A Cappella Visitors Sing and Share

While visiting Chicago for one of the 200 concerts they perform across six continents each year, the 14 senior a cappella vocalists from Yale known as the Whiffenpoofs connected with Parker’s Music Department to bring their talents to the school.

During their visit, the Whiffs performed a selection of toe-tapping, animated, a cappella tunes for Middle School vocalists in the Amplify ensemble and their Upper School counterparts in Advanced Choral Ensemble. Following the performance, the group spent an hour working with the advanced vocal students. 

The Whiffenpoofs wanted to teach Upper School singers one of their songs. To make this happen, singers warmed up as a group before separating into vocal parts (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) and met in small groups throughout campus to learn. These smaller gatherings allowed the veteran vocalists to lead students through the nuances of the song relative to their vocal part, as well as the proper breathing and syncopation to bring to their craft as they performed.

After working independently for a brief period, everyone gathered in the Front Alcove to put together the separate pieces they had been working on and perform for the community.

These visits from outside musicians add something special to a student's education. Music teacher Christian Jackson shared, “We talk every class about how effective dynamics are when we use them well in our music. Having experiences like this visit from the Whiffenpoofs allows us to see what those skills look like on an even greater level.”

Beyond their musicality, each of the Whiffenpoofs is an accomplished scholar as well as a stellar vocalist, reflecting a wide range of academic majors. Jackson said, “Their musical director is an economics and anthropology major. Their tour director is an ethics, politics and economics major. Their lead bass singers are computer science and history majors. I hope our students see that they do not have to major in music to keep it as an important aspect of their life.”

Jackson hopes to further develop what his Advanced Choral Ensemble learned from this experience and showcase his students’ talent in their performances at the Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church on Wednesday, April 2 at 6 p.m.

Those with an appetite for a cappella music should mark their calendars for Tuesday, May 15 at 7 p.m. when Chicago a cappella performs as Parker’s 8th Annual Joan W. Harris Visiting Music Scholar in Residence.

Click here for photos and enjoy this video below.