A Cappella Rush

[Low C Sharp]

In the morning, I went to the campus center to see the callback lists. I checked Jane Lane first...and there I was! And the Quinns...yes! Now the Trents...OMG! I can't believe it, I got called back to all three! I actually touch my name on the last list to make sure it's really me. I'll be going to the Quinns at 6 pm, the Trents at 8, and the Jane Lanes at 10.

At dinner, I decide to talk as little as possible in order to save my voice. My dormmates ask why I'm not talking, and when I tell them, the whole table is blown away by the fact that the Trents called me back. "Wow, you must be REALLY good! They are the best. They have a NAME!" I figure the Trents must be pretty amazing if just getting a first-round callback impresses people this much. Getting way ahead of myself, I start to wonder what I'll do if I get into both the Trents and Jane Lanes; do I have the guts to turn down this kind of campus prestige for a group I'm pretty sure I like more?

The Quinn callback is pretty unimpressive. They perform a song that auditionees will have to learn and then sing in harmony, but their voices are average. All their sheet music was handwritten and Xeroxed, not printed. I find out that one of the unfriendly girls from the registration table is the director, and she's an alto, so when the auditionees split into parts to learn the arrangement, she is teaching my part. The Quinn altos sing their part for us to listen to, and the second time they demonstrate it, I start humming along (muscle memory helps with memorization). Unfriendly Director stops the demonstration in the middle of a measure and snaps at me, "Quinns only, please!" Right then and there, I was like, screw this group...I'm just killing time here until I get to the Trents.

The Trent audition was seriously intimidating. They have called back over forty people, and instead of learning background harmony, each auditionee will sing a Trent solo in front of the whole crowd with a quartet of Trents singing backup and the remaining Trents taking notes. They perform the song for us first, and they blow the Quinns away; they're in whole different league. The power, the confidence, the polish -- they sound like professionals. For over an hour, I listen to auditionee after auditionee sing the song; a lot of the altos are mediocre, but some of them are awesome, and my nerves just build and build. I finally get my turn at the very end of the audition, and I am solid on the first 3/4 of the song, but when it's time for the last phrase, my mind turns blank for a second, I panic, and it takes me a moment to find my pitch. At that very moment, I meet a Trent's eyes and I can literally see the change in her face when she hears me scoop onto the right pitch and get back on track. Her face goes, "Mm HM!" and she makes an X in her notes, and I figure that it's all over with the Trents.

I finish the night with the Jane Lanes. Right away it's clear they've put a lot of effort into planning this: they have printed nametags with their logo for each of us, and the sheet music is printed. They demonstrate the song we will learn background on, and they're really good and funny. You can tell they have terrific chemistry together. The alto section leader is the registration girl who liked my joke, and she's a cheerful and patient teacher. At one point when we're taking a break, some Jane Lanes spontaneously burst into song, and I start humming harmony without realizing it. One of the cute basses overhears me and asks if I know that arrangement from high school. Worried, I say, no, I was just making it up, and he gives me a big smile and says "That's amazing! You sound great!" MAN, what a nice change of pace from the Quinns. Despite my nerves, I have such a good time that I'm sorry when the audition ends.

That night, I'm asleep around 1 a.m. when the phone rings. It's the Quinns, who are calling to say that I will not be called back in the morning. Um, OK. WTF would you wake me up to tell me that? Did they really think that I was lying awake, biting my nails with terror because I might not make it to the next round with the Quinns? Whatever...good riddance. Tomorrow morning I'll find out about the groups I actually want to join...
________

[Faith4Keep]

Ooooh I'm excited to hear if they call you back, and if they both do, which one you chose!

I can't believe the Quinns called you to say that you wouldn't be called back. Who does that? Wouldn't you just look at the list and know? I guess they were trying to save you the "embarrasement".

[FSUZeta]

i think that the quinns are just plain evil and that is why they called her at 1 a.m.

i can't begin to imagine how nervous you were-i am on pins and needles for you, and i know that it is after the fact!

[Low C Sharp]

It is traditional at this point in a rush thread to mention that later on in college, I met a lot of terrific people who were members of [insert snobby/loser/party hearty sorority here], and in my case it's really true. The Quinn classes that were a year or two younger than me included some wonderful people who became good friends, and they also attracted some phenomenal singers. But the people in my graduating class...yeah, not a good fit.
________

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by Low C Sharp

It is traditional at this point in a rush thread to mention that later on in college, I met a lot of terrific people who were members of [insert snobby/loser/party hearty sorority here], and in my case it's really true. The Quinn classes that were a year or two younger than me included some wonderful people who became good friends, and they also attracted some phenomenal singers. But the people in my graduating class...yeah, not a good fit.

Low C Sharp, you've mastered the art of the rush thread!

[dgdramadawg]

Originally Posted by Alphagamuga

Low C Sharp, you've mastered the art of the rush thread!

You took the words out of my mouth!

