With seven distinct voices and one common bond, the MSU a cappella community has a long history of creating harmony.
While each of the seven a cappella groups distinguish themselves through their own unique style and image, they all have a place within the supportive a cappella community that fuels their passion for creating and sharing music on campus.
State of Fifths
Founded in 2008
For the MSU State of Fifths, a cappella is all about making connections both on and off stage.
“I think people recognize that we connect with each other and the audience while we are performing,” co-president and fourth year member Elizabeth Cooper said. “I think our personal connection and the chemistry we have as a group really is what makes our performances special.”
With influences from the movie “Pitch Perfect” and shows like NBC’s “The Sing-Off,” Cooper said she has watched a cappella transform and take on new elements during the four years that she has been on the team.
“It’s less about standing in an arc and bouncing up and down, and more about movement and feeling going into your performances,” she said. “It’s been a transition that’s still going on, but I think we have really tried to stay on top of that curve and move in the direction that a cappella is going.”
In terms of these influences, the competition referred to as ICCA in “Pitch Perfect” is a real competition that a majority of the MSU a cappella groups compete in each year.
After attending the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella competition every year, Cooper said State of Fifths use their experiences and the feedback from the judges in order to challenge themselves and improve upon their sound.
“We are a new group every year and I hope we can find this group’s niche. Each year there are defining moments and I’m really excited to see where we go this year and what that looks like.”
Spartan Dischords
Founded in 1982 and continues to be recognized as the oldest a cappella group on campus
Each time they enter the stage, the Spartan Dischords have one goal in mind: to make the audience laugh.
Whether it’s interjecting clever comments and jokes during songs, doing impersonations or utilizing unique props, business marketing senior and third year member Alex Collar said the group likes to refer to their unique style as “a fine blend of harmony and humor.”
“We just try to make it light hearted and fun for the audience,” he said. “The biggest compliment that we can get from somebody who comes to our concert is that they had fun and they laughed.”
As the oldest a cappella group on campus, Collar said the Dischords are conscientious about maintaining the traditions that continue to influence the group today. He said the group’s long history allows them to have strong ties with a large network of alumni who frequently assist during their practices and attend the group’s performances.
In accordance with upholding traditions, the Dischords fulfilled another custom this year by taking their turn to host Acapalooza. At this annual event where all seven MSU a cappella groups come together and perform under one roof, Collar said they achieved their goal of gaining valuable exposure for the entire MSU a cappella community by almost selling out both nights of performances.
During Acapalooza this year, Collar said he recognized that the MSU a cappella groups are dedicated to keeping their performances fresh.
“People are getting a lot more excited about (a cappella) than in years past, which makes us more passionate about it,” Collar said. “It’s an exciting time to be a part of a cappella.”
MSU Accafellas
Founded in 1996
Musicality and artistry are at the forefront for the MSU Accafellas, which serve as the driving forces behind their performances within the community.
“We are still the smallest a cappella group and we pride ourselves on being small but having a loud and powerful sound that captures people’s attention,” media and information senior and fourth year member Alan Good said. “Once we get our musicality down, we like to bring out our energetic and fun style. I definitely think the more fun and upbeat songs are our thing.”
While the group regularly attends the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, Good said the goal for many members this year is to make it to finals, which is located in New York City. Two years ago, the Acafellas came in second place at semifinals, putting them just one place away from attending the final round.
After starting out as an eight-member group back in 1996, Good said this is the first year the group has hit double digits, with 10 members. Although they don’t compare in size to traditional a cappella groups, the team does not fall short in their dynamics both on and off stage.
“The Acafellas are the reason I am still at Michigan State,” Good said. “I’ve had a lot of hard times here and the Acafellas are the one thing that keeps me going. We are all pretty much brothers.”
According to Good, this camaraderie extends beyond the boundaries of their own team. Although most of the MSU a cappella groups compete against each other throughout the year, he said the separate groups will never let the results interfere with the bond they have established.
“You just remind yourself that that’s your aca-family, and that’s who you belong to at State, so you are going to support them no matter what,” Good said.
Ladies First
Founded in 1985 and remains the only all-female a cappella group on campus
While Ladies First strives to captivate the audience with their unique dynamic as an all-female group, their main goal as a team is to enjoy the process of creating music together.
