How Often Do A Cappella Groups Perform?

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: On average, how often does your group perform during the school year?

One thing is for certain—collegiate a cappella groups keep a busy schedule! Of the groups surveyed, just over 72 percent performed two to three times a month or more frequently, with over 29 percent performing one or more times in the average week.

It would appear that the concept of an a cappella group preparing for just one semesterly show have passed, in favor of the increasingly popular recurring shows—weekly arch sings, pregame tailgate shows, and the like. What’s more, as the general awareness and cool factor of a cappella groups grows, more groups are getting invitations (or getting taken seriously when they invite themselves) to perform at events all around campus. There’s all of this on top of travel shows and competitions.

The upshot of this is that, to keep their acts fresh, today’s a cappella groups need to learn music at a faster clip, or otherwise find ways of keeping their performances fresh and engaging for audiences that will hear them multiple times in a given month.