A Cappella Academy Fundraising
Donation protected
Hi All,
My name is Tucker Helms, and I am a junior at Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of my biggest passions in life is music. It has always been a part of my life in some way, whether it is through playing the saxophone since fifth grade, doing theater, or singing, and until my sophomore year of high school, I had never seriously considered music to be what I wanted to do with my life.
My sister is two years older than me, and I had seen her perform with my former high school’s a cappella group, Vega, during my eighth grade and freshman year. From the moment I saw them singing on stage, I knew that when I got the opportunity, I wanted to do everything I could to get into the group. During my freshman year, the vocal percussionist of the current group told me that I should start learning to beatbox. I realized that doing so would be my best bet of getting into Vega. Little did I know that one little YouTube tutorial would take me this far. As soon as I started, I couldn’t stop. I was constantly practicing. Whenever or wherever I was, I was always making sounds. When auditions came around, I was selected for the group. Being in Vega and singing with the people that became some of my best friends was the most amazing experience of my life. I grew so much as a musician and as a person, gaining a better musical ear and constantly improving my vocal percussion, learning new sounds and mastering the small concepts like drum fills and fitting the sound of the group. I realized that I needed to find a way to pursue music.
This past summer, my family moved from Dayton, Ohio, where my old high school, Chaminade Julienne, was, to Pittsburgh. It was a difficult transition for me for many reasons, one of them being because my school doesn’t have an a cappella group. I had heard about A Cappella Academy before and decided it would be an awesome opportunity to be able to make a cappella music again. I auditioned, and am grateful to say that out of 556 auditionees, I am one of the 73 accepted! I am thrilled to have been given this amazing gift of being able to work with some of the most brilliant minds in a cappella music, including Rob Dietz, vocal percussionist and Contemporary A cappella Recording Award winning arranger, Ben Bram, Grammy-winning arranger of Pentatonix, Avi Kaplan, vocal bass of Pentatonix, and many more.
This summer camp will help me in so many ways. I will grow as a singer and vocal percussionist, learn how to arrange music well enough to possibly start my own a cappella group, and meet new friends from across the world who love music just as much as I do. Additionally, I think A Cappella Academy will give me some sort of direction as to what to pursue in college. Unfortunately, there is no major for a cappella music, at least not yet, but with some help from the counselors, I may be able to figure out a path that will get me to where I want to be in the world of music.
All that being said, the camp is in Los Angeles, is 10 days long, and costs $1995 plus airfare and expenses. Our fundraising lasts until March 14th. Any donation that you can make will be greatly appreciated. A cappella music has completely encompassed my life, and I have such an incredible love and passion for it. This opportunity means everything to me, and I thank you all so much for helping me follow my dreams.
My name is Tucker Helms, and I am a junior at Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of my biggest passions in life is music. It has always been a part of my life in some way, whether it is through playing the saxophone since fifth grade, doing theater, or singing, and until my sophomore year of high school, I had never seriously considered music to be what I wanted to do with my life.
My sister is two years older than me, and I had seen her perform with my former high school’s a cappella group, Vega, during my eighth grade and freshman year. From the moment I saw them singing on stage, I knew that when I got the opportunity, I wanted to do everything I could to get into the group. During my freshman year, the vocal percussionist of the current group told me that I should start learning to beatbox. I realized that doing so would be my best bet of getting into Vega. Little did I know that one little YouTube tutorial would take me this far. As soon as I started, I couldn’t stop. I was constantly practicing. Whenever or wherever I was, I was always making sounds. When auditions came around, I was selected for the group. Being in Vega and singing with the people that became some of my best friends was the most amazing experience of my life. I grew so much as a musician and as a person, gaining a better musical ear and constantly improving my vocal percussion, learning new sounds and mastering the small concepts like drum fills and fitting the sound of the group. I realized that I needed to find a way to pursue music.
This past summer, my family moved from Dayton, Ohio, where my old high school, Chaminade Julienne, was, to Pittsburgh. It was a difficult transition for me for many reasons, one of them being because my school doesn’t have an a cappella group. I had heard about A Cappella Academy before and decided it would be an awesome opportunity to be able to make a cappella music again. I auditioned, and am grateful to say that out of 556 auditionees, I am one of the 73 accepted! I am thrilled to have been given this amazing gift of being able to work with some of the most brilliant minds in a cappella music, including Rob Dietz, vocal percussionist and Contemporary A cappella Recording Award winning arranger, Ben Bram, Grammy-winning arranger of Pentatonix, Avi Kaplan, vocal bass of Pentatonix, and many more.
This summer camp will help me in so many ways. I will grow as a singer and vocal percussionist, learn how to arrange music well enough to possibly start my own a cappella group, and meet new friends from across the world who love music just as much as I do. Additionally, I think A Cappella Academy will give me some sort of direction as to what to pursue in college. Unfortunately, there is no major for a cappella music, at least not yet, but with some help from the counselors, I may be able to figure out a path that will get me to where I want to be in the world of music.
All that being said, the camp is in Los Angeles, is 10 days long, and costs $1995 plus airfare and expenses. Our fundraising lasts until March 14th. Any donation that you can make will be greatly appreciated. A cappella music has completely encompassed my life, and I have such an incredible love and passion for it. This opportunity means everything to me, and I thank you all so much for helping me follow my dreams.
Organizer
Andi Helms
Organizer
Pittsburgh, PA
