I believe A well structured, intuitive, and engaging arrangement is the single most important thing in any A Cappella performance. Taking your group to the next level necessitates creating arrangements that are able to be energetically performed by each member no matter the context.

A group is only as good as its arrangements

Arranging music for performance by an A Cappella group is a particularly nuanced and difficult task. Not only do you have to substitute all of the instruments people are used to hearing with a bunch of people's voices, but you have to do so in a way that is unique, fun to sing, and not too difficult to memorize. AND that doesn't lose the audience's attention by verse 2. 

We've all heard uninspired, forgettable A Cappella arrangements. Any of us who have tried arranging have also made several of those ourselves. The primary difference between good and great A Cappella arrangements is this:

Good arrangements are vocalized. Great arrangements are sung

Far too often you hear arrangements where the only thing the Baritones do the whole song is sing whole notes on "doo," or conversely there are songs where those same baritones have to navigate a bunch of unintuitive jumps to fill out the chord tones the arranger forgot to add in the upper parts (sorry baritones). Now don't get me wrong, I love me some "doo," but to truly create something that will allow the background singers to engage with the audience requires a bit more imagination than that.

The point is, making an arrangement that is fun to sing for every part without sacrificing group sound, blend, or performability is a difficult balancing act. I consistently receive the feedback that my arrangements are fun to sing and easy to learn, and that people can't help but sing their part when the song plays at parties.

Featured Arrangements