On the Rocks and Divisi

Katie D.

February 12, 2010 - 4:22 PM

Today I took a walk down Memory Lane, and returned to a Friday tradition that was a high point of many weeks of my Freshman year. My friend Maddy and I went to the outdoor amphitheater of the EMU (student union) to watch On The Rocks and Divisi, the university a cappella singers, for their weekly performance.

My freshman year you could have found me at the On The Rocks (OTR) shows every Friday at 4:00. We were consistent fans, who knew all the songs and most of the choreography. We would show up a half an hour early, sometimes freezing in drizzle, to hear them sing.

These singers have incredible talent. On The Rocks is a men's a cappella group, and combines talented vocals with highly entertaining choreography. When I first went to see them perform, I hadn't expected them to be so fun. I was honestly expecting choral music of a more traditional style, perhaps in a monastic chanting style. Imagine my surprise, then, the first time I heard their rendition of "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy." They arrange contemporary songs for twelve voices that include the vocal line, instrumental sounds, and a beat boxer on drums.

Divisi, the women's a cappella, is in the same style: choreographed dance with vocal arrangements of songs you would normally hear on the radio.

Every Friday my friends and I would arrive a half an hour early to get a central spot on the steps of the amphitheater. Often, we would bring ice cream from the dorm cafeterias. It was the signal that the weekend had begun, and a time to hear some great music. Each group had a repertoire of approximately ten to fifteen songs, but would only perform four or five each week. We could therefore spend pre-performance time wondering which songs they would choose.

As the years have progressed, I have seldom had the Friday afternoon time to watch OTR and Divisi. Living off campus can make regular informal concerts a little harder to fit into the schedule. In the past two years I have only attended once or twice, and have enjoyed hearing how the groups have changed as their membership and song lists change.

This afternoon was a blast from the past. Again, I was seated with two hundred or more students, there to watch our university peers perform great music with some serious attitude. Several of the faces were the same: five of the On The Rocks singers were the same ones I knew three and a half years ago. Their beat boxer is incredible-who needs a drum set? The other amazing thing was that the crowd is the same. Different faces, but same feel. We were a bunch of enthusiastic students, cheering our peers on as they sang and danced. I could tell that most of the crowd were regulars: they knew the music, knew when something funny was about to happen.

This was one of the iconic discoveries of my first year at the UO: the a cappella culture that is alive and strong at most universities. On The Rocks and Divisi are both recognized as particularly good groups with highly talented individuals, great group dynamics, and an exceptionally loyal fan base.

Seeing On The Rocks again, living my freshman traditions again as a senior, made me realize that sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same. A cappella, and the traditions of the OTR and Divisi crowds, will stand out permanently as a great way to end the week, and a great part of a college experience.