BYU-Idaho is filled with a variety of clubs and societies to choose from, the options of extracurricular activities are almost endless. One of these options is for students who have a great passion for singing and music- acapella. Different from regular choir, acapella is exclusively made from singers’ voices. From guitar sounds to the drums everything comes from the singers’ voices.
BYU-Idaho has four acapella groups. Musai is the group compiled of just women’s voices, Apollo includes just men’s voices and the group Resonate combines them both. Auditions are required to join those groups but if students aren’t feeling very confident in their skills yet, Crescendo is the non-auditioned group so anyone who wishes to give acapella a try is more than welcome to join them.
A.J. Dawson, who has been a part of acapella since high school, joined the women’s group, Musai, in the Fall of 2023. And in an interview with BYU-Idaho Radio, she delved into the challenges and joys of being a part of an acapella group on campus.
“This is a great way for me to continue my music,” Dawson said. “It’s really fun to work with these girls. They’re all so fun and it’s a great community we have.”
Dawson believes that joining acapella was one of the best decisions she’s made. She originally joined in hopes of continuing her passion for music but also because she fell in love with the community. Nothing made her feel more welcome on campus than being surrounded by great friends who have the same passion for music as she does, she said.
“I have made such good friends. All the girls are so loving, and it’s really helped me feel included here on campus. So, if anyone’s looking for a place to go or needs some friends, I would really encourage you to join acapella,” she said.
Dawson shed light on the intricacies of being part of an acapella group. Rehearsals can be a difficult process, especially when there are so many strings of melodies and harmonies combining to make up the song. When a song has a lot going on, it can be tough for the singers to be able to hold the note they are supposed to, especially without an instrumental accompaniment, they can lose their note.
“One of the main challenges is just learning your place in the group and how to blend with each other,” Dawson said. “You really have to learn how to blend together and how to hear each other and learn to work together to create such a beautiful sound.”
But according to Dawson, the performances always make up for the group’s hard work and effort. She loves to perform with her group and to watch the audience sing along. Dawson’s goal is to always help audience members leave feeling more uplifted and positive than when they came in.
“We are always looking for new people,” she said. “One of the things we look at the most is how well you can sight read. Sight-reading is a big deal because in acapella it’s really fast paces and we only have a certain amount of time between concerts, so we look for people who are good at it while also staying in pitch.”
The acapella community at BYU-Idaho is very welcoming and they encourage all students to give it a try, Dawson said. The groups on campus normally have two performances per semester, the first being “Soundtrax,” which happens tonight at the Manwaring Center.
If you are interested in purchasing tickets to watch Musai and other groups perform live, you can purchase them at tickets.byui.edu. Student tickets are $3 and general public tickets are $5.