Student Voices: What We Learned About A Cappella Music

Last month in the Music Lab, students explored A Cappella—music made only with the human voice. They listened to different performances, watched videos, and learned pieces of history. Their observations were thoughtful, honest, and often very detailed. Below is what they noticed in their own words.

What Students Heard in A Cappella Music

Only Voices — No Instruments

Many students quickly noticed that A Cappella has no traditional instruments at all.
“No traditional instruments used—just body and human voice.” — Aleksander S.
“No instruments are used.” — Kristofer S.
“They only used voices.” — Wynn F.
“It was all mouth singing like beat boxing.” — Olly C.
“Non-instrumental.” — Haley N.
“No instruments.” — Aaron RT.

Some students also pointed out that voices can copy the sound of instruments:
“Vocals can mimic different instruments.” — Sebastian A.
“They made instrument sounds with noises.” — Lukas S.

Layers of Voices Working Together

Students heard how each part of the group adds something different.
“Each part has a different pitch (bass, tenor, soprano).” — Nubung R.
“Need multiple voices.” — Penelope H.
“You need different types of people to hit different vocal ranges.” — Sebastian A.
“They all sang together but at different times.” — Beatrice V.

Another common idea was how well the voices blended:
“I liked how different voices blended together.” — Hayden C.
“They sing very on-key.” — Aaron RT.

Sebastian V. described group roles clearly:
“There were 2 or 3 main singers, 1 person doing sound effects, and 1 person singing deep notes.”

Beatboxing, Sound Effects, and Vocal Creativity

Another big discovery was beatboxing and mouth-made percussion.
“They used beat boxing.” — Kristofer S.
“Beat boxing instead of music.” — Penelope H.
“At least one person needed to beatbox for percussion.” — Nubung R.

Covers, Lyrics, and Song Choices

Students enjoyed hearing songs they already knew.
One song was from the Coco movie. — Owen C.
Another was a holiday song, Carol of the Bells. — Owen C.
“Each song was a cover of an existing song.” — Nubung R.
“I liked the lyrics about friendship.” — Wynn F.

Students also noticed how expressive the singers were:
“They act with their voices.” — Ellie M.

They paid attention to performance details as well:
“One song had background colors changing rapidly.” — Owen C.
“I liked the moves. Some of them were spins.” — Wynn F.
“They wear fancy clothes.” — Beatrice V.

Observations About Group Size and Roles

Some students saw larger groups, while others saw small ones.
“In each song, there were 4 or more people singing.” — Aeson H.
“You don’t need a large group for A Cappella.” — Sebastian A.

Students also pointed out how roles can differ:
“There’s usually one person who sang more and the others were doing the background.” — Ellie M.
“At least one person needed to beatbox for percussion.” — Nubung R.

A few students even noticed performance challenges:
“The audience can sometimes make it hard to harmonize.” — Aeson H.
“Strangers were singing with them.” — Aeson H.

History Moments the Students Discovered

Students learned that A Cappella has a very long history.
“A Cappella started in the church and monks would chant it.” — Ellie M.
“A Capella originated from stuff they did in religious churches.” — Haley N.
“A Capella has been around since the 13th century.” — Olly C.
“A capella has been around a long time.” — Kristofer S.

They also learned how barbershop fits into the story.
“It started in barbershops.” — Sebastian V.
“Barbershop is part of A Capella.” — Haley N.
“There used to be barbershop music. Barbershop is sung by a quartet.” — Owen S.
“Barbershop was a common classic in the 1950s and 1960s.” — Wynn F.

Students shared what the word itself means:
“A cappella means chapel in Italian.” — Sebastian V.
“A Capella in Italian means cathedral.” — Ellie M.
“Definition of A Capella is just singing.” — Ellie M.

They also noticed how wide the style can stretch.
“A cappella can be many different genres.” — Wynn F.
“A cappella has been done in all genres.” — Kristofer S.
“Any song can be acapella.” — Noah G.
“Some music almost sounds like yodeling.” — Owen C.

One student connected it to personal growth:
“A Capella singing helps ear training and confidence.” — Owen S.

A Final Note: Students Really Paid Attention

Even smaller details stood out during the lessons.
“It’s not all words.” — Haley N.
“Some were very high-pitched.” — Noelle
“A lot of them were in 4-piece harmony.” — Noelle
“The drum section sounds interesting in certain parts.” — Nora W., comparing her video
“They weren’t going up and down at the same time.” — Ellie M.

All together, the comments show how closely students listened. Their reflections highlight the creativity of A Cappella and the many ways voices can join together to make something big, colorful, and exciting—without using a single instrument.

