How to join an a capella group

Princeton a cappella groups give a new meaning to the phrase "Music of the Night."

On any given evening, one can hear melodious sounds emanating from either Blair Arch or 1879 Arch, thanks to Princeton's dozen or so a cappella groups. From all-female to all-Jewish groups, these a cappella organizations have been performing in "arch sings" since the early 1940s.

But with so many groups to keep track of, it's easy for an outsider to the world of a cappella to negligently classify all of them into one large exclusive student population (one that not only sings, but parties often, too). However, it takes little effort to recognize that each group has its own background and identity.

The all-male Nassoons started a tradition of a cappella in 1941 that involves arranging songs that range from 40s jazz pieces to contemporary pop. Each year at the Princeton-Yale football game, they perform with the Whiffenpoofs, the oldest a cappella group at Yale University. In addition, they go on four tours yearly, and appear on televised shows such as the Early Show with Bryant Gumbel.

The Footnotes and Tigertones were established soon after the Nassoons, and feature diverse repertoires as well. Both groups are all-male as well, and have toured places like the British Virgin Islands and the Bahamas.

Women joined the a cappella scene in the 70s, with the Tigerlilies, the first all-female group. The "Lils," often clad in black and fuchsia, perform traditional classics and jazz standards, as well as pop songs.

Not long after the Lils were formed, the group now known as the Katzenjammers became the Ivy League's first coed group. As the years passed, eight more groups formed, including more all-female groups like the Tigressions, Culturally Yours and the Wildcats, coed groups like the Firehazards, Shere Khan and Roaring 20.

There are even coed groups that have religious identities, like Koleinu, which is all-Jewish, and Kindred Spirit, an evangelical Christian group that teams up with Westminster Choir College.

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Finally, for those that are vocally-inclined but may not want to dive headfirst into the intense and sometimes-competitive world of a cappella, there are always other vocal groups to consider. The University Glee Club, University Chamber Choir, Chapel Choir and the Gospel Ensemble each have their own flavor and repertoire – for instance, the Chapel Choir performs every Sunday during chapel services, and the Gospel Ensemble is student-directed – ensuring that anyone who doesn't find a match in a cappella will still be able to exercise their vocal chords.