High School Groups Going Old School
For the uninitiated, it can be difficult to understand why people love a cappella. Heck, even for those of us who do actively enjoy it, it can be difficult to put into words why we enjoy this art form so. While we’ll never have a truly comprehensive list of everything cool about a cappella, 200 Reasons to Love A Cappella is our best attempt at assembling a list of what makes it great.
Reason #191: High School Groups Going Old School
High school groups represent the future of a cappella—youngsters learning the fundamentals of the form, in some cases learning to arrange and choreograph for themselves. While there are plenty of people who weren’t involved in high school a cappella groups who have or will go on to sing with college or even professional groups, there are an increasing number of luminaries who do get their start in their teenage years and carry those lessons through to become leaders on larger stages.
And so, there can be something particularly satisfying about hearing a high school a cappella group take on not the music of their own generation, but of the past. And I’m not only talking about standards and classics—“The Lion Sleeps Tonight” or “My Girl”—but rather forgotten gems that, when covered, honor a tradition help keep the music alive. Consider 2008 Dekalb High School Fly Check singing U2’s “MLK.” The short, soft, pensive song from the mid-1980s is powerful despite never being a radio hit, and it’s a joy to hear it reprised.
I love it!