Alright, show of hands: How many of you have seen "Pitch Perfect"? "Pitch Perfect 2"?
If I had to venture a guess, I’d say that most of you have seen either one or both of those amazing movies, and if you haven't, get out from under the rock you’re living under! Now, for those of you who have seen "Pitch Perfect," how many of you have thought, "Wow, this is really cool! Does this happen in real life?”
The answer, my friends, is yes, it does happen in real life.
And yes, it is as awesome as it seems.
Enter the University of North Texas Green Tones, UNT's only premiere a capella group. The Green Tones have been making great music since their founding in 2008, and they pride themselves in being non-music major oriented, as only one of the current members is a music major. The Green Tones can be found gallivanting around campus, singing in places like the Library Mall, Bruce Lobby, the Union Syndicate, and the occasional sorority or fraternity house. Their musical arrangements range from slow ballads, to pumping pop songs, to classic 90’s jams, to more recent and popular releases. All you really need to know is this: If about 17 people wearing green shirts are standing in an arc in front of you, you’re going to be in for a real good time.
But where exactly does the "Pitch Perfect" idea come in? (You know, other than the whole a cappella thing.) Well, here you go:
In the movie, success for the Barden Bellas revolves around a contest called ICCA. Well my friends, this contest is real. And it’s just as intense as you think it is.
The ICCA — that’s the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella — was founded in 1996, and has grow to include over 450 groups competing in nine regions in the U.S. and Europe. Based off of a bracket system, groups start with a video submission, and then move on to quarterfinals, semifinals and finals. Groups come together from across the nation to pour their entire being into a 12-minute set for a live audience, and most importantly, the judges. Groups can be given various awards along the way commending them on outstanding soloist, outstanding arrangement, outstanding vocal percussion, and outstanding choreography. Their ultimate goal? To go down in a cappella history as number one in the nation, and get their name engraved on The Gooding Cup (see photo below).
As of recent, the UNT Green Tones have advanced to the ICCA Semifinals at the University of Los Angeles, picking up awards for Outstanding Vocal Percussion and Outstanding Choreography along the way, and are hoping to move on to the finals in New York.
So yes, ICCA is very real. They even have a High School circuit for those extremely talented youngsters running around all over America.
Let me get one thing straight, though: It’s not all about the competitions.
A cappella creates an environment that brings people together from all over the place, and in that, you’ll find a community of people who are just as weird and crazy as the person standing next to them. No one group is the same as another, and because of this, you find yourself learning and growing in a way you never thought possible.
You will never meet a more fun, diverse, open, loving, amazing group of people, and it's all because we love doing the same thing; making music. Yes, we compete against each other, but we support one another. We eat together. We drive to each other's school. We sleep in each other's houses (sometimes). We sing together. We party together. And if one group hurts, we hurt with them. Because of a cappella, I have gotten to meet so many amazing people, but, if I had to pick a favorite, I’d have to say that my very own Green Tones have been my favorite to get to know.
Over the past year, this group has become my family. We’ve laughed together, we’ve cried together, and we've gone to battle together. We’ve picked each other up, gone to war for one another, and held on to one another for dear life. Sure, we have our moments, like any other family. We yell. We fight. We sometimes want to kick each other in the face, and we threaten to leave rehearsal, but at the end of it all, we’re still a group of people who love to make music. We support each other, and at the end of the day, that's where the real "Pitch Perfect" moment shows.
Just as the Bellas learned how to work together and become a family, so too have the Green Tones. And I've never been happier to call a group of friends my family.
