With the musical show “Glee” and movie “Pitch Perfect,” singing and a cappella groups have started to rise and become more popular among all walks of life. Want to see that fun, music experience live and help out a good cause?
Moorestown High School’s Interact Club is hosting the third annual Acappella for Autism show on April 25 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Moorestown High School. This is an interscholastic singing competition created to benefit the nonprofit organization Autism New Jersey. Seven high school a cappella groups from the area will compete for several awards in this exciting musical night.
“The show serves three purposes. It provides a way for local high school a cappella clubs to perform, raise money for Autism New Jersey and raise awareness of autism for Autism Awareness Month,” said Jessica Fan, MHS junior and Acappella for Autism committee member.
Three years ago, Acappella for Autism was started after the Interact Club did a talent show for many years and wanted to do something new. It wanted to get more people and high schools from the area involved for a good cause.
“We decided to try something new and involve more high schools within the area. So basically, high school a cappella groups come from around the area, and they compete against each other. It is a competition as well as a performance,” Fan said.
The seven high schools performing this year are Moorestown, Cherry Hill East, Baptist Regional, Hun School of Princeton, Abraham Clark, Germantown Friends and Highland Regional. “Deep Treble,” a college group from Rutgers, will also be performing.
Based on the International Championship of High School A Cappella, all the high school groups perform contemporary/pop-music a cappella in a mixture of fun and entertaining compositions and performances. The groups compete to win awards in categories as well as the grand prize of best overall performance. Categories include group size awards, best choreography, best soloist and best vocal percussionist.
“It’s really unique. The groups are usually really on point. It’s really entertaining, and you can get a feel for what a cappella is. I think that it has been branded as a geeky thing, but ‘Glee’ and ‘Pitch Perfect’ showed that it is a really cool thing,” said Maia Mirchandani, MHS senior and Acappella for Autism committee member.
While the judges tally their votes is when Deep Treble will perform. Also during the competition, there will be a representative from Autism New Jersey to talk about the organization and autism. Concessions will be for sale during intermission, and those proceeds will also benefit Autism New Jersey.
“It is for a good cause, and it is really interesting to see how all the groups put together their music. It is like an introduction to the a cappella world and the music world in general. Most people are moved by music, and I hope they feel moved to come. The groups are really good,” Mirchandani said.
This is one of Interact Club’s major events for the year. Last year, the club was able to donate $5,600, and it hopes to do the same or better this year. Tickets are $10 and can be bought online at www.showtix4u.com or at the door. Tickets sold out last year, and the Acappella for Autism committee is hopeful to do so again, so be sure to get tickets in advance. Ordering early will allow for good seating as well, as tickets are reserved.
“We keep increasing, and we hope to keep cutting down on costs and getting more donations for Autism New Jersey. If we sell out again this year, we might look for another, bigger venue next year,” Fan said.
Before the performance, Acappella for Autism is also holding a fundraiser on Friday, April 17 at Jersey Mike’s Subs, when 20 percent of the proceeds made from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on that Friday will go toward Acappella for Autism.
“We had the fundraiser there last year. Their subs are really good,” Mirchandani said.
To learn more, visit www.facebook.com/AcappellaForAutism.
For more information on Autism New Jersey, visit www.autismnj.org/mission.
Editor’s Note: There was a mistake in the print version of this article in the April 15 Moorestown Sun. The print version says the event is based on the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella. It is supposed to be the International Championship of High School A Cappella. This article reflects this change.
