Student-run a cappella groups shouldn’t be seen as “low cost alternative” to chorus program

Increasingly, music performance ensembles are being forced outside of the school day. Sometimes it is part of teacher’s work requirements, sometimes it is an extra paid stipend, and sometimes they don’t receive payment at all. It’s important that music performance ensembles are valued as part of the school day including a cappella groups.

Here’s a post I wrote for Acatribe last year on the value of contemporary a cappella and why it shouldn’t be seen as a “cost-effective alternative” to traditional choirs. Read the excerpt and check out the full article.

“It is always great when students take the initiative themselves but we teachers kind of, sort of, want to get paid to help them with it during classes that we teach. Those kids in Vocal Rush have extra music classes where they are learning this material thanks to their position at the Oakland School for the Arts. Instead of advocating the cost-effectiveness of outside-the-day a cappella groups, [Ben] Folds should be touting the benefits of a cappella music alongside traditional music programs and as an integral part of those programs.”

Read the full post here.

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