<p>Son will start at Williams in the fall. He sings, but his HS concentrated on musicals, so his exposure to traditional choral music has been limited to area-all state and all-state choruses.</p>
<p>He wants to participate in some singing group(s), but I'm unsure of the time commitments, types of music, and performance opportunities each group would have.</p>
<p>He's expressed an interest in a cappella, but I don't know if non-music majors like him generally perform in more than one group, and he's also expressed an interest in the chorus.</p>
<p>Also, can anyone comment on the various a cappella groups' "personalities" and rigor? S is a pretty strong performer with good sight reading skills and a decent ear, but comes from a poor, rural area and I'm not sure about the level of skill needed to get into the groups.</p>
<p>(D had a similar background and found her niche in an a cappella group at Colgate).</p>
<p>There are seven a cappella groups, which require varying levels of skill and commitment - some are more dedicated and serious, others more about having a good time. Most groups rehearse around 4-8 hours per week, give concerts at Williams twice a semester, and take a few trips every year (over weekends and usually for a week of spring break) to perform at other schools. The general level of talent is pretty decent, but the vast majority of a cappella singers are non-music-majors, and some never sang before coming to college, so anyone with much singing experience is likely to get in (although not necessarily to the group of their choice). </p>
<p>Groups hold auditions for new members at the beginning of every year, and there's plenty of opportunity to get to know the various groups and their styles/personalities. There's a tradition called "entry sings" where each group goes through all the freshman entries to sing and introduce themselves, and the audition/callback process is designed to give you a chance to hang out with each group and decide where you'd fit best. (it's actually pretty similar to a frat rushing process - next to sports teams, a cappella groups are probably the closest thing Williams has to frats :-)</p>
<p>You can only join one a cappella group, but lots of kids who do a cappella also sing in the concert or chamber choirs, both of which are really good (and Brad Wells, the director, is an amazing guy). Concert choir rehearses 4 hours per week, with chamber choir (a subset of concert choir) adding on a few more. Both choirs perform around three or four times per year.</p>
<p>Thanks, Jeke. (I was wondering if I'd get any response!) </p>
<p>I'll pass the info along to S. That bit about "frats" rings true. My D felt that way about her group, too. I imagine it's a similar experience to being on a sports team - you get pretty tight spending so much time together and performing.</p>
<p>I had seen some of the groups' sites, but sometimes it's hard to separate self-image from reality, so that's why I was interested in others' thoughts.</p>