Frequently Asked Questions
Below is a list of questions we’re used to fielding every year. While it’s by no means comprehensive, it’s a pretty fair sampling. If you’ve got a question for us that we haven’t answered in this FAQ, please e-mail Melissa (our group coordinator): not only will she answer it (or get one of the other Amateurs to do it) but we’ll also post it here. Don’t be shy — the worst thing that you can do is not ask.
THE QUESTIONS
- How many people are you looking for?
- Which voice parts are you looking for?
- What sort of experience do I need in order to audition?
- But what if I’ve never been in choir?
- What are auditions like?
- Are auditions hard?
- When will the callback list be posted?
- What if I get a callback?
- Okay, so how do I find out if I’m in?
- What happens if I don’t get in?
- What’s the time commitment like?
- Is being an Amateur worth it?
- Where do you get your arrangements?
- Why aren’t the Amateurs the “premiere” co-ed a cappella group on campus?
- Are the Amateurs “award-winning,” too?
- So what’s the difference between the Amateurs and the other groups on campus?
- You claim that your music is “strictly vocal,” but I hear drums. What gives?
- Why are you called the Amateurs? Isn’t that kinda... demeaning?
THE ANSWERS
How many people are you looking for?
As far as auditions go we don’t think in terms of numbers, period. If we like ten people, we’ll take ten people; if we like only one person, that’s the way it’s gonna be. We tend to have a group of around sixteen people, but that’s also a pretty flexible number.
Which voice parts are you looking for?
We’re not thinking like that, either. While we’ve got certain needs in mind, we certainly don’t set quotas or anything. If we like the way you sound and we get along well with you, it doesn’t matter how high or low you can sing.
What sort of experience do I need in order to audition?
None.
But what if I’ve never been in choir?
Then you’ve already got something in common with quite a few Amateurs.
What are auditions like?
Our audition is ridiculously simple: first, we’ll sit down with you and talk for a few minutes. We want to find out what kind of person you are, and we’ll ask you a few questions. Don’t worry, we’re not going to quiz you or anything — we just want to know about you. After that, we’ll ask you to sing some scales. First, we’ll see how low you can sing; then, we’ll try your upper range. If your voice cracks, we understand — it probably happened to us, too — just give it your best shot. After we check out your range, we’ll play a few notes on the piano and ask you to sing them back. It’s just a matter of listening and repeating what you hear — there’s no deeper meaning eluding you. Finally, we’ll ask you to sing a verse and a chorus (about 30-45 seconds) of any song you like. It ought to be a song that you like, and one that shows off your voice — but other than that it’s entirely up to you. No accompaniment (we’re an a cappella group, remember?) but you can certainly ask for a starting note and we’ll bang it out on the piano.
Are auditions hard?
Our auditions are reputed to be the least stressful and most fun of any group on campus — we like it that way. Think American Idol without Simon (without any of the judges, for that matter, since we won’t critique you or anything). You ought to know going into your audition that we have a great time listening to you sing, and we’d like it to be as much fun for you as it is for us.
When will the callback list be posted?
Our callback list will be posted on the doors of the Music Classroom Building at a date to be determined. If we’re not deliriously tired, we’ll also try to throw the list onto the website before we crash.
What if I get a callback?
Well, first of all, congratulations — you’re almost there; you ought to be proud of yourself. Here’s a rundown of what happens at a callback: you will be called back with a few other singers of your voice part to learn a section or two of our current arrangements. For the first 30 minutes, you’ll be in a rehearsal room with a former Amateur who will help you learn the ropes. Once you’re solid on your part (yes, you’ll be able to use the sheet music) he’ll send you into our audition room, where the rest of the group will be waiting. We’ll chat for a few minutes, and then we’ll warm you up by having you do the same range exercises as before. We’ll ask you to do a little bit of sight-reading, and sing the part you learned with the group. This is our favorite part of the entire process, and we think you'll find that it's a lot of fun. Finally, we'll ask to hear another solo and send you on your way!
Okay, so how do I find out if I’m in?
Don’t worry, you’ll know.
What happens if I don’t get in?
