I know this confession makes my friend Mr. Brame cringe, but I cannot help it. The Sing Off compliments my Glee obsession, filling my heart with song.
In a world of reality shows where human nature displays its ugliness in shiny glory, and backstabbing, betrayal, and brutality defeat simplicity, sincerity, and sensibility, The Sing Off is refreshing. The competition entails a cappella groups, mostly comprised of relative unknowns (not has-been performers like Dancing With the Stars), competing for the title of "The Best Music Group in the World" (or something equally hyperbolic) and a recording contract with Sony records. The competition is brief, lasting only four weeks, but Braden and I watch the performances with racing hearts, rooting for our favorites, invigorated by the talent. Braden aspires to sing a cappella in college like the Whiffenpoofs and On the Rocks; I wonder why I let my voice go. (Not that I was ever truly a talented singer, but a girl can dream.)
My favorite group: the Whiffenpoofs. Why? Because of their adorably geeky, unique style. Sadly, this a cappella group, which hails from Yale, was eliminated last night. On the first episode, one member of the Whiffenpoofs claimed that the original Whiffenpoofs, established in 1909, "created a cappella". (I believe he intended to say they started collegiate a cappella, but this is pure assumption on my part.) Piqued about the origin of collegiate a cappella, I decided to research the plausibility of this claim.
During my investigation, I discovered that the Whiffenpoofs were not the first collegiate a cappella group; however, they are the longest running. I also unearthed lots of juicy details about collegiate a cappella from Harvard to Berkley. In celebration of musical geekiness, I bring you today's trivia:
Which college is home to the first all-female collegiate a cappella group?
The winner of today's trivia gets to hear me sing! Good luck!
3 comments:
Yes, The Sing-Off makes Mr. Brame cringe, but Mrs. Brame loves it. We watched the Whiffenpoofs' first song, and she informed me last night that they had gotten the ol' boot. There was a bit of sadness in her voice when she told me, as if part of her had been kicked off, too.
Best of luck to you, Master Braden, as you follow your Whiffenpoof dreams.
I miss the Whiffenpoofs already. They were so humble. I really admired that.
My brother emailed the correct answer to me. The Smiffenpoofs from Smith College formed the first female collegiate a cappella group after seeing the Whiffenpoofs perform.
Anonymous, thanks for stopping by. I don't know that I would call the Whiffenpoofs humble, but I do love them all the same.
Post a Comment