A group of high school students starts singing in perfect harmony. Sara Hoefer guides them through a capella renditions of songs including Leonard Cohens Hallelujah and Taylor Swifts You Belong with Me. Is it an episode of "Glee?" No, its a preview of Fridays concert at Fairfields Tomlinson Middle School.
Groups from Fairfield Ludlowe High School, Fairfield Warde High School and Fairfield's three middle schools will take the stage Friday for A Capella Night. Sara, a music teacher at Tomlinson, said shes seen interest in the noninstrumental musical style grow over the eight years she has been in Fairfield even among the guys.
Its the cool thing to do, Sara says. A lot of [the guys] are football players, and take of their helmets and sing the National Anthem. Its not the geeky thing to do.
Ludlowe now hosts two a capella groups. Close Harmony is the more established group, founded at about the time Sara came to the district. And recently she started A Capella Too, made up of underclassmen working their way up to Close Harmony.
A Capellas popularity in recent years is clear from Friday nights special guest performers. Two Ludlowe graduates have brought their collegiate groups to town for the performance, from the University of Delaware and Muhlenberg College. The college groups will also pop by middle school classes throughout the day to help teach the younger kids.
Now were starting to hear from kids telling us theyre joining groups at college and arranging the music themselves, Sara says. So we hope we can keep that going and keep bringing them back.
A Capella Night starts at 7 p.m. Friday in the auditorium at Tomlinson Middle School, 200 Unquowa Road.
Have you heard Fairfields a capella groups before? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
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