A capella group is more than just students harmonizing without instruments. At the high school level, these groups are a vital part of the community, offering support, entertainment, and a sense of belonging to the members.
The Acatonics bring a unique experience to sporting events and pep rallies. Members are taught valuable life skills and learn to foster a love for music that can last a lifetime. As students share their voices, they also share their passion for what they love, making high school a better place for everyone.
On a rainy Oct. 14 morning, a capella performed for the first time this year at PTSA’s second annual Fall Festival. They gathered in the Commons to sing in front of a sizable crowd that included students, parents, and members of the community.
Senior a capella member Jake Silverman is in his fourth year in the group and over the years he’s developed a strong role, eventually becoming captain in his junior year. “The [Fall Festival] performance was a great opportunity for the new members of a capella to experience the thrill of performing live,” Silverman said.
This past Saturday the group was invited by the D.C. band, SupremeChord to perform at Church Bethesda. Dressed formally in their iconic maroon, black, and white colors, the Acatonics sang their hearts out. Silverman had a blast singing and his “favorite song to perform was ‘I Did Something Bad,’ by Taylor Swift. Overall the song [was] more exciting” and they had to put much more work into the song to perfect it.
Throughout these performances, the group is accompanied by their music director and teacher Keith Schwartz, who supports and leads them every step of the way. The group practices during school every day and is an elective option for those who want to join. Schwartz urges students to check out what the Acatonics are all about. “There is a stigma in the high school attached to singing, that people think that it is lame. I feel that our group is a place where students get a chance to bond with new people that they wouldn’t have known otherwise. This is an environment where everyone pushes each other out of their comfort zone,” Schwartz said.
As the Acatonics perform, they strive to win their competitions, as, according to Schwartz, “the competition aspect of [a capella] feels like one of a sports team rather than a singing group.”
They have expectations similar to a coach-to-athlete relationship as they “call the students in charge of [their] groups ‘captains’,” Schwartz recounts.
Schwartz reflected on their latest performance and said that the team needs “to incorporate movement, so [they] need to add that component, the first time you perform in front of people is always the most nerve-racking. Now that [they’ve] done that [they’ll] be good moving forward.”
Members have high hopes for this season as a junior and returning Acatonic Aiden Feng thinks that their “group is stronger than ever” and is “ looking forward to what’s in store for the 2023-2024 Wootton Acatonic’s.”
