It is great news that you’re planning to start a group. It can be hard work but it’s certainly one of the most rewarding things you can do. In our experience there’s a lot to do in the early weeks and you’ll need to separate the “must do” from the “nice to do – maybe in a few months’ time”. A broad project plan would be:
- Find your singers (don’t be afraid to start off with just a few friends – more will join)
- Choose an initial repertoire (making sure not to breach copyright)
- Determine a location/format for rehearsals
- Brand yourselves: Pick a name/logo/outfit
- Launch on social media/website
- Produce teach tracks (unless all your singers are incredible sight readers)
- Find performance opportunities
- Produce a constitution/elect a committee/run an AGM
- Get public liability insurance (just in case)
- Recruit/review repertoire/rehearse/perform
- Repeat 10 indefinitely
Some useful resources to assist with these:
How to lead an a cappella group
Starting an a cappella group (CASA pdf)
Producing an a cappella CD (quite technical)
Brad Stephenson – producer of surprisingly good custom song arrangements at very reasonable prices
A Cappella Arranging (if you want to produce your own arrangements)
www.makingmusic.org.uk/ - useful site for insurance, constitution and other resources
https://www.londonacappellafestival.com/ - UK’s leading a cappella festival – great for inspiration