Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Abstract
For my exploring culture assignment I decided to study the Acapella group the AcoUstikats on
the University of Kentuckys campus. They are widely known for their outstanding Acapella and
performance abilities, and may have previously been seen on NBCs the Sing-Off. I was
intrigued by this particular culture, because of the immense growth and popularity of Acapella
singing within the last couple of years. Its really quite phenomenal and I personally was curious
to see what Acapella singing was all about and the amount of work put into it. Although Im not
a part of this culture specifically, its easy for me to relate to the appreciation for making music
vocally as I sang for two choral groups in my high school. However, choir and singing as an
Acapella group is quite different so I wanted to compare and contrast my culture from the
AcoUstikats. My paper not only focuses on Acapella singing but also every aspect that could
possibly go into it such as performance, music, its challenges, and also its immense popularity
growth.
For my third and final draft I made a few slight changes. I wanted my culture essay to be
more personalized, so I added a quote to my conclusion that I used during my speech. It was a
quote I felt summarized that summarized Acapella or the music culture as a whole, and was
something I believe would stick with my audience. I also went back and added some additional
information from my interview. I found that I had originally ran out of time writing my first
final draft that I hadnt had the chance to use all the information that I had wanted to. I made
sure to add what I thought my audience would have found most intriguing and enjoyed during
my culture speech presentation. Otherwise, I didnt tweak too much more. I felt in what I now
have completely written I would be able to fully get my point across in a fun and intriguing way.
Many know Acapella singing to be the typical Barber Shop Quartet. You might picture a
group of four middle aged men singing worn down tunes along with very distinct and drawn out
voice parts. However, what it is that people dont know is that a majority of the Acapella music
we hear today has been focused around college groups across the U.S. The Acapella culture has
been put into the hands and minds of young adults who have transformed Acapella singing and
performance into something the culture has never even been close to being. I for one was lucky
enough to explore this unique culture with a very well-known and thought of group on the
University of Kentuckys campus the AcoUstikats.
Who are the AcoUstikats?
The AcoUstikats were founded in the year of 1993 by Dr. Jefferson Johnson used mainly as a
subsection of the University of Kentuckys mens chorus (listen now). The group was
established as an all-male Acapella ensemble consisting of about 10 men total. Traditionally the
group along with many others sang old school Anthems and classic songs. It wasnt until recent
years that Acapella music exploded with songs ranging from Pop to R&B. Following this new
and exciting trend of vocal singing the AcoUstikats managed to land themselves a s pot on
NBCs TV show The Sing-off in December of 2013. A show in which ten specially chosen
Acapella groups had the chance to compete for a $100,000 prize as well as a Sony Music
Recording Contract (listen now). The groups immense talent and success on the show has
allowed them even more opportunities to sing in a variety of different venues across the country.
After the Sing-off had aired the AcoUstikats were split into two separate groups; the Procats
or professional group and the Schoolcats who perform here at the University of Kentucky as
well as around Lexington, KY. For my culture assignment I was able to interview an AcoUstikat
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References
Acoustikat Interview with Evan Pulliam [Personal interview]. (n.d.).
Acoustikat Interview with Patrick Fiddler [Personal interview]. (n.d.).
Meet The acoUstiKats - Part 1. (2013, December 9). Retrieved October 19, 2014, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tm0EWgsnO-M
Tolentino, J. (2009, July 12). The History of A cappella. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
A cappella. (2014, October 18). Retrieved October 20, 2014.
Johnson, J. (2010, October 19). The nerd turns: A cappella singers suddenly the popular kids on
campus. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
Acapella. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2014.
Listen Now. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2014.