Sing It On - General Discussion

[formerlyfreedom]

Discuss Media-y stuff here!

[formerlyfreedom]

A place to discuss particular episodes, arcs and moments from the show's run. Please remember this isn't a complete catch-all topic -- check out the forum for character topics and other places for show-related talk.

[GaT]

Is anyone else watching this? It's obviously inspired by Pitch Perfect, but I don't know why I thought the singing would be as good as it is in the movie, because it's not. I guess I probably wasn't being realistic. What really bugs me is the AcaBelles choreography, they keep trying to do all these tough, sexy moves, & they just look stupid.

[SrPab]

Finally...someone broke the ice. I've caught parts of a couple of episodes but since it's not must-see tv for me, I forget it's on. I'm not an a cappella insider. My gateway into this world is via Pentatonix and The Sing-Off and the Pitch Perfect movies.

 

This show is billed as a docu-series so I went in expecting a mix of truthfulness and truthiness. I know just enough about contemporary a cappella to be dangerous and that kept my expectations in check with respect to the singing. For example, the riff off scenes from the movies can actually be recreated for real--but there is almost no sense of spontaneity and it takes a lot of pre-planning and practice to even make it seem like your group knows where to start a song, on what beat and key, who is soloing, what are the background vocals, is everyone singing the same syllables, etc. And then have another group be able to seamlessly come in...yeah, lots of movie magic.

 

For the most part, any "Real Housewives of..." aspects seem toned-down and quaint--drama instead of DRAMA. Honestly, I find the bitch edits funny because you can sometimes tell the person was coached/prompted/goaded into behaving that way or saying what was said.

 

I lurk on a CASA (Contemporary A Cappella Society [of America]) FB group forum and members of the community have been divided for years with some thinking The Sing Off and PP movies (and now a show like Sing It On) are examples of selling-out. Others think these shows and any accompanying PR are fine as long as nothing is libelous or slanderous.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I had mixed feelings about this series. On the one hand, I love singing shows (not enough to keep watching American Idol, but still) and I love that shows about singers exist. There are a lot of aspects of the group dynamics that remind me of my days in (non a cappella) choir like how you rehearse for hours and hours before a competition and then to "relax," you go home and talk about what just happened for hours and hours at rehearsal - ha!

 

On the other hand, as I was watching these groups I found myself trying to think back and honestly assess if we were this obnoxious. I mean, I know we wanted to win but I don't recall walking around talking shit about everyone else's groups. And yes, there is always drama among the friendships/relationships but again I found myself wondering if we were such drama queens or if these kids have ratcheted it all up to a level beyond what my experience was. But, as was already pointed out, this type of drama is a nice break from the super fake drama on any of the Real Housewives shows.

 

It's kind of funny how a few years of distance gives you more perspective. I wanted to tell all of those music directors to calm the hell down. You'd think they had the nuclear codes for all the importance they place upon themselves.

 

Interesting that two of the groups they were profiling are already out of the running for nationals. I wonder if they will keep showing footage of them. I don't need more of the hysterical campus rivals nonsense, but I would rather continue seeing several groups rather than only focusing on the groups that are advancing to semi-finals (mostly because the two groups who have advanced are so full of drama queens that I don't think I can watch them for a whole hour straight).

 

Despite some of my complaints, I will definitely watch the remaining episodes, if for no other reason than nostalgia for my choir days.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

An early article about the show (and John Legend's other upcoming projects - who knew he was producing so many tv shows and movies?). The relevant stuff:

 

"Sing It On," a docu-reality television series inspired by the blockbuster movie “Pitch Perfect” and produced by John Legend’s Get Lifted Film Co. and CORE Media Group, the co-producers of “American Idol,” will premiere on Pop on Wednesday, May 13 at a special time, 10PM, ET/PT. It will then begin airing in its regular time slot with new episodes every week on Wednesdays at 9PM, ET/PT starting on May 20.

 

John Legend performed in an a cappella group at his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania. During his college years, he directed the UPenn Counterparts, which made it to the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) Finals at Carnegie Hall in 1997, and that same year, he was named Best Soloist in the quarter finals.

 

“I had so much fun singing a cappella in college. The music, the friendships, the competitions were all a huge part of my college experience. We're excited to be a part of a show that documents the real ups and downs of this interesting world that many know nothing about. It's going to be an interesting journey, and I look forward to being a part of it,” said Legend.

 

Featuring eight one-hour episodes, "Sing It On" captures the real-life stories, high stakes and personal triumphs of the country’s top collegiate a cappella teams as they compete to win the ICCA. Cameras capture the behind-the-scenes journey of five top-ranked a cappella teams (listed alphabetically) – AcaBelles (Florida State University), All Night Yahtzee (Florida State University), No Comment (University of Illinois), Nor’easters (Northeastern University), and Pitch, Please! (Northeastern University) – as they battle it out to earn a spot at and win the ICCA Finals.

