A Capella Groups

<p>I understand Muhlenberg has several outstanding A Capella groups. Are the A Capella auditions very competitive and are there caps on intake of new members? </p>

<p>I can only go by what D2’s experience was, when she matriculated in the fall of 2007. Yes, the auditions are competitive and my guess is the groups decide how many new people they’re going to take based on who graduated/left and what parts they’re trying to replace. I think there are six groups, but a couple of them are unisex. Each one has its own ‘flavor’, so it helps to know those ahead of time so a student can hone in on their preferred group at auditions. I think D2’s freshman year, the group that offered her a spot (which she took) only took about three freshman (two guys and one girl). If that’s an average across the groups, and there are six groups, then less than 20 students are invited to join a group each year. Occasionally some groups have mid-year auditions, again, to replace students who have left (study abroad, early graduation, etc.)</p>

<p>teritt-Thank you! Did your daughter enjoy her Muhlenberg experience as well as singing with D2?</p>

<p>My daughter is a current Junior at Muhlenberg and I think teriwitt’s description of the a capella groups is still pretty accurate. </p>

<p>My D is definitely enjoying her Muhlenberg experience. I actually just returned from a quick visit to see her in a staged reading and to see a production she directed, yup, both in the same day. But frankly, that doesn’t seem to be unusual for many Muhlenberg students. I am constantly impressed by the level of creativity, drive and talent of these kids. The staged reading was a play written by another student; there is a whole series of them each year. And the production she directed was part of a 6 play series of student direct productions this weekend and next. One thing I noticed and really love is how supportive the students are of each other. There is just a great vibe around all the performances.</p>

<p>@grasshoppa21 - Honestly, my daughter’s a cappella group became like her second family - it might help to understand the amount of time they spend together - they had rehearsals very late at night (something like 11PM-12:30AM two nights a week, and Friday afternoons for the same amount of time). Then there’s performance times - they often get ‘gigs’ from time to time and many choose to record a DVD in the studio. They become very tight. I don’t want to make it sound like kids not in an a cappella group can’t have the same experiences, but it was the experience that made my daughter’s time at Muhlenberg more intimate than any other - she was with them for four years. I do think I cried at her last concert when I realized she would have to be saying goodbye to her group because I knew how much they meant to her. Sometime back between Thanksgiving and Christmas of 2013, one of the alumni decided to have a reunion of sorts - most of the alumni are on the east coast somewhere - and D would have given anything to have been able to go; but she’s on the west coast now, and was already coming home for Thanksgiving and Christmas (Chicago area), so making another cross-country trip in between the holidays was not going to happen. She was very nostalgic for the group when she found out about the reunion.</p>

<p>Along with LeftofPisa’s D’s experience, my D had two of her student-written plays produced while she was a student. She was studying abroad in London during one of them, so I actually flew to Allentown and recorded the production so she could see how it turned out. </p>

<p>Those experiences sound very gratifying! I hope my daughter is blessed with similar opportunities. We are very excited that she will be attending Muhlenberg as it sounds like an amazing place. I hear so many wonderful comments about the community. What made your daughters select Muhlenberg?</p>