By Zoe Crain
The halls are alive with the sound of music. Not in the all out “Glee” or “High School Musical” style, but occasionally, you will find a gaggle of students walking down the hall, humming harmonies under their breath. These are typically members of the PHS a cappella scene- extracurricular groups who spend countless hours arranging their own a cappella mixes and performing their set lists at Princeton High School and community events.
The a cappella movement at PHS branched out of the choir system. Today, four groups exist- Around 8, Cat’s Meow, Cloud 9 and The Testostertones. The groups sing specially arranged renditions of popular mainstream music- including Coldplay, Sara Bareilles and even The Lion King.
To earn a spot in one of the groups, a singer must go through a fairly competitive audition process. All of the groups typically only accept rising sophomores, juniors or seniors. Cat’s Meow and Around 8 both require potential members to be part of the PHS Choir, which has its own separate auditions.
Group auditions are held in the spring, and applicants perform a song of their choice for the current members. The potential members may be asked to perform scales, or to sight read a piece of music. During the auditions, each current member takes notes, and then the deliberation process begins. A small group of applicants are asked to return for callbacks, and an even smaller number is asked to join the group. Cloud Nine, for example, auditioned over 50 girls last spring, asked 10 to return, and accepted only 2. The number of new members that each group will select depends on a series of factors, including the number of seniors graduating. Despite Around 8 and Cat’s Meow’s PHS choir affiliation, the choir directors leave the actual selection process up to the student leaders.
The "initiation" process is also unique. Each of the groups have a special induction tradition- which can include waking up the new members in the middle of the night to serenade them, or baking personalized cakes.
Incentive to audition for the a cappella groups can come from many places- including family legacies. Senior Dan Taub, current leader of the all-boys group The Testostertones, was inspired to audition after watching his brother Ben (who graduated in 2008) sing for “The Tones.”
“While I was always fearful of the high school group of guys that would sometimes appear in my living room, I definitely eventually became involved through [group events] every year. Once I got to the high school, I knew that I really wanted to do all-male a cappella.
While there are a number of legacies within the a cappella society, inspiration can come simply from the unique experience of watching a performance. The groups really make an effort to draw in the audience- encouraging them to clap along with the beat, or singing songs that the audience can participate in. This level of connection between the singers and the observers first drew current co-leader of Cloud Nine to audition for a cappella.
"I first heard the groups at Spring Arch in June 2007, when I was an 8th grader. Frankly, the Testostertones’ Beatles medley was the performance that really made me feel like I had to be part of the a cappella scene: the choreography, the unbelievably fun vibe, and the musical quality combined is really poignant in my mind," said Cha.
Cat’s Meow’s co-leader, Rebecca Saltzman, had been determined to participate in a cappella since she started at PHS.
"I wanted to be in an a cappella group so much… that Emefa Agawu [co-leader of Around 8] and I started a ‘froshapella’ group… during freshman year. Although I didn’t get into a group my sophomore year, I kept auditioning until I was ready."
This dedication helps to inspire the amount of work and performances done by all four groups. They perform at school wide events- such as Fall Fest and Spring Fling (fundraising fairs for PHS clubs) as well as a cappella concerts. On the day before winter and summer breaks, they collaboratively host "Arch Sings," named for their venue- under the arch of one of Princeton High School’s front entrances.
These annual events have contributed to the tradition-rich place that a cappella holds in PHS culture.
"In the PHS community, many people recognize the beginning of winter break and summer with the traditional arch sings and almost every event at PHS has one of the groups singing," said Saltzman.
In recent years, the a cappella groups have expanded the range of events they perform at, helping to build their reputation in the local community.
Cloud Nine was featured on CN8 Television in 2009, as part of a winter special. The group, dressed in matching dresses and scarves, performed a medley of winter songs.
Together, all four of the groups participated at an a cappella event held this winter at the Princeton Public Library, in collaboration with groups from other local high schools, including Princeton Day School and The Hun School of Princeton.
The a cappella groups take on their own fundraising, mostly through CD sales. Each of the groups spends a session in a recording studio, and then releases a CD with their favorite songs from the year, which is then sold to adoring fans, and family members.
With four groups in one school- each with its own talent and style, some level of competition is to be expected. Different groups, however, have differing opinions on just how severe this competition can get.
“Each group has a unique style, and to compete would be like comparing apples and oranges,” said Saltzman. “There is no best group, and we have been able to come together as a community and really support each other.”
Cha has a different view.
“In the past, our group, as a group founded relatively recently, struggled through some tough conflicts with other groups’ and audiences’ perception of us, including some torn posters, bad reputation and negative prejudice- absolutely not because of any lack of quality, but simply because we were the youngest group.”
All of the groups do honor an agreement to not sing the same song as another group, reducing some of the competition around “who can sing it better.” Both girls do agree that the atmosphere has improved significantly this year, resulting in all the groups being able to come together to perform a carol ensemble at the annual Winter Arch Sing.
Despite what tensions may exist between groups, all of the student leaders report strong bonds and friendship between the members of their group.
“Although we spend a majority of our time focusing on the music, all of the girls become very close friends, and rehearsals are a fun and stress free experience,” said Saltzman.
Taub, being the head of PHS’s only all-male group, said that the camaraderie between the boys is unique from the other groups.
“Not to generalize about high school girls, but being in an all-male group is definitely good because there are rarely any real problems between members. When there are, we talk about them publicly and do not do any ‘behind the back’ kind of stuff.”
These bonds and friendships are easily viewed at performances. The singers feed off of each other’s energy and dance along to the music, resulting in a pleasant and entertaining experience for the audience. That fun energy is trademark of a cappella at PHS, and leaves their fans always ready to face the music.

