7 Misconceptions About A Cappella

It's spelled A Cappella. Not acapella, accapella, acapela, accappella, or accappela. #GetItRight

1. Riff Offs Are Totally A Thing and Definitely Possible

Pitch Perfect

If one group could arrange, memorize, and perform 6+ complementary parts off the top of their heads they could probably control the universe because they're all telepathic or something. The closest thing you'll get to a riff off in collegiate a cappella is a drunken sing along to "Love On Top" at an a cappella after party.

2. Mash Ups Are Always Better Than The Original

Pitch Perfect

Pitch Perfect leads us to believe that if you aren't layering songs on top of each other you're boring and stuck in the past. Mash-ups can be cool but so can a kick ass version of the original.

3. Only Nerds Do A Cappella

Members of the a cappella community are incredibly diverse. Tell me a cappella singers are nerds after you've been to an a cappella party.

4. We Add Aca- To Everything

Pitch Perfect

Aca-awkward. Aca-scuse me. This doesn't actually happen in real life. OK, sometimes. Occasionally.

5. You Have To Be A Music Major To Do A Cappella

Fun Fact: I can't sight read music to save my life. Being a music major, or even having a deep knowledge of music theory are not requirements. Currently, all of our members are majoring in something other than music. If you can sing well, you can sing a cappella.

6. If You're In A Cappella, That's All You'll Have Time For

My first semester in college, I didn't try out for a cappella because I thought it would be too time consuming. Second semester I finally caved and auditioned but I still regret waiting. Although a cappella can be time consuming, it doesn't have to be your whole life.

7. There Are Commentators At ICCA

LOL.