[Low C Sharp]

In the morning, I go to check the callback lists. No Quinns. No Trents. Only Jane Lanes.

I feel sick to my stomach. Even though I already knew about the Quinns, and even though the Trents weren't exactly a shock, to me it seems obvious that I will be cut by the Jane Lanes after tonight. Meaning, if you blow it at 2/3 of the groups in one night (the first night they get a good look at you), then obviously you're going to fall from one to zero eventually. So it seemed to me that morning, anyway.

The callback list instructs me to download a Jane Lane CD track from their web site and practice the solo for the callback. This was pretty state-of-the-art back in the 90's, and it reinforced my impression that the group had its act together. Also, one of the solo options is "Destination Anywhere," a song I know I can sound good on.

The audition is terrific; it's basically like a Jane Lanes rehearsal. Auditionees learn background parts on another song, and we sing it in octets while the Jane Lanes judge us on blend, pitch, and control. It is so much fun to learn a vocal part in isolation and then hear a Sting song magically rise from the group when you sing your parts together. The director, a handsome junior tenor, has the group in hand, but in a cool way -- he's not bossy, he just makes you feel like you can trust his leadership.

There is a lot of down time while other auditionees are doing their octets and solos, and I make friends with Marc, a sophomore bass who's auditioning for the second year in a row. He's adorable, and we can almost read each other's minds. He helps me avoid this socially freaky auditionee who keeps clinging to me and braying in my ear every time I sit down. It makes me feel better that Marc's nervous too; he turns bright red every time it's his turn.

The Jane Lanes announce that they don't know how many people they will take, or on which parts, but I assume that they just don't want to tell us. Tonight, there are only five or six other altos, so I can size up the competition pretty well. Courtney is similar to me vocally, but she also writes music, which I can't do. Judith is just better than me. Period. She can do everything I can do, but with more power, a wider range, and ridiculous confidence. Both of them were called back by the Trents. The socially freaky girl is also an alto; if you close your eyes, she sounds great, but her stage presence is so awkward that it's intolerable to actually watch her sing. Imagine Ella Fitzgerald's voice coming out of a white Urkel, complete with hiked-up pants ad hunched shoulders. Courtney and Judith are the only ones I'm worried about.

At the end of the night, the Jane Lanes "thank us" for our hard work by performing a song we haven't heard them do before. It's sexy, and it's funny, and it's musically rock solid, and I feel a weird mix of ecstasy and torture when I watch them. I knew I was interested; I didn't know I would feel such a longing to be a part of this group! They tell us the final callback sheet wil be up tomorrow morning by 9.

I go back to my dorm telling myself that this was great fun, and I went much further in the process than I ever dreamed I would, so I should be really satisfied with the experience overall. I keep telling myself this, and I actually manage to get to sleep.
________

[mystikchick]

this is awesome.

hijack/
while our acappella groups don't hold a "rush" there's definitely the "great groups" and the "you're in which group?" (like the one i'm in), the ones everyone raves about and dies to get into, and each group has its own personality. when you get in some of the groups come by your house/dorm at whatever hour of the night and sing to you and whisk you off to celebrate. at least one of the groups even "hazes" their initiates by having them do weird stuff (all in the name of fun though, nothing too drastic) after the concerts there are afterparties.

we have an acappella campus for sure (at least 9 at the moment, i believe), and now that i think about it, i'm not at all surprised that there are acappella rushes. though we have bad problems with acappella incest (people being in the same groups - one girl is in three different groups and acts in a lot of shows on campus and is a member of alpha delt. oy!)
/end hijack

now: fingers crossed for you and please please please update soon. kthanx

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by Low C Sharp

At dinner, I decide to talk as little as possible in order to save my voice. My dormmates ask why I'm not talking, and when I tell them, the whole table is blown away by the fact that the Trents called me back. "Wow, you must be REALLY good! They are the best. They have a NAME!" I figure the Trents must be pretty amazing if just getting a first-round callback impresses people this much. Getting way ahead of myself, I start to wonder what I'll do if I get into both the Trents and Jane Lanes; do I have the guts to turn down this kind of campus prestige for a group I'm pretty sure I like more?

Wow. This is a question every PNM has to face, and the fact of the matter is, at the age of 18, most women aren't as honest with themselves as they should be. I think this is an amazing story because you admit it here.

[Low C Sharp]

Can't update from the handheld, but I can answer ?s.

the 3 groups I auditioned for were all in the "great groups" that hold the organized rush. The Trents and one other group were just at the top of the heap that year. You can only be in 1 of these. Some don't allow you to do anything else; others allow you to do shows or join one of the big choirs. Yes, there are single-sex groups as well as a Christian and a Jewish group at each of the big a cappella campuses.

Diff campuses have diff rules re jumping from group to group. At some it is not allowed; at others it is technically allowed but scandalous, at one certain jumps are actually traditional. At Bromwell it was kinda scandalous.
________