8:33 a.m., March 10, 2010----The University of Delaware is home to seven recognized on-campus a cappella groups, which provide a musical outlet for students and listening pleasure for the campus community.

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“A cappella gives people who aren't necessarily music majors a chance to still enjoy singing and performing after high school,” explains Heather Starner of the Mel-U-Dees. “ Therefore, we are so lucky to have as many groups as we do to give that opportunity to more people.”

There are currently five co-ed groups including the Deltones, the Mel-U-Dees, Vocal Point, The Golden Blues, and Vision, a Christian co-ed a cappella group.

There is also an all-male group, the YChromes, and an all-female group, the D Sharps.

The oldest on-campus a cappella group, founded in 1988, is the Golden Blues. They focus on current popular music from a wide range of genres including, rock, rap and pop. They practice three times a week and hold a concert at the end of each semester. All of the songs they perform are arranged by their own members.

The Deltones started more than 20 years ago as a small group of students who liked to sing in the stairwell. Since then, they have grown into a group of approximately 15 to 20 members who live by the motto “friends first, singers second.”

“We all love music and work hard to put on a great show, but ultimately Deltones is more like a tight-knit family than a singing group,” President Allie Meyers says.

Currently, the Deltones are finalizing the recording of their seventh album, which should be available on iTunes later this spring.

Vocal Point started in 1998 as a group focused on 1980s music. Today, they consist of mostly non-music majors with a passion for singing. They have broken away from their original '80s focus and have covered artists such as Fiona Apple, Destiny's Child, Carrie Underwood and the Dave Matthews Band.

Vocal Point recently competed in the Intercollegiate Competition of College A Cappella (ICAA) and made it to the quarterfinals for the South division. President Lauren Wells says, “It was a lot of fun, and we worked really hard.”

Vocal Point will be holding its spring concert on May 7 at 8 p.m. in Mitchell Hall. Tickets are $2 for students and $5 for the general public.

Vision stands out from the others as the only Christian a cappella group on campus. According to member Julie Leinhauser, Vision strives to “combine vocal excellence with our faith to bring the Christian message to campus.”

Vision released its first album, Magnifield, in 2009. It features covers of the hit songs “Heaven” by Los Lonely Boys and “Only Hope” by Mandy Moore. Their annual concert will be held May 16 at 7 p.m. in the Scrounge at the Perkins Student Center.

The Mel-U-Dees were only recently recognized as an on-campus a cappella group in the fall of 2007; however, they are working to become “a force to be reckoned with on campus.”

They try to include humor and variety into their songs and performances. Some of their favorite songs to perform are “Ignition Remix” by R. Kelly and an “Under Pressure / Ice, Ice, Baby” remix. Their spring concert will be held May 16 at 2 p.m. in the Gore Recital Hall of the Roselle Center for the Arts.

Aside from the fact that the YChromes are UD's only all-male a cappella group, they stand out because of their tremendous alumni support base. The YChromes have over 80 active alumni from the past 15 years.

President Zach Schoepflin, an Honors Program student, explains, “The YChromes aren't just about singing. We are a friendship and a brotherhood that extends well beyond graduation.”

This year is the YChromes 15th anniversary and to commemorate this, they will be releasing a new album at their spring concert. The concert will take place on May 15 at 8 p.m. in Mitchell Hall.

The D Sharps is UD's only all-female a cappella group. They currently have 13 members of all different majors and ages. Last semester, they did a singing tour with New York University's all-male a cappella group, the Vocaholics. This gave them the opportunity to sing at Washington Square Park, Union Square, and Times Square.

They are currently recording their new album, Let the Fun Begin, and preparing for their spring concert on May 14.

All seven recognized a cappella groups will join together at their annual concert, DelAc, on March 20 at 8 p.m. in Mitchell Hall. This year's hosts will be the Mel-U-Dees and Vision, who will donate the proceeds of the event to Haiti relief. Tickets will be available at the door the night of the concert.

This year's theme is “Delevision.” Each group will choose a television show and put together a skit or video of that show. They will also each perform three songs, except for the hosts who will perform four.

The Deltones, the D Sharps, Vocal Point, Vision, and the Mel-U-Dees will also all be performing at the UD Benefit Concert for Haiti on March 11 at 7 p.m. in the Multipurpose Rooms of the Trabant University Center.

Article by Katie Galgano