If you have ever seen the movie “Pitch Perfect,” you may be familiar with the world of a capella. On campus, Tonal Eclipse is an a capella group that harmonizes together. Member Emma Skaggs explains more about the world of a capella and her experience being involved in the group.
What is Tonal Eclipse and what is a capella?
“Tonal Eclipse is BGSU’s only competitive mixed a capella group. We compete at the International Championship of Collegiate a Cappella and also perform all over in invitationals and invited gigs. A cappella is essentially a chorus, but we are the instruments. Lower voices and a vocal percussionist create the foundation of our sound, and the higher voices usually sing the melody and higher harmonies. The groups are generally small in size and the only sounds we make come from our mouths.”
How long have you been involved in Tonal Eclipse and what is your role within the organization?
“This is only my second year in Tonal Eclipse. As soon as I transferred to BGSU my junior year, the first thing I did was find out when auditions were for this group. I was so excited when I got in, it has been my favorite part about college so far. I serve as the group’s marketing manager and co-choreographer. I run our social media pages, as well as help create our competition set.”
What does your typical schedule look like for the a cappella group?
“We rehearse twice a week, Wednesdays and Sundays and tend to have at least one gig a month. This past month has been hectic. Over the course of two weeks, we visited two universities to perform in invitationals and our group performed at a local mall this past weekend. When the second semester hits, we hit the ground running with preparing our choreography for our competition set and compete around February.”
Have you always had a passion for singing? What interested you in joining Tonal Eclipse when coming to BGSU?
“I have been involved in choir and theater since I was in fourth grade. I have always felt at home in a chorus classroom and found another passion of mine which is musical theater. In 2020, I made my professional theater debut and musicals continue to be one of my biggest passions. “Pitch Perfect” is my all-time favorite movie and I love to sing and dance. There is no better way to combine these passions than to do a cappella. I stalked the group on Instagram before I even came to BGSU and knew I had to at least audition.”
What is your favorite memory with Tonal Eclipse?
“My favorite memory with the group is last year when we came off the stage at a competition and cried tears of joy in the snow. As corny as it sounds, it was a moment I will remember forever. We knew we did the absolute best that we could and we felt at that moment that all of our hard work had paid off.”
Why should people join Tonal Eclipse?
“Tonal Eclipse is like a family and it is an opportunity to travel, sing, and compete without having to major in music.”
If students would like more information about the organization, who can they contact?
“Please feel free to directly message me through the Tonal Eclipse social media pages (@tonaleclipse_bg) or to email us at [email protected] if you have any questions. We would love to hear from you and we’d love to sing at your event, too.”
Lastly, is your experience similar to Pitch Perfect? Does Pitch Perfect accurately portray a cappella?
“Yes. Some of the outdated and insensitive jokes in the film probably wouldn’t pass in 2022. They aren’t as realistic but the excitement and adrenaline that is present in our performances is portrayed very well in the movie.”
