A capella: Blending Voices Without Accompaniment

by: Selina Sun, junior

STJ now has its own a cappella group: Fortissimo! What started as just a fun idea for an extracurricular activity has become a special opportunity for those who love to sing to come together and perform beloved songs with the beautiful harmony of just their voices, no instruments. Right now, a number of students and I are rehearsing “Mary, Did You Know” by Pentatonix, an a cappella classic that tugs at the heartstrings of Christmas spirit believers. Every Monday afternoon, we head up the stairs to the choir loft and annoy each other with our aca-jokes (“Don’t we just sound aca-awesome? Aca-scuse me??” are classics) and warm up our voices. When we first started the song, we realized that we had to become our own backup singers and make some interesting sounds; there are “ooo”s, “hoo”s, “dum”s, and “ah”s all over the sheet music. Tenors/baritones/basses have to deal with some high notes, altos have some difficult low notes to master, and sopranos have their own challenges to overcome. When we begin to sing; however, it all becomes okay, and it is simply magical to hear our voices blend the way they do. I get goosebumps after almost every run-through. “Mary, Did You Know” is the perfect song to showcase our talents: everyone gets the chance at the melody, and each section supports one another in every measure of the music to create this a cappella Christmas classic. As Dr. York guides us with her expert ear and musical gifts, we work out our challenges and enjoy each run-through as an opportunity to make our voices sound better together. By the time of the winter choral concert in December, our hard work and passion for music will have made something truly wonderful. I can’t wait for our a cappella debut in December; it will be the beginning of something that will surely last a long time. I cherish those Monday afternoons in Dr. York’s room where our amazing group gets to do what we love most: sing our hearts out—this time, without accompaniment.