By Julie Craven:
The Assumption College a cappella group isn’t your average club. It takes time, hard work, and a lot of support. There is a lot of dedication that goes into this group, and being apart of it myself, there is definitely no time to fool around.
We are called ‘Hound Sound’, a group of 21 members in total, each bringing something different to the table whether it be beatboxing or singing.
Hound Sound has been on the rise over the years, as it was once an all female group called ‘Major Treble’. Now, it has evolved into a co-ed group, giving men an opportunity to express their passion for music.
Here is a sneak peek of Wednesdays (3/12) rehearsal on what we have been working on for our competition in April…
The clip above shows “behind the scenes” of how the group functions as a whole.
However, it is not as glamorous as it sounds. All 21 of us have different opinions and ideas, which can create conflict within the group. The major key is to listen to the other group members to come up with a solution that can make our sound stronger. Another major key is to be open-minded to other member’s opinions and suggestions, which results in a successful and well spent rehearsal.
Rehearsals are on Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s. Our practices are taken very seriously and it is a huge time commitment. Although a cappella isn’t necessarily a class, showing up is very important. If a few members are missing, it can impact how we sound overall.
We participate in a lot of events on campus such as ‘Take Back The Night’, an emotional event with the determination of ending sexual violence, ‘Relay For Life’, one of the biggest fundraisers to fight back cancer, and our yearly winter ‘Showcase’, showing off everything we have accomplished over the semester to one big performance.
It is very special to the group and myself to be involved in these events at school, and to give back to the community, even if it is singing a song or two.
I interviewed a few members from the group with a question on how they feel about being apart of this one big family. I got numerous answers, but I chose the two that really stood out.
“Why did you audition for Hound Sound?”
Deirdre Gunning, a junior, says “I’ve always been passionate about singing. I had heard Hound Sound perform before through my friend so I knew I wanted to join. It was cool because it was the only group on campus that did modern music.”
Rob Yirigian, a sophomore, says “Because it is my passion and I wanted to see how good of a beatboxer I can be (since it’s my first time doing it).”
The passion for this group is amazing, which is why we love music.
After all the blood, sweat, and tears from our long rehearsals, we finally got to compete in a competition at Mechanics Hall called WEC’appella last April. It is Worcester’s first a cappella competition, consisting of high school students and college students. Competing against schools such as College of the Holy Cross, Anna Maria College, WPI, and Clark University was intense, but worth it in the end. This definitely tied the knot.
An incredible moment resulted in our group winning the whole competition in the college category, being named “the best a cappella group in Worcester.” What more can you ask for?
Here are some pictures that captures our excitement from winning that trophy…
We are still climbing to the top, and we are not stopping there! Our goal is to inspire the Assumption College Community and beyond to come to our performances and hear some great music!
Make sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram to get updates on our performances, and feel free to message us song suggestions!
THE AC301 