Types of People During A Cappella Auditions This Fall

The spontaneous a cappella concerts throughout campus were a typical aspect of O-week that was sadly missing this fall. What isn’t missing, however, is the extensive a cappella scene here at Cornell. The numerous a cappella groups are back this semester, and auditions season is underway; virtually, of course. So whether you, your roommate or someone else you know is auditioning, here are some of the types of a cappella auditionees you’ll probably encounter!

A quick disclaimer: I’m not currently in an a cappella group, but I’m in the Cornell University Chorus and wanted to try a cappella this fall. on campus this fall as well as numerous singing groups growing up. So I thought “heck, why not write a listicle on the topic?” This article is based on my varying personality when preparing for each audition, as well as conversations I’ve had with people about auditions at Cornell.

The All-in Auditionee:

This person has booked a practice room in Lincoln Hall three times in one day. Their justifications for this action may include that they haven’t sung in five months, and understandably they “do not want to sound like trash” during their audition. They probably did choir all throughout high school, and always prepare intensely for each audition, whether they have their sights set on getting into a particular choral or a cappella group. They may refuse to eat any kind of dairy the entire day before their audition, and will chug lemon herbal tea like it’s water.

The Diva:

Similar to the all-in auditionee, this person wants to make sure their audition is perfect if they have to submit a video. Under normal circumstances, an auditionee would go into a room to audition and have one shot at their solo. But with virtual auditions, some groups ask you to submit a video. Thus, auditionees have infinite attempts to record it. The divas are trying to make themselves stand out as much as possible because they are fully aware that the musical directors will spend hours listening and judging numerous videos. Chances are, they played the lead roles in musicals growing up. They glam up/suit up, spend time positioning their camera at the perfect angle, then proceed to radiate as much enthusiasm and passion as possible from the beginning to the end of their video.

The Classically Trained Musician:

They probably chose a broadway, classic rock, or operatic piece for their solo. They mention on their application that they play at least two instruments in addition to singing. They most likely participated in a high-level choir or other high-level ensemble during their high school years. When pitch matching, they pay close attention to what intervals are being played if they don’t already have perfect pitch. (In pitch matching, the musical director plays 3-4 notes on the piano for you and you have to sing them back.) When it’s time for sight-reading, they show off their techniques and ability to have minimal preparation beforehand and proceed to get the passage perfectly.  

The Procrastinator:

This person was probably doing their problem set (or let’s be honest, fooling around) when they realized, “oh snap, I have a zoom audition in 10 minutes!”. They decide to run through a song they already know well right before presenting it to the group. Or if they need to submit a video, they do their video in one take and decide it’s good enough since they have other things to do anyway. The nervousness from the sudden realization might increase their chances of messing up, or they may have done really well and didn’t stress beforehand.

The Person Who’s Unsure:

This person has never done organized singing but loves to sing. Why not give a cappella a shot in college? These people tend to have way more talent than they think they do. They might have also decided to audition from their friend’s suggestion.

I’d say I would best be described as the all-in-auditionee. I usually put aside a considerable amount of time to prepare for singing group auditions. But for one week this fall, I was the procrastinator. Which one would you be?

All in all, zoom auditions went surprisingly smoothly from my viewpoint as an auditionee. No technical difficulties were experienced, except for having to upload my audition videos to Youtube three times in order to get them from 110 to 10 megabytes. Many a cappella group officers said they were pleasantly surprised to see the strong interest in a cappella this semester. Good luck if you are also undergoing the auditions process, and let’s see what Cornell’s amazing a cappella groups have in store for us this semester!