“You really only get to do a cappella while you’re in college, so our goal is to really enjoy our time together as a team,” said computer science and engineering senior and fourth year member Caitlin McDonald.
In their “small group of many big personalities,” McDonald said their unique sound as a group is a result of the interesting musical challenges that they face.
While the team utilizes their creativity to compensate for not having male members that provide the lower octaves, their experimentation with different techniques assist them in creating a distinct sound unlike the other groups on campus.
During her years on the team, McDonald said she has watched Ladies First transform from a very traditional a cappella group to one that has expanded upon their skills in agreement with the changing trends of a cappella that so many MSU groups have observed.
“The arrangement style for all of the groups on campus has really changed the last four years, especially with ‘Pitch Perfect’ setting new standards,” McDonald said. “Now that a cappella has a new public image with this film, we feel like we have to raise the bar.”
Capital Green
Founded in 1998 and remains the oldest co-ed a cappella group on campus
While focusing on musicality is important, Capital Green’s main goal during their performances is to project their enthusiasm and passion to the audience.
“We all just have such a bond, which really shows when we perform together,” communication junior Calvin Williams said. “We just have this synergy that comes through.”
While the a cappella group is commonly known for their pop music covers, Williams said they are beginning to take a new direction by straying away from the Top 40 hits that they used to focus on in the past.
With two new songs added to their repertoire, Williams said the group is able to showcase their versatility.
“As a group, we have a very full sound,” Williams said. “We blend very well together, but everyone has this amazing soloist voice as well.”
As the group continues to work toward improving their sound, adding a few new members during winter auditions, and ensuring that harmony remains at the forefront, Williams said the group’s connection is the most significant aspect of their team.
“It’s not just an a cappella group to us, it’s our friend group,” Williams said. “There’s a real sense of belonging, and I know I will always be greeted with so much love. It’s a family.”
RCAHppella
Founded in 2007
After humble beginnings in 2007, RCAHppella has emerged from beneath the radar and successfully made a name for themselves within the MSU a cappella community.
While the group was centralized within the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities in their early stages, fourth year member Rebecca Barron said the young a cappella group has been pursuing bigger performances within the community, while building upon their sound as a group throughout the past few years.
“I think this has been one of the first years that we have really locked in the type of sound that we want,” Barron said. “Our sound is very energetic, and I think we bring a lot of fun to the songs.”
The majority of their members are RCAH students, which adds a distinct element to their performances, according to Barron.
“Because we all have the same major, we all have very similar outlooks on life and the world around us, so I think we try to put that into our music the best that we can with the types of songs that we sing and the messages we try to get across with our music,” Barron said.
Last year, Barron said the group’s “Same Love” mash-up was their favorite song to perform, because they are all very passionate about the movement towards equal marriage rights in the country.
“Our goal is to just always be doing our absolute best while still having a really great time together, because if we aren’t having fun, then what’s the point?” Barron asked.
Spartan Sur
Founded in 2009 as the only South Asian a cappella group on campus
For members of Spartan Sur, being part of an a cappella group is a creative outlet that not only allows them to do what they are passionate about, but also provides a unique approach for celebrating their diversity and sharing their culture with students on campus.
As the only South Asian a cappella team on campus, the group combines popular Top 40 songs with Indian music, which adds a worldly tone to their performances.
“For people who don’t generally listen to us, we want them to get interested in this style of music,” said food industry management junior Austin Kurian. “If other students could use our music to invest in Indian culture, that would be really cool.”
Among the Indian music and Bollywood hits that influence the group’s arrangements, Kurian said they frequently switch between languages in their songs in order to further highlight the diversity of the group and its members.
Last year, the group released their first single of “Love on Top” by Beyoncé mashed up with a Hindi song called “Dildara.” Through the song, the group switches between English and Hindi throughout the verses.
While arranging Western music with Eastern music does present some challenges to the team, Kurian said the group has many knowledgeable musicians who take on most of the responsibilities.
“Since MSU is really big on diversity, we get a lot of chances to perform on campus, which opens up a lot of doors for us,” Kurian said.
