Music takes many forms on campus, but the University’s two a cappella groups stand out, using only their voices to make music come to life. No Strings Attached and Tune In bring a unique sound and style to every performance.
No Strings Attached, the University’s first co-ed a cappella group, has 20 members of various majors and backgrounds and covers songs from every genre and time period. For them, a cappella offers a unique experience compared to typical musical performances, as it truly emphasizes a group dynamic and requires teamwork.
“It’s way more impactful when you can grow and learn and make something beautiful with other people,” said James Merchant, a junior studying civil engineering and president of No Strings Attached. “We’re all taking our voices, which are inherent and very meaningful to us, and working together to cultivate something bigger than all our individual voices.”
United by their love of music, members of No Strings Attached share a bond on and off the stage through activities such as going to see movies, hosting football watch parties and dinners and having twice-weekly practices. Liam Hoxsie, a junior studying finance and vice president of No Strings Attached, described the group as tight-knit.
“One of our pillars of No Strings Attached is developing our community. We try to have a lot of social gatherings outside of rehearsal time so that we can all become friends,” Hoxsie said. “It’s cool to meet a bunch of people from all over with different ideas and going down different paths, but all focusing on one thing.”
No Strings Attached holds one concert every semester in the Moody Music Building in December and April. To prepare for a new semester’s performance, the group chooses songs for its set, which students vote on and arrange.
“We just came from being very comfortable and singing the same songs for a really long time, so much that we were able to perform them well,” said Allie Besing, a sophomore majoring in economics and finance and treasurer of No Strings Attached. “Now we’re starting all over and going back to square one, because although I love all the songs we sing, it’s so fun to get new ones.”
During their performances, No Strings Attached creates special moments between themselves and their audiences that are unlike any others through interaction. Merchant said music is a powerful tool that can leave an impact on everyone involved.
“I just think there’s something so special about live music and live arts, to be able to access those deeper emotions and to be able to connect those in the audience,” Merchant said. “It unites everyone, and I think that’s really powerful at a time of a lot of discourse and disagreement and struggle to make connections.”
Tune In, the University’s second a cappella group, is also made up of students of all years and majors, but focuses its efforts on the competition stage and in the recording studio, in addition to its concerts. Faith Kirkland, a senior majoring in music and marketing, is music director for Tune In. She said that music is a way the group can “learn from one another.”
“Music is meant to be shared with and among other people,” Kirkland said. “You’re not only sharing it with an audience at your performance, but with each other, and you’re talking about the meaning, each other’s lives and how it’s a reflection of your own human experience.”
With the spring semester underway, Tune In will be taking part in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, which hosts hundreds of groups from around the world each year. Tune In’s competitive aspiration to be the first University of Alabama group to participate stemmed from its desire to represent the University and use its singing ability to do it.
“We looked around at each other and thought, ‘We have the talent to pull this off, we have the capabilities, so why not try?’” said Jacob Hanner, a sophomore studying psychology and treasurer of Tune In. “We sent our tape into the ICCA, and they accepted us, and that was really our first major way of differentiating ourselves on campus. We’re really excited about it.”
As they progress toward their goal, Tune In members rely on one another to reach their full potential. LaShana Palmer, a senior studying criminology and president of Tune In, said the opportunity to compete alongside fellow members after giving their all is “sentimental.”
“Everyone pitches in and puts their own little twist and spin on things, so we are really just a big group of collective voices,” Palmer said. “We’ve really been pouring our heart, soul and energy into this group. I love seeing it pay off and getting to reach our goal.”
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