 

“Collegiate a cappella has never been more relevant in fan culture, with a sold-out ICCA finals in New York City in April and the second ‘Pitch Perfect’ movie arriving in theaters in May,” said Paul Adler, Senior Vice President and Head of Original Programming and Development, Pop. “SING IT ON will capture all of the fan excitement, heart and incredible talent in an aca-amazing series that viewers will love.”

[GaT]

Michael talking about how female groups can't do the bass notes was right out of Pitch Perfect. But I still don’t like the AcaBelles & their “we’re so sexy” choreography & I'm glad we won't be seeing them again.

 

edited because can & can't are not the same thing. I know becuz i is smert.

Edited June 4, 2015 by GaT

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Yeah, my feeling is that any time someone has to tell me that they're sassy or smart or hot, they probably aren't as sassy/smart/hot as they think they are. I totally get that it's challenging to be an all female a cappella group for multiple reasons, but I feel like a lot of them play that sassy/sexy card which is why I was rolling my eyes when the AcaBelles described themselves that way. It was like kids who shop at Hot Topic talking about how unique their clothes are.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Man, I really felt for Dani dealing with Daniel and Christian's lack of dance ability, but ti's realistic. I know that in my show choir, we had guys who could barely walk without tripping their own feet. Once you add singing into the mix, it's like asking a normal person to do brain surgery while tap dancing. We sometimes hid the uncoordinated people in the back but it's harder to do that when some of the most uncoordinated dancers are also the most talented singers who have solos. It can be really frustrating for everyone involved because you either have to simplify the choreography or you have to get them to miraculously learn how to dance in a very short time.

 

I was cracking up at Ty's loud talking head interview in the student union. There were clearly students in the background studying or reading and he just did not give a fuck. I wonder how many phones they have broken during rehearsal. I would rather drop my water bottle and get a dent than drop my phone and crack the screen. Maybe I'm just a paranoid cheapass though.

 

Part of me felt for No Comment having to do fundraisers but then I remembered all the fundraisers I did in high school and college - and not once did I get a party bus out of it! So yeah, my sympathy kind of dried up there. Our choir loved performing so much that we would call retirement homes and other venues and offer to sing for free. I don't fault anyone for getting paid to sing but I am not going to shed any tears that boo hoo, you had to do ONE performance to cover the cost of your party bus. I knew lots of student groups who had to pay for their travel expenses to nationals out of their own pockets and unfortunately, that involved flying across the country and getting hotel rooms so it was thousands of dollars total for one competition, which is way more than the cost of a party bus.

 

Michael is too big for his britches. He thinks he is an expert on everything and the dictator of everything. I don't care if it's a rule that there isn't supposed to be dating within the group because it's ALWAYS going to happen. I can't think of one choir group where there wasn't at least one couple each year. It was more typical to have several hookups and breakups every year. Yes, it meant there was drama but it forced people to deal with it and be professional.

 

Andie reminds me so much of Britta on Community. It's her face as well as her voice and her speech patterns. Hee, to be honest, I love that she started dating Christian just because it annoyed Michael so much. I totally cracked up when she said that Michael hates love. Hahaha! I also laughed/rolled my eyes when Michael said that this is his roommate's first ICCA, like he's this veteran of a decade when this is only his second year at ICCA. And of course it's the judges' fault for not being cool enough to "understand" his innovative decision not to include a ballad.

[Wouldofshouldof]

Michael is too big for his britches. He thinks he is an expert on everything and the dictator of everything. 

 

I'd love to see him when he gets out into the real world and has to work for someone else.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ha, that will be a huge wakeup call for him. I have a huge issue with his attitude toward Andie. As president, her job is not to support all of his decisions (which is what he claims). Her job is to do what she thinks is best for the group, and if that means taking the judges' feedback and making changes to their list then so be it. I really don't understand his huge resistance to including a ballad or why he thinks it's soooooooo innovative not to have a ballad.

 

It was ridiculous that he was mad because he found out about Andie and Christian along with everyone else. Ugh, dude, just because you're the musical director doesn't mean that you are privy to that information first. His petulant attitude about their relationship was really getting on my nerves. And he demanded an apology from her? Good God. Could he have been any less sincere when he said he's glad she's happy?

 

I was rolling my eyes when Jessica said that they were doing an unexpected version of 500 Miles. You mean the ballad version that was used two years ago on Grey's Anatomy, one of the most popular shows on tv? I do think it was the right decision to change their set from four songs to three, but why didn't they just drop one of their existing songs instead of learning a brand new song?

