On Feb. 10, Lexington High School’s all-treble and mixed-voice a cappella groups Onomatopoeia and Peanut Butter & Jelly (PB&J) participated in the Wyvern A Cappella Festival, an annual festival and competition for high school a cappella groups.
“It was PB&J’s first time going to Wyvern, which was a great achievement for LHS a cappella. Since it was the first time a mixed a cappella group from LHS was able to participate in the festival, we wanted to make an outstanding first impression,” Aman Verma, a sophomore in PB&J, said.
The a cappella groups dedicated significant effort to preparing for the festival, by arranging songs and creating choreography to bring dimension to their performance. However, preparation did not come without obstacles.
“Preparing for the competition is a slightly stressful experience, but always worth it after the performance. We encountered some challenges with our choreography, which we switched up a couple of times, but I think it all worked out really well as I felt like our choreography was very thoughtful, powerful, and reflective of our arrangements,” Katherine Lim, a senior in Onomatopoeia, said.
Ultimately, the festival proved to be a success, with both groups gaining recognition for their performances.
“At the end of the day, it all worked out since we [PB&J] were able to get three awards from Wyvern. One for ‘Best Arrangement,’ one for ‘Best Choreography,’ and we were in second place overall,” Verma said.
The event also provided an opportunity for a cappella groups around New England to network and attend workshops hosted by professionals.
“We got to go to some really interesting workshops with a professional a cappella group and watched a college a cappella group from Trinity, the Dents, perform. There are very few times where we get to engage in a festival that celebrates a cappella to that caliber, so it was a great experience for the group,” Lim said.
Ultimately, the festival provided an excellent team bonding and musicianship experience for the a cappella groups to strengthen their sense of community.
“After the festival, PB&J and Onomatopoeia went to McDonald’s to celebrate our achievements. Shortly after, PB&J had a wonderful sleepover to spend more time with each other and congratulate how far we had come,” Verma said.
