Sigma Alpha Iota

singing out loud SING continued from page 13 perform with other amazing artists. To go on The Sing-Off and do what we do on this national platform and share it with multiple people has been amazing. PP: How was Afro-Blue chosen to perform on The Sing-Off? A-B: Members of the group watched the show through Seasons 1 and 2. The group had a chance to perform in NY with the Grammywinning a cappella jazz group, Take 6, and did a workshop with them. Afterward, Cedric Dent from Take 6 kept in contact with the director and mentioned Afro-Blue's name to the producers of The Sing-Off. The producers decided to contact the group, and after making and submitting an audition tape, Afro-Blue was selected to perform on Season 3 of The Sing-Off. PP: What does the group have to do on a weekly basis to prepare for each week's performances? A-B: Each group on The Sing-Off is presented with a music challenge, such as a particular genre or medley of songs to perform. After receiving our challenge, Afro-Blue would rehearse every day, all day until the performance. We spent a lot of time together, and we loved it! PP: What do you think is the biggest challenge that Afro-Blue faces when performing? A-B: The main challenge is not to overthink the music. PP: What is the most difficult part of performing your music a cappella? A-B: It's difficult to try to stay unified. You need to be able to feel each other, hear the keys, and rhythmically be one body. It's hard when you don't have any electronic constants to keep you together because you're relying on your inner abilities both individually and as a group. PP: What has it been like working with Sara Bareilles, Ben Folds, and Shawn Stockman? A-B: It was amazing! They are so inspiring as individual artists. We all grew up listening to Boyz II Men, and to be interacting with a member of the group (Stockman) was amazing. Sara Bareilles is a wonderful songwriter, and Ben Folds is a great musician. They are all are very down to earth. PP: In the first episode, did the judges give you any specific advice or criticism that you found particularly useful or helpful? A-B: The judges could really tell that we love 14 PAN PIPES FALL 2011 sai-national.org Afro-Blue is a vocal jazz ensemble from Howard University. what we do, and they liked that it was smooth jazz. It was great to hear that we came across as happy and relaxed as a group. They also said that the music was accessible, and it was encouraging to know that America can hear about what we bring to the table through our performances. PP: What have you learned from performing on The Sing-Off so far? A-B: Music is more than notes, rhythms, and accuracy. All of the groups on the show sound good, but somebody has to be eliminated each week. The human touch that each group brings to the performance is really important. Music is a universal language, and when you get into the technical aspect, you need to connect with the audience in addition to being good and sounding good. Don't let your high standards become an obsession. You need to be able to appreciate individual people and individual sounds as well as each person's role within the group. We learned to open ourselves up to be more vulnerable, and that is really great for the performance. The Sing-Off shows the world that music is music, and that there are elements to every genre and style that can be appreciated as such. PP: Do you have any upcoming CD releases or tours? Mitchell Haaseth/NBC A-B:We will be performing at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. on 11/11/11 as part of Jazz on the Elevens: A Tribute to Billy Taylor. He was a jazz educator and pianist, and AfroBlue worked with him a lot over the last few years. Our latest CD is a tribute to him and the Kennedy Center is holding a tribute concert in his honor. (Editor's note: Dr. Taylor served as the Kennedy Center's Artistic Director for Jazz since 1994.) There are two CDs, Afro-Blue: It's A Matter of Pride (2009) and Afro-Blue: Freedom in Song (2008), which are available on cdbaby.com. Also, our first performance on The Sing-Off, "Put Your Records On," is available on iTunes. PP: Do you have a website? A-B: You can find us on Facebook at facebook. com/AfroBlueSingOff, and follow us on Twitter as @AfroBlueDC. PP: Is there anything else you would like to share with our PAN PIPES readers? A-B:Make sure to tune in to The Sing-Off, Mondays 8/7c on NBC! We're really excited about this season and are very fortunate to be a part of this show. We hope you enjoy our performances!

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