This year, the Archie Williams music department has founded a new a cappella group. Led by vocal coach Liz Whitney and Archie Williams Music Director Mario Aparicio, the group rehearses on Tuesdays and Thursdays during lunch with only vocalists, allowing students with different vocal ranges to collaborate without instrumentalists. The group looks to provide students of all skill levels with the opportunity to improve their vocal skills and enrich their involvement in music.
Aparcio hopes this group gives all students, including those who are not a part of music classes at Archie Williams, the ability to pursue an interest in singing in a new environment.
“The inspiration for this was to allow students to sing in a group where they’re not in a rock band or in the jazz band, but rather just a cappella style,” Aparicio said. “There are a lot of students at the school that are not taking a music class, and this just gives them the chance to still sing and keep music going in their lives.”
The group is open to all students regardless of past musical experience; however, many participants have prior experience in music. Many have taken the Performance Workshop (PW) class at Archie Williams or have had other extracurricular musical experiences, such as Archie Williams junior Hanaleia Lavie.
“I’ve been doing singing lessons for about three years, and then one of my friends said that this is happening, and so I showed up, and I actually really like it,” Hanaleia said. “Since I wasn’t in PW this year, I wanted to still be involved with music at Archie [Williams] and I think that [the] a cappella group is a really good way [to do so].”
Archie Williams senior Audrey Bruns, a student of Archie Williams’ Team Academy, an outdoor education program for upperclassmen, joined the a capella because she was unable to participate in PW or another music class due to scheduling conflicts.
“It was really sad because joining Team made it so I couldn’t join any of the music stuff at the school, so I was glad that [the a cappella group] came up,” Audrey said.
A handful of Archie Williams students have been anticipating an a cappella group, including senior Cass Lein, the group’s student president.
“I thought [the a cappella group’s formation] was going to happen last year as a class, and then I saw this bright green poster on the wall and thought, ‘Oh my God, it’s finally happening!’” Cass said.
The group is still finalizing a name and actively seeking new members. They have yet to perform, but are looking to do so in the winter holiday season and, in preparation, are learning songs including “Carol of the Bells” and “Let it Snow.”
This new addition to the music program broadens the possibilities for Archie Williams students to connect through music as they prepare for their debut performance. The group has not yet set a definite date for their first concert, but they are looking to perform in December 2025.