[SrPab]

I was rolling my eyes when Jessica said that they were doing an unexpected version of 500 Miles. You mean the ballad version that was used two years ago on Grey's Anatomy, one of the most popular shows on tv? I do think it was the right decision to change their set from four songs to three, but why didn't they just drop one of their existing songs instead of learning a brand new song?

With respect to altering the competition set list to go from 4 songs to 3, is this in regards to No Comment and their continued concern with getting penalized for time? I know each group seeks to make the best overall favorable impression on the audience and judges. But I believe that can be achieved with a 10-11 minute set. Why push it...especially when you as a competitor know that time-keeping isn't paused for applause? Even a 0:11:30 set gives your group a little bit of wiggle room. Another strategy is to not have hard stops in-between songs--just gracefully/tastefully (if possible) ease into the next number.

 

As far as swapping in a ballad/slower-tempo song...I'm on the fringes of a cappella (as noted in a previous post). One of the things I've learned while in lurker-dom is that there is a long-standing practice for ICCA competitors to open with a high-energy number to make the best first impression possible, then transition to a slower-tempo second song to change up the feel/vibe, before going into a third song that, in all likelihood, is another up-tempo affair.

 

My understanding is groups are encouraged to "tell a story"--who are you/where did you come from...where you're at now...what you hope to be--that kind of thing. Additionally, many groups thematically link the songs in their competition set lists. For example, the Belmont Beltones had a water theme during their run at the 2013 ICCA with a 4-song set.

 

What about a moving background with park-and-bark soloists? Would that be a good compromise, or would it look odd visually?

 

We sometimes hid the uncoordinated people in the back but it's harder to do that when some of the most uncoordinated dancers are also the most talented singers who have solos.

Edited June 12, 2015 by SrPab-PTV

[SrPab]

Sing It On is now on Hulu.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Hopefully that will get the show a bigger audience since not everyone has the Pop channel.

[GaT]

I don't know anything about the technicalities of singing, but it seems to me that a lot of the time they've picked the wrong person to sing the song. Some of the girls have voices that are so high they sound screechy & I can't even understand the words. When the Nor'easters were doing Jaywalk, I couldn't understand a damn thing the soloist sang.  

[ToxicUnicorn]

Just finished watching the premiere.  I had the uncanny feeling I was watching the 1st season of Project Runway.  It even (weirdly) seemed as though a young Tim Gunn, Nina Garcia, Michael Kors, and Heidi Klum could emerge from this group.  Not that that's a good thing.

 

Hey!  Kids!  Those roles are taken!  Grow up to become some other people!

 

It's kind of funny how a few years of distance gives you more perspective. I wanted to tell all of those music directors to calm the hell down. You'd think they had the nuclear codes for all the importance they place upon themselves.

Yes.  And this is where the format already seems to have a problem.  This is much more reality show than singing competition.  I'm beginning to appreciate that The Sing Off didn't show us much behind the scenes after all.  

 

The last observation that punched me in the face was the difference in costuming between the U of Illinois team (No Comment) and the U of Chicago team (Voices in Your Head).  It was hard not to miss which one was a public school and which was the private one.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Lord, I can't handle all of these self flagellating drama queens crying about how "if we lose, IT'S ALL MY FAULT!" after every freaking performance. Micah and Jessie need to calm the hell down. I know preteen girls who are less dramatic than they are.

 

I found it kind of hilarious that Jessie went from the girl who was crying incoherently to giving the Nor'easters a calm and reasonable pep talk about how they could talk about what to improve for the wild card round.

 

I was so annoyed when Sam said that these other groups just come to ICCA competitions FOR FUN but the Nor'easters take it very seriously and want to win. No, you silly bitch, EVERYONE WANTS TO WIN. Gawd. It's so condescending to make it sound like everyone else is just screwing around and they are the only ones who actually want to win or make any sort of effort. Newsflash: if you are in a competitive collegiate a cappella group, you are not the only group in the world who is passionate about singing or who rehearses a million hours.

 

I was kind of cracking up that the new song they chose for their set to replace Jaywalk just happened to have a solo for Isaac. What an amazing coincidence!

 

I do agree that going first sucks. Scores are always higher at the end of the night so being the first group puts you at a disadvantage.

 

I thought it was interesting that the MC/host at this regional competition said that he had been a judge before and he didn't envy the decision that the judges had to make at the end of the night. At the competitions I went to, they didn't have ordinals. Every judge scored every group and then they tallied up the points. Whoever had the most points won.

 

OF COURSE Michael only cares if his group or another group is attractive. Shouldn't you be more concerned that the members of your singing group can, you know, sing? For the record, his group's version of Bang Bang was not even close to the other group's. No Comment was way better to my ears.