Well, don’t be thinking about that! Seriously, though — we’ll still talk to you. We’ll ask you to come to all of our shows. We’ll have huge amounts of respect for you for giving it your all. We’ll ask you to audition again next year. We’ll also probably encourage you to audition for the other groups on campus: Pikers, After Dark, Mosaic Whispers, Greenleafs, Stereotypes, The Aristocats, Staam, Deliverance, and More Fools than Wise. We definitely enjoy watching them perform, and quite a few of the other groups open for us at our annual concert; we return the favor by performing with them throughout the year.
What’s the time commitment like?
Pretty significant. We rehearse seven hours a week, spread over three nights. But, of course, that’s not all: we perform on and off campus, we tour the country, we record critically-acclaimed albums, we compete internationally, and we party a lot. Probably tonight. And while that sounds a little bit daunting, it’s not too much to handle. You can still do other extracurricular activities while excelling in your coursework. We know. We’ve done it.
Is being an Amateur worth it?
Ask any of us, and you’ll get minor variations on the same answer: damn straight; for sure; hell yes; word. We wouldn’t be doing it if we didn’t absolutely love it. Period.
Where do you get your arrangements?
We write them. Every single one. Some of the groups on campus sing pre-packaged arrangements written by choral arrangers — not the Amateurs. We’re proud to boast a repertoire of entirely original arrangements. Check out our arrangements--current, past, and upcoming.
The Amateurs are also among the few groups on campus that do original music (see “Rainborne,” track five on The Bristol Sessions, available for download with the rest of our music). By “original music,” we don’t mean original arrangements (if you’ve read this far you know that all of our arrangements are original) — we mean original music. Songs written and arranged by members of the group, for the group.
Why aren’t the Amateurs the “premiere” co-ed a cappella group on campus?
That’s pretty simple: “premiere” means “first,” and while the Mosaic Whispers and the Amateurs both formed during the fall of 1991, they’ve got us beat by a few weeks. The rest is history.
Are the Amateurs “award-winning,” too?
Yup. “Rainborne” won the Judges’ Special Award for Original Songwriting at the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) in 2002. In addition, the Amateurs were honored again in the 2003 competition with two new awards: the award for Best Arrangements (given to former musical director Anna Swank), and the Hot Lips Vocal Percussion award (given to former member Josh Goldwasser). In 2004, we made it to the ICCA semi-finals, and in 2006 won Best Soloist for “Infatuation.” In 2007, our recording of Radiohead's “2+2=5” was chosen to be on Voices Only 2007, a national compilation CD, and our recording of Zero 7's "Today" was chosen for Voices Only 2010. In 2011, CARA recognized Amalgamation as one of the best co-ed a cappella albums of the year.
So what’s the difference between the Amateurs and the other groups on campus?
Of all of our Frequently-Asked Questions, this is the one most frequently asked. Our answer’s pretty simple: check out our music online. Listen to it. Come hear us perform live. Decide for yourself.
You claim that your music is “strictly vocal,” but I hear drums. What gives?
What, you think we’re trying to pull a fast one on you? It’s called vocal percussion, and if you’ve seen Men In Black II, then you already know what it is. A few of the Amateurs are able to produce realistic-sounding drum noises with their mouths, and they pass their skills down to new members as they join the group. [FAQ-writer’s note: It’s fun, but more than slightly annoying when vocal percussion works its way into Amateurs’ social gatherings.]
Why are you called the Amateurs? Isn’t that kinda... demeaning?
Ostensibly, yeah — but in fact, no. The word “amateur” gets a bad rap these days. See, our founders envisioned a group whose mission would be to sing for the sheer love of singing. And any good dictionary will tell you that an “amateur” is a person who engages in a pursuit out of love and not desire for professional gain — in fact, the word “amateur” comes from the Latin root “amare,” which means “to love.” Simply, it all comes down to the fact that at the end of the day, we don’t judge ourselves by how much airplay we get on MTV. Sure, we record albums, compete, tour, work with recording studios and producers from all over the country, and take our music very seriously — heck, we’ve even performed live on the radio for the entire city of Boston! — but we do it because we love it. We’re Amateurs, in the truest sense of the word. Live it. Learn it. Love it.
back to the auditions homepage »