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A cappella helps communities overcome adversity

Measure for Measure

In Measure for Measure, an A Cappella Blog contributor takes a look at both sides of a controversial issue in collegiate a cappella.

In the wake of a tragedy on a college campus, a cappella provides a healthy way of bringing a college community together, and helping it move forward.

True: Time and again, collegiate a cappella groups have supported fantastic causes, and helped college communities overcome adversity. Case in point, a couple of examples. In the wake of the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007, Virginia Tech alum Matthew Bolling coordinated “For Today, We Are All Hokies,” a collaborative a cappella album with songs from groups around Virginia. The proceeds from this album contributed $10,000 to the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund, a university-wide scholarship fund to benefit those most affected by the tragedy. Similarly, a large number of groups rallied across the country to raise money to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and 2006, and Tulane University THEM has made a point of performing in the community beyond the University, in an effort to lift the spirits of those around them.

Overall, a cappella is a powerful tool to raise money, elevate awareness, and genuinely bring out the best in people, using great music to guide the way to better days.

False: A cappella is a great thing, and can be an effective distraction from the world’s problems. However, when the last song is sung, the last applause die down and the show is, in fact, over, the end result is that a cappella rarely solves any major issues. True, it can raise some money, and support good causes, but, in the end, a community needs time and meaningful efforts to rebuild in order to recover from a tragedy. A cappella can play a part, but we can’t kid ourselves into thinking it’s the answer.

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