 

Also hilarious that the only way for Michael to like another group is if he thinks they are exactly like his group. That kid has a very narrow view of the world. He makes Isaac look like a calm, sane, rational person in comparison.

 

So next week will be the wild card selection and the final episode will be nationals. This season seems so short! I hope they do another one but with other groups. There are definitely enough a cappella groups in the country to feature new ones each year.

 

The last observation that punched me in the face was the difference in costuming between the U of Illinois team (No Comment) and the U of Chicago team (Voices in Your Head).  It was hard not to miss which one was a public school and which was the private one.

I found it interesting that they buy new costumes every year. When I was in high school and in college, we reused costumes/uniforms for years. And yes, it was kind of gross. Some of them were washable but others had to be dry cleaned (and the dry cleaned ones sometimes seemed not to be entirely clean even after the dry cleaning process).

Edited June 20, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ToxicUnicorn]

For the record, his group's version of Bang Bang was not even close to the other group's. No Comment was way better to my ears.

Neither one sounded good to me.  I'm partial to this version:

 

 

Micah and Jessie need to calm the hell down. I know preteen girls who are less dramatic than they are.

 

I bet 99% of humans born <1 minute ago are less invested in the outcome of what will happen to them next.

[GaT]

Does anyone know why Bang Bang is such a popular acapella song? I personally am not that fond of the song to begin with, so I don't really understand why they all have a version of it.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Sometimes there are songs that everyone decides they have to use. There was one song that I swear every other group used at dance competitions my senior year. It was ridiculous.

 

One thing I don't like about this show is that we are now six episodes in and we haven't see a full set from any of these groups. I know they can't show every song that every group sings at quarter finals or semi finals, but it would be nice if we got a better idea of how they performed vs the other groups. Thank goodness for the internet! Here are some of the groups on the show and their full sets.

 

Acabelles:

 

No Comment:

 

Bonus: the Vassar Devils who won at semi finals, beating the Nor'easters

 

Pitch Please (I couldn't find their ICCA set from this year, but I felt bad leaving them out so this is one of their recently uploaded videos):

 

All Night Yahtzee (I couldn't find their ICCA set from this year either so I thought I would post their version of Bang Bang):

 

Nor'easters (who also don't have their ICCA set posted so this is the most recent video on their youtube channel from a few months ago):

[GaT]

Well. I tried to listen to them. I tried. I couldn't make it through a single video. None of these groups sounded good to me, & the Vassar Devils were horrible! Now I have a massive headache.

[ToxicUnicorn]

I stopped after AcaBelles.  I believe what they did was difficult, but it wasn't pleasant to me.

 

I still appreciate you, though, ElectricBoogaloo!  I may try the others again after a recovery period.

 

One thing that disappoints me about these groups ... the names aren't that good.  I thought acapella had a tradition of coming up with clever names, such as Straight, No Chaser, or Vocal Point or The Backbeats or Pentatonix.  "Pitch Please" is the only pun in this group.  More puns, please!  (Although All Night Yahtzee is evocative - just not of singing.)

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Yeah, it's pretty sad when New Directions has an edgier name than most of the ones we have seen on this show.

 

Ha, sorry for making your ears bleed! Please accept this as my gift to your ears:

Edited June 22, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[GaT]

I couldn't imagine what the warning at the beginning of the show was for, I kept waiting for a horrible bus crash with a bunch of the kids being killed. It never occurred to me that one of them would commit suicide, what a shame.

[MMLEsq]

I couldn't imagine what the warning at the beginning of the show was for, I kept waiting for a horrible bus crash with a bunch of the kids being killed. It never occurred to me that one of them would commit suicide, what a shame.

I assumed -- wrongly, obviously -- that the brief episode description that stated something about "working on faces" and "being more sexy" meant there was going to be some sort of graphic discussion about oral sex or orgasms or...well, something definitely not PG.

 

I watch this show with my 11-year-old, but when I saw the warning before this week's episode, I told her that I would need to watch it first and that she might not be able to see it later.  Imagine my surprise -- in a show where words are bleeped with some frequency, people (some presumably underage) are drinking, there's a stripper pole in every party bus, I'm pretty sure there were condoms around during the Valentine's Day party, etc. -- they feel the need to put a warning about someone "losing their battle with depression."  I'm not sure, but I think they might have only used the word suicide once during the normal part of the episode -- until the PSA at the end where it was mentioned.  No specifics, no details, just the fact that suicide is mentioned merits a warning.  Hmm.

[GaT]

The way they were showing them, I really thought the Nor'easters won, what a surprise they didn't even make the top 3. At the end when all the groups sang "Sing a Song", I wonder if they knew they were going to ahead of time? They sounded very blended for a bunch of different groups.

