Every semester, Elon University students flock to auditions to try their hands at a cappella. Group singing without instruments has become increasingly popular, so landing a spot in a group is no easy task.
According to sophomore Alexis Paul, hundreds of students audition each semester, but fewer than ten are chosen for each group.
Seeing that the demand for a cappella groups drastically outweighed the supply, Paul took it upon herself to create a new group, Shirley Tempos.
“There is always a demand for more a cappella groups on campus with the popularity of interest,” Paul said.
Paul created the all-female group to give girls a greater opportunity to be involved in a cappella. Elon has two co-ed a cappella groups, two all-male and only one all-female group. Paul said it seemed natural to create another all-female group to even out the playing field.
“The length of this process has been hard, but it has only reassured the dedication of those still involved in getting this group started,” said Josie Sornson, junior and vice president of The Shirley Tempos.
This semester has presented extra challenges for Paul and Sornson in jumpstarting the organization. Paul said they were unable to attend the Organization Fair after it was rescheduled. In addition, the disruptive weather prevented many girls from auditioning.
Despite this, Paul said she remains positive.
“Our group may end up being smaller this spring than the other a cappella groups, but that’s so that there are more spots open for next fall’s auditions,” she said.
After dedicating time and effort into the formation of the Shirley Tempos, Paul said she does not want the group to be just another voice in the background. She plans on making her group stand out by singing a wider variety of songs, some popular and some she expects many people will not know.
“Though we will still be doing popular songs, we want to throw a twist into the mix so that people aren’t comparing our group to the original singers,” Paul said.
The Shirley Tempos have not set any performance dates, but they will have at least one this semester as the group develops.
“[We want] to bring together a great group of girls with a common passion for singing so that we can all grow together through our experiences and build each other up,” Sornson said.