West Chester University Under A Rest

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?

Under A Rest A Cappella, Quarterfinal Date: January 28, 2017.

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

Under A Rest became a group on West Chester University’s campus in September 2014. This is their second year competing. In last year’s Mid-Atlantic quarterfinal at Drexel University, Under A Rest placed third and won awards for best arrangement and best choreography. 

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

At the conclusion of last year, our group decided that our main goal as UAR is to reach our highest potential as an a cappella group collectively, and musicians individually. We believe in teamwork and individual responsibility, and the ICCA is the perfect platform for us to share our progress with the a Cappella community. Out of this experience, we hope to show the judges and audience a new layer of storytelling that isn’t too common in this form of music. Through that, we hope to achieve greatness within ourselves and create a sense of self empowerment to those listening. 

How is your group preparing for competition?

We are preparing for competition by having 2 long weekend “bootcamps” over our winter break that include full day rehearsals of music and choreography along with many more rehearsals once the semester starts back up. 

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

Our set can be described in three words: Story worth telling.

You can follow Under A Rest using the information below:

Website: http://underarestacappella.wixsite.com/wcuar

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/underarestwcu/

Twitter/Instagram: @WCU_UnderARest