 

I liked the one judge they kept showing who was really into the music.

[MMLEsq]

The way they were showing them, I really thought the Nor'easters won, what a surprise they didn't even make the top 3. At the end when all the groups sang "Sing a Song", I wonder if they knew they were going to ahead of time? They sounded very blended for a bunch of different groups.

 

I liked the one judge they kept showing who was really into the music.

I was spoiled ahead of time -- by my 72-year-old mom, amazingly, who watches no reality TV except The Amazing Race.  The granddaughter of my mom's best friend is in the Socal Vocals and my mom mentioned in passing a couple of months ago that she was in the a cappella group that won the national championship.

 

I think they must have known there would be a group performance of "Sing a Song" ahead of time.  It's not really a song that you would automatically assume everyone knows the words to, I would think.  

 

I wonder if the fact that Isaac was basically front and center by the end of the song was just, well, pushiness on his part, or if the Nor'Easters were given a good place on stage because John Legend exec-produced Sing It On and wanted them to be seen.

 

Oh -- and the judge at the end of the row who was shown always either smiling or bopping his head along with the music was the best!

 

I hope there's going to be a second season of this.  I pay no attention to ratings, so I have no idea how it did.  This show has inspired me to check to see if there will be Quarterfinals and/or Semifinals anywhere in Florida next year.  I'd definitely take a road trip up to North Florida to be in the audience.

Edited July 2, 2015 by MMLEsq

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I think they must have known "Sing a Song" ahead of time.  It's not really a song that you would automatically assume everyone knows the words to.

You'd be surprised by how many songs people know the words to without any preparation. Even though it's a 40+ year old song, the lyrics to "Sing a Song" are pretty simple and a lot of kids know it from Sesame Street. I've been to various choir performances where an unplanned song got thrown in and everyone just joined in. At one performance for gospel choir, our director decided on the spot to have us sing a song (I think it was "This Little Light of Mine") which we had never rehearsed or sung together all year. I only knew the words from the title of the song, but I just faked it and sang the words I knew. Thank goodness there were other people who knew the words so that my incoherent mumbling wasn't noticeable!

 

I know that at tap gatherings, there is a traditional dance that everyone does together at the end. It would be cool if all choir competitions had a similar tradition!

[SrPab]

I happened upon it on YT awhile back (random window-shopping for something else aca-related), but it was a clip of the groups rehearsing Sing A Song, arranged by Ben Bram (of The Sing Off, Pitch Perfect, and producer of Pentatonix). If it was a male judge the camera kept coming back to, I think he is Bill Hare...big in the aca world and a Grammy winner.

 

I believe the big group sing at the end was new for ICCA. I wouldn't mind if they made it a tradition. ICCA has gotten so big recently that it seems like they always have quarterfinals and semis somewhere in the state of Florida. So chances are good that if you want to catch a round in Florida in the years to come, you can.

[MMLEsq]

You'd be surprised by how many songs people know the words to without any preparation. Even though it's a 40+ year old song, the lyrics to "Sing a Song" are pretty simple and a lot of kids know it from Sesame Street. 

My daughter never got into Sesame Street, so I haven't watched it in many (many!) years.  I remember the song "Sing" (from the Carpenters) being on Sesame Street ("Sing, sing a song, sing out loud, sing out strong, etc.").  I didn't realize Sesame Street also did "Sing a Song" (the Earth Wind & Fire song).  ("When you feel down and out, sing a song, it'll make your day yeah yeah, etc.")

 

ETA:  I'm jealous of all of you who can sing well.  What a lovely talent/gift to have.  I'm a horrible singer, although that doesn't stop me from belting it out when I'm alone in my car!  :-)   I guess that's why I appreciate a show like this so much.  

Edited July 2, 2015 by MMLEsq

[Whimsy]

Late to the party, as usual.  I just finished binge watching this show.  I liked it.  There was drama and typical (eye-roll worthy) youngster shenanigans but it wasn't over the top crazy.  I wanted to punch Michael a few times over his petulance and Isaac also seemed to think a little too highly of himself and the group.  But, when they lost a member to suicide my heart broke for each and every one of them.  It's so hard to look at the smiling pictures and video of Kevin and know he was hurting inside the whole time.

 

I was a little surprised at the outcome, simply because I thought that at least one of the featured groups would be the winner.

 

I agree about the sound.  Like above, my only real experience with a capella is through Sing Off and PP movies and some of the performances sounded so screetchy to me! And then, the main group would comment on how good they are.  I was like "huh?".  I did love the comment about the G-Men, though, about how alien they sounded.  I adore that song by Alt-J so I was super excited when I heard that song start up.

