Are A Cappella Groups Registered Student Organizations?

In the fall of 2010, The A Cappella Blog invited every collegiate a cappella group we could find to participate in a survey. Our objective was to develop a better understanding of current trends in a cappella—what groups are or are not doing and to what degree.

Over 300 groups from across the US and abroad responded to the survey. Throughout our 2010 publication season, we will review results from this survey and talk about what our findings mean. We welcome and encourage groups to look over the information to learn, to benchmark and to satisfy their own curiosity.

This edition’s question: Is your group an official/registered group at your school?

Just about gone are the days of a cappella groups that exist outside the realm of school governance and policy Of the groups surveyed, over 93 percent indicated they were registered student organizations.

This is probably with good reason. After all, with official recognition comes all sorts of rights and perks, often including the ability to reserve rehearsal and performance space on campus, the ability to borrow equipment like mics and speakers, and more opportunities to legally publicize upcoming shows and CD releases through flyers and online announcements. What’s more, when it comes to the bottom line, a number schools will afford small budgets to their student groups—a great way to offset the costs of performance, recording and travel.

And what of groups that exist on the fringe—outside school jurisdiction? They’re free to sing where and what they want, okay to pursue for-profit ventures however they see fit, and less susceptible to formal consequences should they throw a party with some less than kosher activity. These groups do still exist (and surely a number of recognized official groups are taking part in some of the above anyway) but are becoming all the more fringe, with just under four percent of groups self-identifying as independent.