Make A T-Shirt

Collegiate a cappella groups have the chance to undertake a variety of endeavors, projects and adventures. Give It the Old College Try highlights opportunities a group may have overlooked or not thought of up to this point.

In suggesting these ideas, we openly acknowledge that there are groups with greater experience and knowledge on the topic than we can share. We welcome readers to chime in in the comments section.

In this edition, we suggest groups try…making a t-shirt.

On the surface, making a t-shirt for your group may seem a bit frivolous, and, indeed, like it could be a waste of time. After all, what a could a t-shirt have to do with music, or the success of your group?

Regardless of how good your group is, it’s not going to have name recognition unless people have heard of you. Creating a t-shirt is like creating a walking billboard. It advertises the group in a unique way—putting the name out there for the public to see, and in such a way that its easier for the wearer to use as a topic of conversation, introducing the group to the uninitiated.

What’s more a group t-shirt can be a fantastic way of developing group identity. Like a team jersey, group t-shirts establish a commonality between members, as well as fans, adding to the sense that the group is a cohesive one, and one in which members take pride.

On top of everything else, a t-shirt can be a really fun memento by which group members and their supporters can remember an ensemble. Whether it just features the name of the group, or is littered with inside jokes, either way, it goes a long way toward commemorating a fine time spent together.

T-shirts can function as a source of publicity, group identity, and memories for years to come. We suggest you give them the old college try.