A Cappella Rush

[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.
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[dgdramadawg]

Fingers crossed!!!

[AlwaysSAI]

Originally Posted by Low C Sharp

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.

HAHAHAHA!!!!!!! H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S!!!! Did she really look like that????? I'm laughing my butt off here!!!!

[LOVEinZTA]

Can I just say that I've fallen in love with this thread? I grew up doing musicals and love hearing all of the audition tidbits!

[alum]

This is really terrible but all I can think of is that "Will and Grace" episode when special guest Matt Damon and Jack are competing for a spot in a chorus.

[AlwaysSAI]

I wish you would post more! AND, I MEAN, LIKE NOW!

Hurry, hurry! I can't wait!

[Leslie Anne]

I'm loving this thread. It's absolutely fascinating!!! Crossing my fingers for Jane Lane.

[Low C Sharp]

In the morning I go to check the Jane Lanes final callback list with my stomach in knots. The list of eight or nine women includes Courtney, Judith, and me!! Marc is coming back, too. We have to download and sing a much more challenging solo that's a little out of my range.

I check the Trents list, and they have Courtney and Judith back. I fixate on this fact; it's the only thing that makes me feel hopeful. I know that their hallmates must be making a fuss over the legend, the power, and the glory that is the Trents just like mine were...

I walk into the Jane Lanes' final callback that night and gasp; the group members are in long black dresses and black tuxedos, and they look like they were born to wear them. One 6'3" blond bass resembles Jeff Gordon, and when I see him in his tux, my knees go weak. He looks like the living personification of Bromwell University as imagined by Ralph Lauren. (This guy is in fact on full scholarship, from a tiny rural town, and the first member of his family to go to college, but I didn't know that.)

A lovely brunette alto comes up to greet me and takes me over to the gift table, where there's a goodie bag printed with my name and a "Jane Lanes Final Callbacks" logo. The bag contains candy and a Jane Lanes CD, which looks like the genuine article you'd buy at Borders. Now Lovely Brunette and Registration Girl are smiling and chatting with me, but I can't get any words out. I decide to joke about how they've picked all my favorite candies, and as I'm gesturing with a Pixie Stick, it snaps in half and sprays pink sugar all over the maroon carpet and Registration Girl's velvet skirt. They laugh about it, but I just want to hide behind the sofa.

I see Judith, but not Courtney, and I ask what happened to her. It develops that Courtney came by after the Trents callback to inform the Jane Lanes that she was dropping out of their process; she wants the Trents or nothing. I think that Courtney is insane, but I'm thrilled to hear it anyway. I sit down with Marc, but all I'm really doing, with every fiber of my being, is sending Judith telepathic messages to pref (choose) the Trents. I don't actually believe in telepathy, but I figure that it can't hurt, and I send her laser-beam messages every time I see her all night: "Judith, pref the Trents! Judith, pref the Trents!"

The final skills challenge is to learn background for a difficult, beautiful vocal jazz piece, and then sing your part in a quartet with three Jane Lanes on the other parts; the members will judge whether this is distinguishable from a quartet of all Jane Lanes. I love this part.

To my surprise, before we get to the solos, the Jane Lanes ask everyone to sit in a circle, and they break out champagne flutes and champagne (and sparkling cider). We sip champagne as they tell us we are celebrating the fact that everyone in the room could be a Jane Lane; after tonight, they will be cutting people based on the ideal size and balance of the group. All the Jane Lanes and auditionees get a chance to say their names, hometowns, favorite flavors of ice cream (again), and share something about ourselves; Jane Lane members use that time to explain why this group is so dear to them and why they love each other so much. At the end, they say that the hard part is over, so let's go "sing to each other" (aka the solos). This is really sweet and touching, and I'm almost in tears.

When I get up to sing my solo, I am silently focusing on whether I should try to belt the top notes of this song -- which could crack when I'm this nervous -- or take the safe route and sing them in falsetto. I haven't mentioned this dilemma to anyone, but as I'm passing Lovely Brunette on the way to the front of the room, she grabs my shoulder for a second and whispers "Belt it!" Wha...am I telepathic after all? I belt, and I don't crack.

It's finally over, and the Jane Lanes tell us that they will call each of us tonight as soon as they make a decision, one way or the other, but that deliberations sometimes take many hours. They line up by the door to thank us and say goodbye. One bass says to me, "Good job, Low C Sharp, all week!"

I don't remember walking back to my dorm. I know that I took my phone into bed with me and lay awake feeling stomach cramps, chills, and a pounding heart. I tell myself that I should be grateful that I got to be a Jane Lane for a week, but I'm not fooling myself; knowing how much I love them just makes it harder. Hours pass and I feel each minute ticking by, wide awake...
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[AlwaysSAI]

Not Fair! Not Fair! Tease!

[Senusret I]

You are so cruel! I NEED TO KNOW!!!!!!!

And I really like how seriously they take their rush and selection. It makes me wish I could sing!

[AChiOhSnap]

Salve GC!

I just got back from a 3wk trip to Italy and I missed all the retro rush threads. Yours has me on edge.... I can't wait to hear what happened.

BTW, dumb question from a non-musician but are you allowed to join more than one group? I'm sure there's a massive time committment so the answer is probably no, but I didn't know if people tried. Also, can you "rush" for single-sex groups? Do people ever try to "upgrade" groups, e.g. auditioning for Jane Lane while still a Quinn or is that a huge faux pas? Thanks! Can't wait to hear the rest of the story!

[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.
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