Singing just desserts

Slumped in a pew in Woolsey Hall, surrounded by dozens of other freshmen in similar positions, I endured the final stages of what I call "Death by a capella": listening to 30 catchy songs in a row, all executed with incredible skill and engaging vivacity, non-stop, for hours. While I am a huge fan of a capella music, I could not help but wonder what was behind this phenomenon that consistently encompasses the lives of hundreds of Yalies.

In order to gain admittance to one of these numerous but exclusive groups, a singer must "rush" the group. The a capella admission process consists of social activities in addition to a vocal audition. Rushees have a traditional audition, in which they sing scales, combinations of notes, and a song of their choosing. But the process also consists of "rush meals" and "singing desserts."

"[A rush meal] is normally about what we can fit in schedule-wise, whom we think the rushee will click with the best, and who's most interested in getting to know the rushee," Ben Marcovitz, TC '02, rush manager for the Baker's Dozen, said. After the first audition and one or more rush meals, some rushees will receive callbacks, entailing more auditions and more meals.

In addition, "there are a lot of rules governing when rushees and members can eat with each other and see each other, and they're kind of quirky," Tim Bradley, CC '02, rush manager for the Duke's Men, said. "But as strange as they may seem, they're there for the purpose of protecting against the abuses of rush." For example, "No glass containers may be used by any group during tap."

Although a typical a capella group can expect 50 to 100 rushees, it will tap no more than 10, making the process extremely competitive. "I definitely had a lot of issues with it last year because it seemed really huge and self-important," Elizabeth Linden, MC '02, rush manager for Something Extra, said. "Something Extra wanted to make sure that rush was as realistic as possible and that it focused on enhancing the experience of the freshmen instead of making a capella a burden."

Another problem with the social nature of rush is what results when a rushee is rejected, or when he or she decides not to join a group that has tapped him or her. "Sometimes afterwards a number of groups won't act as friendly toward rushees that didn't go with them or that they didn't plan on tapping in the first place," Marcovitz added. "That's something we avoid at all costs."

The social aspects of rush can also overshadow the importance of the audition. "The ultimate objective is to get people in your group," Timothy Ito, JE '02, rush manager for the Alley Cats, said. "But our ideal rush process is to make a lot of freshman friends and to help them through a busy, stressful September." Linden agreed. "Rush is about who the singers in the freshman class are," he said. "Even if you see a great singer and don't automatically assume they'll be singing with you, you'd like to get to know them and who they are, their background."

While rush will be grueling, group members seem to be sympathetic to the trials and tribulations of rushees. "Auditions are intimidating by nature," Ann Moller, SY '03, said. "But the people have been friendly, comfortable, supportive and low key." So far.

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