Student Voices: What We Learned About A Cappella Music

Last month in the Music Lab, our students spent time exploring A Cappella—music created entirely with the human voice. They listened to performances, watched videos, and learned a bit of history. Their observations were thoughtful, funny, and surprisingly detailed. Here’s what they noticed, in their own words.

What Students Heard in A Cappella Music

Only Voices — No Instruments

Many students immediately recognized that A Cappella uses no traditional instruments at all.
“No traditional instruments used—just body and human voice.” — Aleksander S.
“No instruments are used.” — Kristofer S.
“They only used voices.” — Wynn F.
“It was all mouth singing like beat boxing.” — Olly C.
“Non-instrumental.” — Haley N.
“No instruments.” — Aaron RT.

Some students noticed that voices can even stand in for instruments:
“Vocals can mimic different instruments.” — Sebastian A.
“They made instrument sounds with noises.” — Lukas S.

Layers of Voices Working Together

Students picked up on how A Cappella groups blend different parts and ranges:
“Each part has a different pitch (bass, tenor, soprano).” — Nubung R.
“Need multiple voices.” — Penelope H.
“You need different types of people to hit different vocal ranges.” — Sebastian A.
“They all sang together but at different times.” — Beatrice V.
“There were 2 or 3 main singers, 1 person doing sound effects, and 1 person singing deep notes.” — Sebastian V.

Several students noticed how well the voices came together:
“I liked how different voices blended together.” — Hayden C.
“They sing very on-key.” — Aaron RT.

Beatboxing, Sound Effects, and Vocal Creativity

A favorite discovery was that A Cappella groups use beatboxing and sounds made with the mouth to replace drums and instruments:
“They used beat boxing.” — Kristofer S.
“Beat boxing instead of music.” — Penelope H.
“At least one person needed to beatbox for percussion.” — Nubung R.

Covers, Lyrics, and Song Choices

Students enjoyed recognizing familiar songs:
One song was the Coco movie theme. — Owen C.
One was a holiday song, Carol of the Bells. — Owen C.
“Each song was a cover of an existing song.” — Nubung R.
“I liked the lyrics about friendship.” — Wynn F.

They also noticed how expressive the singers were:
“They act with their voices.” — Ellie M.

And some paid attention to details like visuals and performance style:
“One song had background colors changing rapidly.” — Owen C.
“I liked the moves. Some of them were spins.” — Wynn F.
“They wear fancy clothes.” — Beatrice V.

Observations About Group Size and Roles

Students disagreed a bit—some saw large groups, others saw small ones:
“In each song, there were 4 or more people singing.” — Aeson H.
“You don’t need a large group for A Cappella.” — Sebastian A.

They also noticed that different people take different roles:
“There’s usually one person who sang more and the others were doing the background.” — Ellie M.
“At least one person needed to beatbox for percussion.” — Nubung R.

Some even pointed out challenges performers face:
“The audience can sometimes make it hard to harmonize.” — Aeson H.
“Strangers were singing with them.” — Aeson H.

History Moments the Students Discovered

Students learned that A Cappella has a long history, stretching back to early vocal music:
“A Cappella started in the church and monks would chant it.” — Ellie M.
“A Capella originated from stuff they did in religious churches.” — Haley N.
“A Capella has been around since the 13th century.” — Olly C.
“A capella has been around a long time.” — Kristofer S.

They also connected it to barbershop singing:
“It started in barbershops.” — Sebastian V.
“Barbershop is part of A Capella.” — Haley N.
“There used to be barbershop music. Barbershop is sung by a quartet.” — Owen S.
“Barbershop was a common classic in the 1950s and 1960s.” — Wynn F.

And some learned what the word means:
“A cappella means chapel in Italian.” — Sebastian V.
“A Capella in Italian means cathedral.” — Ellie M.
“Definition of A Capella is just singing.” — Ellie M.

Others absorbed how broad the style can be:
“A cappella can be many different genres.” — Wynn F.
“A cappella has been done in all genres.” — Kristofer S.
“Any song can be acapella.” — Noah G.
“Some music almost sounds like yodeling.” — Owen C.

One student even noticed personal growth benefits:
“A Capella singing helps ear training and confidence.” — Owen S.

A Final Note: Students Really Paid Attention

Even small observations stood out:
“It’s not all words.” — Haley N.
“Some were very high-pitched.” — Noelle
“A lot of them were in 4-piece harmony.” — Noelle
“The drum section sounds interesting in certain parts.” — Nora W., when comparing her video to A Cappella
“They weren’t going up and down at the same time.” — Ellie M.

Together, these comments show how observant students can be when engaging with a new style of music. Their reflections highlight the creativity of A Cappella. They show the many ways voices can come together to create something big, bold, and memorable. This is all achieved without a single instrument in sight.