course they might be a wee bit biased). ;-D</p>
<p>When you audition, you can fill out a form listing preferences and the groups negotiate among themselves to determine your assignment.</p>
<p>D used YouTube, the “Best of College A Cappella” winners and some other competition results to pick her top choices, but she says she could have been happy in at least 5 other fantastic groups on campus (a couple of which are all-male so I’m not sure she’d have fit in).</p>
<p>Have fun with all those auditions!</p>
<p>Hi guys, sorry to sort of hijack this thread, but I’m curious as well: Let’s say you potentially don’t get into an a cappella group after auditioning for a few of them. How easy is it to start an a cappella group? I imagine the talent at NU basically can’t be depleted, so I’m hoping it wouldn’t be too challenging.</p>
<p>@iwriter - I think I remember someone here at CC saying their son had started an a cappella group so it certainly happens. My impression is that the school is almost always supportive of student initiative, and also that there is a very deep pool of talent around the campus, so I’d think it would be very possible.</p>
<p>Here’s a list of some of the current groups, in case folks want to look for them on YouTube. Of course groups change (sometimes a lot) as members graduate. For example, I’m guessing Purple Haze aren’t the rock stars that they were while John Park was with them. ;-D </p>
<p>Also - some years a group is looking for 9 new members, while another year they might only need 2 with neither in your vocal range, so don’t get too attached to the idea of any particular group. I think all of D’s friends are really liking the groups they landed in, whatever their initial preferences had been.</p>
<p>Asterik
Aural Fixation
Brown Sugar
Catatonics
Extreme Measures
Five Minutes of Fame
Freshmen 15
Harmony in Spirit
Klein Four Group
Melisma
Purple Haze
ShireiNU
Significant Others
Thunk
Treblemakers
Undertones
X-Factors</p>
<p>I think this (University published) list is a bit outdated. Aural Fixation, Catatonics, Five Minutes of Fame, Klein Four Group, Melisma don’t exist anymore. I also understand that a new group formed this year called Clash of the Tritones.</p>
<p>@momof3sons - Clash of the Tritones… I love it! Thanks for the updates! Here’s a new-and-improved list…</p>
<p>Asterik
Brown Sugar
Clash of the Tritones
Extreme Measures
Freshmen 15
Harmony in Spirit
Purple Haze
ShireiNU
Significant Others
Thunk
Treblemakers
Undertones
X-Factors</p>
<p>Thanks, MomCares and momof3sons!</p>
<p>For the record my favorites (I’ve been on YouTube watching them for a while, believe me haha) are Thunk (I love the Cape Town community project) and Asterik-- I’m in an all-male a cappella group right now, so obviously I’d love Asterik.</p>
<p>I hope if I am accepted to NU and decide to enroll that I find good luck with the a cappella scene, I know a friend of mine had a lot of trouble getting involved. But thank you nonetheless!</p>
<p>That’s what is so cool about having so many great a cappella options on campus… many people have different lists of favorites so there’s something for everyone!</p>
<p>I think D said this year there were only 16 (?) open slots in a cappella groups for which a record number (many hundreds?) auditioned, so maybe next year it will be a little easier to become involved.</p>
<p>thanks for all the input! and it seems like a daunting task. but yeah so much talent at NU and so many acapella groups! i’ll keep all the advice in mind.</p>
<p>@iwriter…can’t remember the rest…
i’ve been the exact same! youtube stalking the groups and i concur, my favorites are asterik and thunk too! haha nice to meet the competition 
but after reading the posts here i’d be happy to be in any acapella group!</p>
<p>D’s favorites were the Undertones, Purple Haze and maybe Freshman 15 and Asterik (though being female made those a stretch), so don’t assume everyone will be trying for the same groups.</p>
<p>I also think you can audition in following years if you don’t get involved as a freshman. </p>
<p>D’s a cappella group has become like her NU family, so if you love to sing and can live without sleep (her group rehearses 'til midnight 3x every week) it’s a great addition to campus life!</p>
<p>ahh i see i see, and i am completely prepared to be committed to midnight pratice! haha</p>
<p>do you mind me asking which group you d ended up joining? and you sort of answered this already, but can you descrive the level of commitment/time that goes into acapella for her?</p>
<p>I’ll pm you, but as to the level of time commitment I think it’s similar for various groups. I think most groups (someone correct me if I’m wrong) rehearse ~10 hours per week. The main difference in time commitment is that some groups tour more than others. Some groups are touring over both breaks this year (winter and spring). I’m not sure what, if anything, they do over the summer. I notice that D’s group also spends a lot of time socializing together, as well as fundraising.</p>
<p>I’m just learning about all of this, but I also think folks in a cappella groups arrive on campus earlier than most upperclassmen, during Wildcat Welcome week, as that’s when auditions are held.</p>
<p>I have never heard D complain about the time involved in a cappella (math homework is a different story) since she has so much fun doing it!</p>
<p>Wanted to bump this in case any new Wildcats plan to audition for a cappella groups next year. As an NU student said previously on CC, “prepare for a roller coaster of awesome”.</p>
<p>I think there’s a new film called “Pitch Perfect” about to be released that was directed by an NU alum and is in part based on NU A Cappella groups.</p>
<p>[Pitch</a> Perfect Movie | Official Site for the Pitch Perfect Film | In Select Theaters Sept. 28, Everywhere Oct. 5!](<a href=“Pitch Perfect 3 | Watch Page | DVD, Blu-ray, Digital HD, On Demand, Trailers, Downloads | Universal Pictures Home Entertainment”>http://www.pitchperfectmovie.com/)</p>
<p>Best of luck to all who are currently auditioning for A Cappella groups! I hear there are a record number of folks auditioning this year, but I think many groups have more open slots this year than there were last year.</p>
<p>Good luck to those who have callbacks coming up!!</p>
<p>Supersonic ensemble</p>