Preparing against your competitors

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

It is unethical for a group to watch its competition and plan to counteract others' material with its own performance.

True: Scouting out the competition and tailoring your set beat them is not right. Competition should be about bringing the very best of your group to the big stage—not about seeing what other people are doing and adjusting accordingly. Planning your set in such a way can manifest itself in a number of different ways. There’s flat out copying songs, moves or arrangements. Doing this indicates that a group lacks creativity, but thinks it can compensate by executing someone else’s material better. Otherwise, there’s planning out a set for the purpose of being different from a competitor’s set. Your competition does one of the songs from your repertoire better? Steer clear of it. Your competition is putting the crowd to sleep with back to back ballads? Bring on the energy with your own group.

In end, this strategy is unethical, and, quite frankly, mean-spirited. There’s no place for it in the ICCAs. Competitive collegiate a cappella groups need to succeed on their own merits.

False: Is it wrong for a football coach to use game footage from a competing teams game to prepare? Of course not! Collegiate a cappella is no different. If you can spot your opponents’ strengths and counteract them, and spot their weaknesses and exploit them, why wouldn’t you? If you don’t, it doesn’t mean your competition won’t, and you’re just going to get left with the short end of the stick.

The fact of the matter is that, with technology today, it’s easier and easier to scout what other groups are doing. Failing to take advantage of this opportunity to prepare is like skipping an important rehearsal, or not bothering to plan the visual presentation of one your songs. It’s lazy, it’s a waste, and it will hurt your chances for success.