 

I swear one of the Socal Vocal girls is actress Juliette Goglia.

[MMLEsq]

I swear one of the Socal Vocal girls is actress Juliette Goglia.

It is her (although I had never heard of her, the group has a website that lists all of the members -- see:  http://scvocals.com/members.aspx).

 

My mom's best friend's granddaughter (see my post above) is Quinn D'Andrea.

[MMLEsq]

I was just inspired to search to see if there was any news about a second season and found this:

CORE MEDIA GROUP NOW CASTING FOR SING IT ON SEASON 2
July 8, 2015Announcement, NewsAndrew Poole
FROM JOHN LEGEND and the CO-PRODUCERS OF AMERICAN IDOL…

NOW CASTING COLLEGIATE A CAPPELLA GROUPS for the only series that takes you behind the scenes of competitive a cappella!

THIS ISN’T YOUR TYPICAL SINGING COMPETITION SHOW…

Just like our first season, we are making a documentary series that follows collegiate a cappella groups as they make their way through the most respected a cappella competition on the planet: the real ICCA!

We know that each group is more than the sum of its parts, and that each individual plays a significant role in shaping the group dynamic. We want to see the unique voices and personalities that make your a cappella group beautiful, impressive, inspiring, and special.

-This is an opportunity to share the story of your group’s progression through the 2016 ICCA!
-This is a platform to show off the results of your hard work and dedication to a national audience!
-This is the chance to make your group part of the hallowed elite in all of a cappella!
If your group is ready for the spotlight, and confident it has what it takes to make it through the 2016 ICCA, please send an email to:
castingacappella@gmail.com

Please include the following:

-Name of Group
-Name of School
-Location (city, state)
-Casting Contact (who we should first reach out to)
-Contact Info. (phone number and Email)
-Some Background Info on the group (How long has it been around? Significant past accomplishments? What makes the group different?)
*Once we receive your email, a producer will reach out to you shortly!

[GaT]

Oh good, I would watch it again. Hopefully they'll pick the winning group to follow this time.

[SrPab]

Season 1 was recently added to Netflix.

[SrPab]

Season 2 - July 27

[GaT]

Oh good! according to this article, they will be competing in a real competition this time, following 5 teams.

Quote

This season, we follow five new collegiate a cappella teams competing in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA): Faux Paz (University of Maryland), Off The Beat (University of Pennsylvania), One Note Stand (The University of Texas at Austin), S#arp Attitude (University of Massachusetts), and Hexachords (University of Massachusetts).

Maybe they'll actually follow all the teams this season.

[crimsongrl]

GaT, I thought this show was real and the one on Lifetime with the two coaches was the fake one?

Edited June 24, 2016 by crimsongrl

[GaT]

33 minutes ago, crimsongrl said:

GaT, I thought this show was real and the one on Lifetime with the two coaches was the fake one?

Hmm, maybe I'm getting them mixed up.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Sing It On shows collegiate teams at real competitions. The other one (and I can't remember the name off the top of my head but one of the coaches was Deke Sharon) shows high school teams at fake competitions.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S2 premiered last night! Did anyone watch it? I totally forgot so I am going to try to watch it when they rerun it.

[MMLEsq]

12 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

S2 premiered last night! Did anyone watch it? I totally forgot so I am going to try to watch it when they rerun it.

It's on my DVR -- I started watching last night, but didn't get through the whole thing....not because it's bad, it was just a time thing (too much TV, too little time.....  <- the epitome of "first world" problems!).  So far, all of the teams they've shown are new (as in, not teams that were featured last year).  Off the top of my head, there were two groups from U.Mass, I believe -- one all girls and one that only has 6 members (the drama there is that the beatboxer from the all-girls group jumped ship and joined the group with only 6 members).  And, I seem to recall a group from the Univ. of Maryland, I think.  There was possibly one other group shown (so far), but I can't remember for sure.  Re-reading what I just wrote, I should probably re-watch from the beginning of the episode, rather than just resume where I left off, since very little seems to have sunk in.

Edited July 29, 2016 by MMLEsq

[SrPab]

From memory (apologies in advance for any mistakes):

• S#arp Attitude, the only (I believe) all-female a cappella group at UMass-Amherst (with 6 members?). Linnea was their beatboxer who jumped ship to rival group...
• The Hexachords, a UMass-Amherst co-ed sextet (two women and four men) whose bass, Xander, is Linnea's boyfriend.
• Faux Paz, normally a big a co-ed group from UMaryland which, as of the premiere episode were looking to replenish their ranks since they only have one returning female singer (Lynique). Their arrangements are structured to include sopranos, mezzos, and altos--so just having Lynique won't be enough. I think they wanted at least 5 women but wound up with 4 gals and a guy because his audition was too good.
• Off The Beat, a large co-ed group from UPenn with a seemingly no-nonsense female Music Director (?) who looks like she'll be butting heads with one of the guys in the group, a free-wheeling and brash personality. OTB and Faux Paz held a karaoke challenge--but I forgot who "won".
• Based on marketing/promo materials from earlier this year, there was supposed to be a fifth group, One Note Stand from UTexas-Austin. They weren't seen or mentioned in the S2 premiere at all. Online scuttlebutt says there wasn't enough content for producers of the show to work with--so any ONS footage was left out.

