The Cornell University Class Notes

In honor of the 2017 ICCA tournament, The A Cappella Blog pursued short interviews with competing groups to develop insights into why and how groups approach competition, and to get appropriately excited for the tremendous shows ahead of us.

What’s your group name and on what date is your group’s quarterfinal?

 We're The Class Notes from Cornell University, and our quarterfinal is on February 18th.  

How long has your group been around? Have you competed before?

Our group has been around since 1983, but we started as a jazz group. Over time we've made the transition to singing pop songs instead and now are the oldest running co-ed a cappella group on Cornell's campus. We competed back in 2012 and made it to semifinals. 

Why are you competing this year? What does your group hope to accomplish or get out of the experience?

This year our group is very young--we have lots of new members and lots of renewed energy. I think it's lead everyone to wonder what we can become if we put all of our effort and time into the group and into this competition. In a way, we're using this competition to test our limits. The hope is that we exceed all of them. 

How is your group preparing for competition?

We have only four weeks of rehearsal to learn and polish the set, so the rehearsal schedule has been intense. We have designated each week to have a different duration, so they start at "regular rehearsals" and go to "extended rehearsals" then on to "extra-extended rehearsals" and finally to our "hell week". Hopefully all of this time will allow us to properly prepare. 

If you were to describe your group, or the set your group is planning for competition with just three words, what would they be?

I would describe The Class Notes as hilarious, talented, and loving. I think our set for the competition is bold, sexy, and creative. 

You can find The Class Notes on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TheClassNotes