One Group Inspiring Another
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 #119: One Group Inspiring Another
A cappella does not exist in a vacuum. While a handful of great groups cultivate their unique performance styles without the influence of those who came before them, or those singing on the a cappella circuit right now, most of the top performers today were inspired by and learned from watching other greats.
Consider, for example, the progression of Divisi blowing open the doors for women in competitive a cappella with their ICCA Finals run in 2006, only to be followed by BYU Noteworthy riding a similar sensibility of power vocals and sass all the way to an ICCA Championship the following spring. Consider the subsequent rise of The FSU AcaBelles as two-time ICCA finalists. Consider the all-female powerhouse that was Delilah, rocking The Sing-Off. There’s an evolution for fans to follow here, and it’s a beautiful thing to hear it unfold.
If all of that weren’t enough, consider the first of four ICCA Championships The SoCal VoCals won—the moment after they were crowned champions, when the group’s director expressed his disbelief at winning, and referenced how hard the group had worked, including studying countless hours of YouTube footage of past champions.
Great groups beget other great groups—if the latter generation is willing to do its homework and learn.
I love it!