Greek Life
College campuses offer a full slate of resources that might further an a cappella group’s artistic accomplishments and exposure. Who should your group reach out to? How? What do you have to gain? Campus Connections is here to answer those questions.
This column is targeted specifically toward collegiate a cappella groups, though some of the principles and ideas we discuss may transcend that sphere and be useful to high school and non-scholastic groups as well.
In this edition of Campus Connections, our focus is on: Greek life.
Fraternities and sororities tend to be some of the longest standing student organizations on a college campus. Their features include large and fiercely loyal memberships, a history of putting on social gatherings, and high visibility on campus.
Greek life varies from school to school, and I can understand why some a cappella groups may be reluctant to collaborate with these groups, given their frequent reputation for debauchery and hazing. But if we can see past these stereotypes, many sororities and fraternities have cleaner acts than you might think and, regardless of how clean they are, have some serious pull on campus.
Connecting with Greek life can open performance opportunities. Fraternities and sororities tend to be known for their parties and performing at such an event can release your own group from a reputation of being goody-two-shoes, and expose your music to a host of people who might not ordinarily attend one of your shows. A cappella can be a hard sell in theory, but less so when you let a general audience hear you in the flesh, and can demonstrate just what makes this art form so special.
Moreover, if you connect with fraternities or sororities, there is the potential to win over a loyal new body of fans. Greek organizations tend to have an uncanny ability to mobilize their members—forming a voting block in elections for student government, raising significant money for charitable causes of choice, and, yes, even potentially leading their whole roster to attend your shows.
Greek life is a vibrant part of so many colleges. Work with them, and you may be surprised at how many new listeners and opportunities you can create for your music.