In terms of reality-show cattiness, it seems S#arp Attitude is this season's Fla. St. Univ. Acabelles...while the Hexachords may be their foil á la last season's FSU All Night Yahtzee.

Edited July 29, 2016 by SrPab

[GaT]

I hope this season that the big winner at the end is a group we've been following this time. Last season the end was kind of a letdown. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Only three minutes into this episode and I was already tired of the Sharp Attitude girls (and no, I can't be bothered to type the sharp sign every time I mention them - sorry, girls, that's what you get for adding a symbol in the middle of your name - see also: Kesha aka Key Dollar Sign HA, TM Principal Figgins). They seem like a parody of themselves already. Yes, you're soooooo edgy for calling everyone bitches and acabitches. I don't know why Sam said that maybe Linnea left their group to be with her boyfriend in the Hexachords. You think?

Archie totally annoyed me when she was complaining about the beatboxing skills of the girls who auditioned. If you're so great at boots and cats, why don't you beatbox for your group? Oh, because you want  singing solos!

For the record, I don't blame Linnea for leaving Sharp Attitude as the beat boxer so that she could actually sing in the Hexachords. I don't see Archie volunteering to give up singing so that she can beatbox for Sharp Attitude. It's one thing if you have a passion for beatboxing but if you are a singer who wants to sing and you're stuck beatboxing in an all girl group, then I can understand why she would want to switch groups even if her boyfriend weren't in the Hexachords.

I was cracking up at how everyone has fancy titles. I'm the group's stylist! I'm the group's business manager! I'm the gig manager! When I was in choir, these positions were known as the costume committee (which had minimal work to do because we had uniforms that we had to wear year after year), the treasurer, and whoever was motivated/organized enough to be the contact person for performances (usually the president or vice president).

Man, I really felt for the Faux Paz group. You usually have to get at least a few new members every year due to people graduating but losing ten members and all but one girl? That's more than just a rebuilding year. Things that I loved about Faux Pas:
(1) David ended up becoming an a cappella singer because he was singing Backstreet Boys songs after he got dumped
(2) Instead of thinking, "Sweet, I'm the only girl left in the group so I am going to hog all the solos!" Lynique was dying to get some more girls back in the group
(3) The seven old members cheered for each person who auditioned as they entered the room to be supportive and again after they finished singing
(4) Shanto was all for Brad because he had the balls to audition (ha, no pun intended)
(5) They sang the Flintstones song to welcome Brad (but hey, why didn't any of the girls get that serenade too?)
(6) They seem to have a lot of fun togethe. It's one thing to say that your singing group is your family (as all of these groups say) but I like to see them genuinely enjoy each other's company, not just fight like a dysfunctional family. The boys waltzing together during the karaoke battle was fun and I liked that they chose "Bye Bye Bye" as one of their karaoke songs because it's a fun song. So far, they seem like the ones I would want to hang out with.

I was totally cracking up at the rehearsal footage of Off the Beat strutting because they weren't all stepping on the same foot and one of the girls was swinging the same arm as the leg that was stepping forward (normally you swing the opposite arm). That is always hilarious to me. Interesting that Rohan said that Off the Beat is "the most accoladed group in all of a cappella history" because they have won 29 contemporary a cappella recording awards, but they only started competing at ICCA last year? I'm not saying one thing is better than the other, but I'm sure there are some collegiate a cappella groups that might argue that they have won more accolades than Off the Beat.

Even though everyone said that Jasmine was ultra serious, I liked her. To be honest, when you are running the group yourselves (as opposed to high school when you usually have a teacher running rehearsals and directing), someone has to be the task master. And I liked that she recognized that Rohan coasts on his charm, his hair, and his eyebrows. HA! I loved that some of the Faux Paz memberss noticed that Rohan didn't know the melody for "I'll Make Love to You." Jasmine shouldn't be criticizing Faux Paz for not having choreography for a karaoke battle when Rohan didn't even know the melody for the song he sang. The Rohan/Jasmine love/hate relationship is realistic (as opposed to some of the fake crap we saw on that high school show) so I had to laugh when Rohan said that Jasmine the serious girl singing "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" was like Voldemort.

