UPDATE!

Big news, everybody (and by everybody I mean the 8 people that might ever read this). My a'capella group (Pitch, Please!) won the competition on Saturday. It was unexpected and wonderful and we were all crying and now we're moving on to Semifinals. The competition was an all-day event. Our MD (musical director) Shams told us to be there at 3PM... and then didn't show up 'till after 4 (when we were apparently supposed to arrive). Anyway, we hung around for a while and then went through the process of drawing numbers to determine the order of the performances. We drew 4th out of 9..a fairly safe spot, but not ideal. Everybody wants to be in the last half so the judges remember you, or at least in spot 5 right before intermission, but 4 wasn't bad. At least it wasn't first. Anyway, because we are an all female group, we spent years beautifying. Of course, everybody who has naturally curly hair straightened it, and everybody with straight hair curled theirs. Looking back, we could've achieved the same ratio with a lot less work, but it was worth it. Once we were actually on stage, it was unreal. The auditorium was huge, and I could see a few members from NEU's other a'capella group "The Nor'easters" in the front row. I spent half the set singing straight to them. My sister and her boyf (and his friend) were there too, but they were in the 2nd balcony and there was no way I could see them (but I'm sure I could hear them). Anyway, there were a few minor errors, but everything went as planned. My dance partner almost face planted but caught herself just in time. She was sure she was about to ruin the whole set but disaster never came. We hit that last pose after the Destiny's Child classic "Survivor" and could've stayed there forever. So many hours of rehearsal all went to those 12 minutes, and we killed it. Half of us were holding back tears. We heard the groups in the 2nd group were really good (we couldn't watch from the audience because the show was sold out) and were worried we wouldn't advance. The top two teams move on, so we were just hoping for 2nd, and would've been happy with 3rd. While everybody waited for the judges to deliberate, all 9 groups gathered in our dressing room area and sang a few impromptu songs, did the harlem shake a couple times, and had rap battles. It was straight out of a movie. Eventually we all made it back up onstage, and the judges started by announcing 3rd. We were a little relieved it wasn't us, but more nervous. Then they announced second.. and we were starting to panic. We were REAL worried we wouldn't place. When they finally got around to announcing first place, I didn't even know how to contain myself or express what it felt like. I tried to be gracious, but everybody was so genuinely excited that it was hard to hold back from crying and hugging everybody... so we did. We cried our way through an encore, and finished off the night with a huge group harlem shake. It was a night I'll never forget. Now, we're preparing for semifinals. If we don't advance again, so be it. I'll work hard again 'till that night, but for right now, I'm still riding the euphoria.

Pitches, Pitches.

As a few friends have informed me, I really need to update this blog. A lot has happened since my last post. I'm a college student at Northeastern University now, living in Boston and dealing with things like weird accents and crazy snowstorms. I've been taking one music class per semester. First it was Music Industry 1- where I learned all about a lot of boring (but probably important) rules and regulations of the industry. I could probably draft a publishing contract, and I have memorized copyright law and registration procedures. Let's be real, the content was awful. This semester, I'm taking "Making a Musical," and it's one of the hardest classes I have. I am constantly seeing shows and writing up analytical essays, writing lyrics to weird songs (about snow, turtles, etc.), and studying the history of Broadway. Nobody told me classes about music would be so insane/intense. On a much more important note, I am in an all female a'capella group called Pitch, Please! (exclamation point included). I stumbled into this group (by way of kidnapping), and after a stressful audition in September, I was in. I'm not sure I realized how taxing or exhilarating the world of a'capella could be. If anybody has seen Pitch Perfect... that is my life. In fact, we were accepted (by form of audition video) into the ICCA's (International Championship of Collegiate A'capella) this fall, and the competition is this Saturday. I've been at 4-hour rehearsals every night this week. We have a 12 minute set planned--with a lot of choreography included. There's so much more to a'capella than singing. First, these girls are amazing. They are all talented and gorgeous and they're becoming my best friends. There is no better feeling than nailing a song onstage with these girls by my side. Tonight, we finished rehearsal with our signature song "Titanium." It was a productive night, and we felt so good we were jumping up and down by the end of the song, all laughter and smiles. Then, there are the outfits. We wear black and gold, and have these unbelievable golden sparkly pumps that are about 6 inches tall. We've learned to love them, and force ourselves to sing in them every rehearsal. The first day, we only lasted 7 minutes. One girl Caitlin kept getting foot cramps, and our toes were turning blue. Now, we stay in them for hours on end.. but I'm convinced it hurts just as bad. Lastly, there's the dancing. I am proud to be a "featured dancer," meaning I (and a couple other girls) have these awesome dance breaks in the middle of our set. It's a little unconventional, but we're a brand new all-female group, so I guess we're just trying to make a name for ourselves. Anyway, the heels make the dances virtually impossible, and we've all had our fair share of stumbles. So right now, it's 3AM post-rehearsal, and I should be getting some sleep before Saturday. I'm getting over laryngitis, and I want to be able to actually sing. But I'll be around. 'Till next time.