+ WHEN ARE AUDITIONS HELD?

As with every JHU a cappella group, the AllNighters hold auditions every year after the first full week of school, which is generally the first weekend in September.

+ WHO’S ELIGIBLE TO TRY OUT?

Any male-identifying member of the Hopkins community is thoroughly welcomed to audition. This includes both undergraduates and graduate students at any Hopkins campus, including Peabody. Even if you’re not male-identifying, we’d still love to have you come in and sing for us—after all, rules are meant to be broken!

+ HOW DO I SIGN UP FOR AN AUDITION?

We try to make the process as simple as possible. Our recommendation is for you to come watch us perform at the a cappella orientation show ("O-Show") at the beginning of the year, during which you’ll be able to hear us and every other talented a cappella group perform a song or two.

After the performance, you’ll get the opportunity to sign up for an audition slot with as many groups as you’d like, all in the same place.

If you’re unable to make it to audition signup at this time, don’t worry: you can simply email us anytime at jhuallnighters@gmail.com to set up a time slot that works for you.

+ WHAT DOES THE AUDITION ENTAIL?

It’s a simple process, and one you really shouldn’t worry about too much (we’re not just saying that). We ask that you come in with a verse and chorus of any song you’d like, about a minute of material, and be prepared to sing it unaccompanied for us. In a usual year, we'd ask you a few questions, do some warmups, and generally try to get to know you better. This year, initial auditions will be virtual, so we've consolidated much of the process into an online format. This will involve you recording your solo, a few range tests, and some pitch matching as a video and sending it our way. If things go well, we’ll invite you back for a live and in-person callback later in the weekend. Remember that above all, the audition process is there to let you get a sense of the group and whether you think you’d be a good fit with us—we want you to like us as much as you want us to like you!

+ WHAT’S A CALLBACK?

Essentially, a callback is just more of the audition. If we think you’d be a good fit based on your audition, a callback gives us the chance to get to know you and your talents even better. If invited to a callback, you’ll be asked to prepare another song of a contrasting style. We’ll chat more, do some more warmups, play some games, and maybe ask you to do some simple sight-singing exercises. The callback is longer than the original audition, usually around half an hour, to give us a better chance to get to know each candidate individually. Again, the callback isn’t there to scare you: more than anything, it’s there so we can have fun together.

+ DO I HAVE TO SING A POP SONG FOR MY AUDITION?

No. In fact, many of our members have auditioned with songs other than top 40 hits because they felt that’s where their strengths lay. We perform a wide array of genres, from pop to rock to jazz standards to musical theatre, so we don’t want you to feel like you have to choose a genre that doesn’t represent you the best. With that said, if you find yourself stuck between two songs, it’s not a bad idea to go with the pop/rock option, since that style tends to be the genre we perform with the most regularity, and we find it helps showcase our auditionees' talents and energy the best.

+ DOES MY SONG HAVE TO BE IN ENGLISH?

Nope! Several members of our group auditioned with songs that were not in English. If you feel that’s the best way to showcase your abilities, by all means do so! However, be aware that if we like you enough to give you a callback, we may ask you to also prepare a song in English, since that does represent the language we sing in most for our concerts.

+ WHAT IF I BEATBOX?

That’s great! The AllNighters are interested in people with all sorts of vocal talents, not just those who sing. We’ll ask you on your audition sheet if you have experience with vocal percussion (beatboxing) and if so, we’ll ask you to showcase a bit of your talents alongside the song you prepared.

+ WHAT IF I ONLY BEATBOX?

That’s fine too! Even if you only consider yourself a beatboxer, we’d still love to have you come in for us. We may still ask you to sing something for us, even if it’s not your strength, just so we can get a more robust sense of your abilities. Again, it’s nothing to be afraid of, and if you really don’t feel comfortable singing, just let us know!

+ WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE A LOT OF MUSICAL EXPERIENCE?

That’s totally okay! Every year, the a cappella community accepts a bunch of people without strong musical backgrounds—sometimes even ones that had never sung before in their lives. While experience in music is certainly helpful, more than anything we’re looking for enthusiasm and capability, so don’t be afraid to try out even if you’ve never sung or played an instrument before!

+ CAN I TRY OUT FOR MULTIPLE GROUPS?

Definitely. Don’t limit yourself to just one or two groups: if you think you’d have fun in multiple, go for it! There are no rules limiting the number of groups someone can try out for. Do note, however, that a person generally can’t accept positions within multiple groups, as the rehearsal times often overlap, so make sure to only accept offers with your favorite!

+ WHEN WILL I HEAR BACK ABOUT THE RESULTS OF MY AUDITION/CALLBACK?

To the best of our abilities, we’ll try to contact you as soon as the first round of auditions are over, generally during Saturday evening. Some groups will contact you the day of your audition to let you know whether or not you’ve received a callback, but we find it’s more effective to make judgments once every audition has been seen. If you get a callback, which are held on the Sunday the day after auditions finish, you’ll find out with plenty of time to prepare. If you don’t hear back right away, don’t fret: sometimes the decisions are tough, and it can take us a while to deliberate.

You’ll hear back about the results of your callback on Sunday evening. The rule here at Hopkins is that all groups have to send notifications to the members they’ve accepted at the same time. This means that no group has an advantage over the others by reaching out earlier. All the calls will be going out at around the same time, exact hour TBD, regardless of whether or not you get accepted into the group. Don’t worry—we’ll go over all of this during your audition!

+ WHAT IF I’M ACCEPTED BY MULTIPLE GROUPS?

What a great problem to have! As with the calls we make informing you whether or not you were accepted, you as an auditionee won’t be able to accept or decline an offer to join a group until the same time as everyone else. After offers from groups go out, you’ll have a few hours to think it over before you have to decide. Make that time count!

+ HOW SERIOUS IS THIS WHOLE ORDEAL?

Barely. While we do want to keep an air of professionalism throughout the process, it’s no secret that the AllNighters love to joke around and enjoy ourselves (and you!) during auditions. Don’t feel like you have to keep a straight face during your audition—have fun with us!

+ ARE YOU GUYS A FRAT?

No, we’re an a cappella group.

+ IS THIS LIKE PITCH PERFECT?

Sort of.

+ DO YOU HAVE ANY DARK SECRETS I SHOULD KNOW ABOUT?

Definitely not. What, did the Vocal Chords say something? They can’t be trusted. Don’t listen to them.

+ DO I HAVE TO BRING A GIFT TO MY AUDITION?

Though not required, it is traditional for auditionees to bring an ornate wicker basket containing a wide variety of home-grown tropical fruits for each member of the AllNighters in order to show their mastery of botany, presentation, and gift-giving. While this will not help your chances in auditions, it’ll give us something healthy to snack on.