Even though the Faux Paz/Off the Beat karaoke battle was for the cameras, it didn't bother me since we got to see them sing some other songs. You know by the end of the season we will be tired of most of these groups' sets. SrPab, Off the Beat won the karaoke battle but as David pointed out, they were in OtB's territory and they decided the winner by applause from other people at the bar so it wasn't exactly a neutral crowd. I thought Faux Paz did better overall. Mitul's perfomance of "Creep" was great and the three boys doing "Bye Bye Bye" was fun. In comparison, OtB had one good performance (Jasmine) and Rohan got major demerits from me for clearly not knowing the melody at the end of a classic Boyz II Men song that he chose for himself. During his performance, I could definitely see what Jasmine meant about how Rohan coasts. Just like when he auditioned for the ICCA solo, he knew what song he was going to sing ahead of time and he didn't bother to prepare properly. Another reason I appreciate Jasmine is that she isn't afraid to speak her mind. She knew that Rohan's solo audition wasn't great but everyone was just going to hand it to him because he's a senior and the co-president. Even though Rohan ended up getting the solo, I'm glad that she voiced her opinion.

So You Think You Can Dance is usually my fun summer reality show but it has been pretty disappointing this year, so I'm glad Sing It On is back. At least I can watch college kids singing!

[crimsongrl]

I think I love every member of Faux Paz! They got me right in the feels this week.

I decided about 15 minutes in that I'll be fast forwarding both groups from UMass Amherst for the rest of the season. I don't watch this show for sassy bitches! Give me friendship & harmony and I'm good.

[GaT]

I really dislike Sam the choreographer in Sharp Attitude, she comes off as such a bitch and I hate that she keeps using words like “acabitches” while doing a sassy head shake.

Anyone know if there is a reason they all have to have an actual physical object like a water bottle or phone in their hands during rehearsals? Why can’t they just hold their hand in place like they’re holding a microphone?

Who pays for the costumes?

I liked seeing other groups at the competition, but honestly, they all sound alike to me.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Holding something in place of the microphone is just so they get used to having it there while performing. It's like any other prop used when performing in that it's better to practice with it so that you are accustomed to it. For a cappella groups that use choreography, it's also important so that they know when they have to switch the microphone to the other hand to do arm movements during the routine. I personally would use a water bottle because no biggie if I drop that during rehearsal. I would be so mad if I dropped my phone and cracked the screen during practice!

Who pays for costumes depends on the group. When I was in choir, it varied even within the same choir. Initially we had a bunch of costumes that had already been purchased before I joined. We were each assigned a costume at the beginning of the school year and it was our responsibility to take care of it and clean it throughout the season and then we turned it in at the end of the year. We also paid a very low costume fee (I think it was $20) which was used to dry clean everything at the end of the year. A few years later, we got a new choir director who decided that we were getting new costumes and each of us had to pay for our own costumes which we would then keep as our own personal property (meaning it didn't go back into the costume closet at the end of the year).

I also dealt with costumes in dance and it also varied depending on the group. In some, we did fundraisers to pay for our costumes. In others, we were told exactly how much each costume cost and we just had to pay out of pocket. Some groups charged us a flat fee per year and that money was spent on costumes. Other times it was a combination of the first two options - we were told how much our costumes would cost and we had the option to sell candy or do some other kind of fundraiser to cover the costs if we didn't want to just pay for it (so you could choose to sell X amount of candy to cover 50% of the cost and pay the rest out of pocket). But really you know that for most of these college kids, what it comes down to is their parents are paying for these costumes!

[SrPab]

Damn these reality-show genre clichès-I-mean-staples:

• OTB's Jasmine vs Rohan
• Sharp Attitude's hopefully-exaggerated-for-TV attitude (although I'm fine with Melinda for now)
• The Hexachords "rivalry" with SA and their own group drama regarding Brandon's diva-off with Katy

That means I'm most fond of Faux Paz because they annoy me the least. I don't get stabby when Mitul or Lynique are shown. And to place 2nd at their QF when they had roughly two weeks to pull their set together...nice accomplishment.

Hmmm...another thought about OTB based on something ElectricBoogaloo mentioned upthread: What prompted OTB to start competing at ICCA--could it have been the prospect of being on TV? As far as accolades go, I know that the SoCal VoCals from University of Southern California have won 4 ICCA First-Place Trophies, more than any other collegiate group. Apparently, they've never lost in those years they've taken part in ICCA--and they compete every other year because of how demanding it is.

Edited August 4, 2016 by SrPab

[MMLEsq]

John Legend was in an a cappella group at U.Penn.  It wasn't Off the Beat, was it?