So you’ve sung the standards, and know many other group’s biggest songs. Now what? Learn how to take your group’s unique strengths and interests and build them into a style that’s all your own. We’ll address musical style as well as visual and performance style. Before you know it other groups will be singing your songs!

I) Group Composition
a) Number of parts
b) Male/Female/Mixed
c) Current Genres

EXERCISE: List as many groups as you can who have the same or similar group composition. How do they define themselves? What do they do well? What limitations do they have?

II) Parameters
a) Vocal Ranges
b) Soloists
c) Internal Music Creativity (arranging and composing)
d) Precision vs. Looseness
e) Strictness vs. Improvisation
f) Age
g) Appearance
h) Best genres & worst genres
i) Stage Presence,Charisma,Choreography

EXERCISE: Consider each of the 9 criteria above as it pertains to your group. When you’ve completed all 9, consider: what pre existing styles seem as though they’d work for your group?

III) Goals
a) Money
b) Fame
c) Respect
d) Quantity of Performing &Touring
e) Quantity of Recording
f) Fun
g) Uniqueness

EXERCISE: As difficult as it may be, rank the following 7 goals in order of their importance to you. When you get a chance, have each member of your group rank them individually, compare your results, and then come up with a single ranking that will determine your group’s agreed upon goal hierarchy.

IV) Preferences and Favorites
a) Favorite musical styles
b) Favorite musical artists
c) Favorite vocal/a cappella groups

EXERCISE: Choose one of your favorite musicians/musical groups. Using only artists who pre-dated, consider each element of that artist and where each  influence came from.

V) Conclusions
a) Musical style
b) Lyrical content
c) Look/image
d) Business focus

EXERCISE: Considering everything above, design your dream group. What music would you sing? What would it be about? How would you look and be perceived by your fans and the media? What would the business focus of your group be?

EXERCISE: Now, considering the reality of the people you’re currently singing with, design your “dream reality” group. How does that differ from your current group?

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