The Niles West Acapella program recently performed at the Oak Creek Acapella Party (OCAP), a showcase where students worked with professionals to develop their skills and saw other acapella programs from the region. 

Senior Alana Fernandez, a member of Luminescence, a non-competitive group featuring only upper voices, described the ways her group developed at OCAP.

“I think we learned a lot from other groups, like stage presence,” Fernandez said. “We learned a lot about that and dancing and putting emotion into what you’re doing.”

Senior Resolve member Sarah Van Hees echoed Fernandez’s reflection and emphasized how OCAP led to personal and collective growth as well as a clear idea of the local competition. Resolve, being Niles West’s only competitive group, was able to use the opportunity to refine its set before its competition in February. While seeing other teams’ performances, Van Hees described the experience as motivating and energizing for the ensemble.

“It was really cool because you get to be clinic-ed as a group, and they polish your song that you’re performing that night,” Van Hees said.

Another Resolve member, junior Solomon Davids, has described his experiences in Resolve with high regard.

“I’ve had a fantastic time, from what I’ve experienced, all the people are really friendly, and it’s nice to talk to them and it’s definitely, I wouldn’t say hardcore, but you have to work hard, especially in, like, Resolve. I’ve been in Resolve all three years, and I’ve pushed myself, but it’s definitely been worth it for the stuff we’ve been able to achieve.”

David also explained the structure of the acapella program, noting Resolve as the competitive and mixed-voice group, while Tonality is a mixed but non-competitive group, and Luminescence, an upper-voice-only non-competitive group. He shared that the majority of the learning and development happens independently, as rehearsals focus on bringing material together and preparing for showcases like OCAP.

Davids, who first joined Acapella after encouragement from friends and has been in Resolve all three years of high school, said that OCAP offered a valuable opportunity to receive feedback from clinicians and observe other groups in preparation for competition. Davids also described the group’s preparation process for the remainder of the season, especially the ICHSA on February 21, 2026. Resolve has completed one song in their set and begun choreography, with two additional songs in progress. Despite the workload, Davids expressed confidence that the group is on track for their goals.

Sophomore Kayleigh Gordon also reflected on the showcase, stating OCAP showed students how other groups approach acapella. She explained that seeing the variety of styles and strengths across different ensembles motivated her group to push themselves more.

“I definitely loved performing in front of the other groups, and I thought that it helped us improve and learn where to improve, and it also showed us where we did well,” Gordon said.

Junior Kim Nguyen explained that each workshop block significantly helped strengthen individual performance. Her favorite section was the “superstar block,” where students learned choreography to go along with their singing.

“One memorable experience was when we were all rehearsing on stage,” Nguyen said. “All the a Acapella groups were singing the opening song together, which I thought was really fun because you get to meet so many people, and it’s something you’ll experience positively once in your life.”

She added that the developmental classes, where directors from different schools gave direct feedback, helped the group refine their songs and improve their performance.