Coming to college, especially when moving from a completely different environment, can be scary. One of my very worst fears when coming to college was that I wasn’t going to be able to make any friends. It can feel almost insurmountable to get past that introductory stage of awkwardness, which is just the icing on the cake when you consider all the other stressors that come with moving into a completely different stage of your life. I propose that one of the best ways to overcome those fears is to sing songs with a bunch of strangers up on stage with no music to back you up.
Hear me out! The acapella culture at 5C is exciting, supportive, welcoming, and a weirdly great getting-to-know-you activity. Here are some details on the different acapella groups that you can join at the 5Cs!
- After School Specials
The After School Specials, also known by their slightly less polite acronym, are a fun-loving and very competitive acapella group. The After School Specials have released several EPs of their recorded songs, and often go to acapella competitions such as the ICCAs (which they have won in the past!). Their color is green, so be sure to look out for their signature appearances!
- The Claremont Shades
The Claremont Shades are another one of the most iconic groups at the 5Cs, having a cool and elusive vibe in comparison to the other acapella groups. The Claremont Shades are the oldest coed acapella group at the 5Cs, and have numerous albums they have published, and host SCAMfest each year, the acapella festival hosted at our colleges. Their color is maroon, so watch out for them!
- Mood Swing
Mood Swing is an acapella group that is particularly interested in the composition of their music and applying a jazzier flare to their music. The Mood Swings have an aloof but friendly atmosphere, and often come forward with very unique arrangements. The Mood Swings’ signature color is yellow!
- One Night Stanza
One Night Stanza is a recently renamed group that has an incredibly friendly and sweet atmosphere. They focus on performing crowd-pleasing numbers, often featuring the most popular songs of the year in their performances. They are one of the newer acapella groups. Their colors are pink and denim!
- Midnight Echo
Midnight Echo is another crowd-pleasing acapella group, and their group most often focuses on arranging musical theatre and Disney numbers. Midnight Echo has a very energetic and welcoming vibe that makes it easy to get to know them! Their colors are grayscale, most often white and black!
- Women’s Blue and White
Women’s Blue and White is one of the oldest acapella groups at the 5Cs! They are the only all-female acapella group, and their arrangements often focus on the power and capabilities of alto and soprano voices! They are a very focused and supportive group, and they all have a very strong bond with one another! Their colors, as you might predict, are blue and white (and black)!
- 9th Street Hooligans
Ah, yes. The 9th Street Hooligans — the best acapella group. I am a part of this acapella group, so my review may be slightly biased! The 9th Street Hooligans when one of the founding members of a different acapella group (we don’t name names) decided that everyone else in acapella was taking themselves way too seriously. The Hooligans focus on rousing music and funny numbers, such as a mashup of Riptide and Never Gonna Give You Up that Rickrolled the entire audience. Our colors are purple, so watch for our Hooligan pride!