Collegiate a cappella (or college a cappella) describes a kind of formal singing group that exists at many colleges in the United States, and increasingly worldwide. These are groups of students who practice a capella singing together regularly and perform concerts.

College a cappella started at Yale in 1909 with the Whiffenpoofs. This was a Glee Club quartet that sang regularly at a campus restaurant. College a cappella singing has grown immensely since 1990 and has spread to college campuses not only in the United States, but around the world. According to some sources, there are over 900 groups in North America.

Most college groups that call themselves "a cappella" sing in a contemporary a cappella style. College campuses also have performance groups in other a cappella styles, including madrigals.

Collegiate a cappella spans multiple genres and styles, from alternative rock such as the University of Pennsylvania's Off the Beat to Jewish groups such as Tufts University's Shir Appeal. Most groups, however, focus on contemporary pop/rock music. Almost all groups, with a few exceptions, now also employ the use of vocal percussion in order to replicate the driving drum beats found in today's music. Whether a group is all-male, all-female, or mixed/coed, most share similar traits.

Collegiate groups usually consist of 10-15 members, unlike professional groups that usually consist of four to seven members. This is driven by necessity, as college groups tend to see high turnover year after year, due to graduation, other commitments, or other reasons. The relatively large number of members allows groups to maintain continuity year after year.

While collegiate groups tend to be highly focused in the northeastern United States, the trend is spreading, with the southeast United States seeing a recent surge in both number of groups and quality of music. California's Bay Area region and Los Angeles area have also seen major growth in recent years.

Collegiate groups are generally self-sustaining, often entirely run by students. Groups may or may not receive financial support from their institution. Many groups record albums of their music. The quality of such albums has recently improved markedly, due to an increased focus on elaborate multi-track recording and the emergence of professional a cappella production specialists, such as Gabe Mann in Los Angeles, Bill Hare in San Francisco, Dave Sperandio in the southeast, and Jon Clark in the northeast.

Many college groups compete in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA), an annual nationwide competition in which groups compete to advance through several stages of competition. Those with recordings may also submit their albums to be included on the Best of College A Cappella (BOCA) compilation, compiled each year by Don Gooding and Deke Sharon .

External links

• www.collegiate-acappella.com - directory of college a cappella groups.
• Varsity Vocals - Varsity Vocals is an organization dedicated to the growth and development of contemporary a cappella at the secondary school and collegiate level. Varsity Vocals also produces the Best of College A Cappella (BOCA) compilation, as well as the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA).