The OOTBlog

yaleuniversity: Want to tell that special someone how much they...

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 16:32:01 -0500

Want to tell that special someone how much they rock? Do it with a LoveNote!

Send a personalized note featuring music by Yale’s award-winning, pop-rock a cappella group, Out of the Blue!

Check it out: yaleootb.com/lovenotes!

Thanks for the shoutout, Yale!

Hypebot's 3 C's to Effectively Branding Your Music Group

Thu, 09 Aug 2012 11:40:00 -0400

Hypebot recently posted a great article about how to effectively brand your music group. Author Hisham Dahud explains the ‘3 Cs of effective branding’: Clarity, Consistency and Constancy. I love this part:

You don’t want to be all things to all people, especially when you’re just starting out. You do want to be the leader a particular tribe based on what you believe individually, and thus express artistically … So ask yourself: “What makes me distinctive? And how do I communicate that?”

Branding and marketing is something that a cappella groups (especially collegiate groups) don’t think about either because they think it’s unimportant, or that it’s something icky, but from our experience, it really can make all the difference between obscurity and getting your music out there.

Which a cappella group best exemplifies the three Cs?

what do the dorms generally look like? And what are your choices as far as rooming?

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 16:02:00 -0400

Every residential college has a distinct architectural style, which means that there’s an incredible amount of variation in the look of the dorms. For example, there’s Saybrook College, which looks like a straight-up stone castle:

And there’s also Morse College, which has a more angular, modern feel:

Almost all freshman live on Old Campus, and the different Freshman Halls have their own characteristics. In general, dorms are grouped into suites. Depending on which residential college you were placed in, you could have anywhere from zero to eight other people with whom you share a large suite.

If you receive just one suitemate or none at all, you will likely have one large room to yourself or to share between the two of you. If you have multiple suitemates, however, then there’ll likely be two people per room, and your bedrooms will be connected by a large central Common Room (similar to a living room) where you’ll all be able to do work, throw parties and just generally hang out.

So tl;dr

Do you have suitemates?

No —> You have a room all to yourself!

Yes —> How many?

1 —> You and your suitemate have a room all to yourselves!
2 or more—> You probably have a Common Room and several private bedrooms.

BLUEBOOKING 101: Yale 2016 Course Selection Intro Guide Heads...

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 21:06:00 -0400

BLUEBOOKING 101: Yale 2016 Course Selection Intro Guide

Heads up, Yale 2016: OCI (the online course information system) is live, which means that you can start looking through all the amazing classes on offer at Yale next year.

To help you understand the course selection process, we put together this handy info-sheet of things we wish someone had explained to us as freshman. Enjoy!

Love,

Yale Out of the Blue

Lauren Provini ‘12 (Former Business Manager): Favorite...

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 19:26:00 -0400

Lauren Provini ‘12 (Former Business Manager):

Favorite things: The most wonderful thing about Saybrook is the sense of family that exists within the college. This family of Saybrugians, led by the warmth and enthusiasm of Master Hudak and Associate Master Van Dyke, can be felt in all places: the dining hall, the library, the courtyards, the basement, and all the way over in Vanderbilt.

Good to know:

Take advantage of the fact that Saybrook is located so close to Old Campus - feel free to use the library, gym, practice rooms, and other college facilities after dinner and into the late hours of the night, with the added convenience of only having to cross High Street to get back to Old Campus.

Sit at the “long table” in the dining hall! The Saybrook dining hall is the only one on campus that has a long table running the length of the entire room. Whether you show up for a meal alone, or simply want to strike up a conversation with new people in the college, you will always be welcomed warmly at the Saybrook long table.

Learn and appreciate the significance of the grapevine as an emblem of Saybrook. How many grapevine motifs can you spot throughout the college? You, as a Saybrugian, will place grapes atop your cap at Commencement!

See the Other Residential College Photosets!

Carter Michael CC ‘15 (Rush Manager), Daniel Reardon CC...

Wed, 04 Jul 2012 00:16:00 -0400

Carter Michael CC ‘15 (Rush Manager), Daniel Reardon CC ‘14:

Favorite things: The best thing about living in Calhoun is how it’s right in the center of things while still keeping a home-like atmosphere. It’s one of the smallest colleges area-wise, which means that it always feels cozy, but you’ll also end up running into your friends from other colleges all the time as people pass through.

Good to know:

The hammock in the courtyard has a magical property whereby it only stays stable if there are at least two people in it. I think it’s trying to suggest something.

Come early for dinner (Between 5:00-6:00). Because Calhoun is a popular dining space for Freshmen, spots fill up really fast. Also, the grill is open Mon-Fri till 7! Then it shuts off! Make sure to take that into consideration if you want a burger.

If you don’t want to head back to Bingham, the Calhoun library is literally the best place to grab a quick nap on campus. Particularly in late morning/early afternoon, there’s always a couch to stretch out on for a half-hour or so.

Make sure to stop by the buttery in the basement on weeknights! Even if you do most of your studying elsewhere, there’s a real camaraderie there and you’ll end up having the most interesting 1:00 AM conversations. Plus, the food is awesome and way cheaper than GHeav.

Welcome to the Houn, fellow Hounies!

See the Other Residential College Photosets!

my question is regarding my assignment. so i had no names next to my letter. all it said was ldub and D52. am i even in a suite??? or am i completely secluded in one room :(

Sun, 01 Jul 2012 12:11:00 -0400

Hey! The fifth floor of LDub is arranged differently from most other freshman dorms. You’re likely in a single that is connected to the main hallway, but don’t be worried about being secluded! From what we hear, the 5th floor is actually the nicest place to live in LDub, especially if you’re into all-floor parties :D!

Allison Bryant MC ‘14 (Business Manager), Meg O’Hare...

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 21:56:00 -0400

Yes, that's our walrus skeleton.

Allison Bryant MC ‘14 (Business Manager), Meg O’Hare ‘13, Morse 2016 Froco:

Favorite things: Gothic archways and spiral towers? You’ll see your fill of those in classes and during meetings. You’ll learn the magic of rooms with no right angles, and enjoy the best music practice rooms, residential college gym and library, and food on campus (the wok/grill/brick oven pizza corner is truly a gift from God). We have a loom. We have a walrus skeleton (and the walrus as our mascot). We have a huge group of wonderful students. And now, we have you. <3!

Good to know:

Our Dean’s wife is a professional chef and we have study breaks with delicious pastries.

Amy Hungerford is awesome. Like, insanely smart and really nice.

Our dance studio is awesome. As is the Crescent Theater.

We’re right next to the Payne Whitney gym and Toad’s.

The Morse freshman counselors are the best freshman counselors on campus! They are funny, nice, intelligent, well informed, and damn good looking!

See the Other Residential College Photosets!

Patrick Verdier, TD ‘14: Favorite thing: TD, rather than...

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 21:25:00 -0400

Patrick Verdier, TD ‘14:

Favorite thing: TD, rather than Old Campus, will be your home from Day 1, so you’ll quickly come to know and love the college itself, as well as the people in it. It’s a homey and intimate environment - I think that’s what I like best about it. From its beautiful dining hall and courtyard, to its great food, to its inhabitants’ huge amount of spirit, you’ll quickly come to call TD home.

Good to know:

Meet lots of freshmen! There will be about 100, so you’ll be able to get to know quite a few. TDers are quick to bond.

Try to get to know some sophomores and upperclassmen, too. They’ll want to meet the freshmen, and can be a great source of advice and of friendship.

Hang out in the courtyard! Go on the hammocks, relax under the tree, sit at the tables, play frisbee or volleyball. You’ll have tons of fun and meet tons of people.

Eat in TD. Eat outside when you can, for the fresh air, the sun, and the beauty of the courtyard. (It’s often a bit cold in the dining hall, so you might wanna wear your TD fleece.) But the food is delicious and the staff is really friendly. Crack jokes with them.

Be proud of your college. Learn the cheer. Love the people in it. Have an amazing year.

See the Other Residential College Photosets!

Yuvika Tolani, TC ‘14: Favorite things: Our dining hall...

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 20:43:00 -0400

Yuvika Tolani, TC ‘14:

Favorite things: Our dining hall is the best one. Hands down. Additionally, since it’s so small, you get to know your class really well. Finally, our suites are beautiful, AND centrally located (you’ll appreciate this when you’re coming back from Toad’s at 1 am). Basically it’s the best. But actually.

Good to know:

You get to live in Bingham—it’s the most beautiful building on OC and across the street from Claire’s. Also, it has laundry right in the basement.

There is always free ice cream in the chaplain’s office in the basement, which is also in the basement. Yes, really. No, seriously.

Take advantage of the common spaces - the cozy library, the buttery. Trumbull has one of the nicest residential college student kitchens and dance studio and they’re all easy to get access to.

Get to know your classmates, especially if you live in the Tower. You can’t always rely on having lots of people on your floor, so venture out beyond your suite, floor, and entryway to make friends!

See The Other Residential College Photosets (more coming soon)!

THE RESIDENTIAL COLLEGES AT YALE: Jonathan Edwards Tom Dec JE...

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 08:11:00 -0400

THE RESIDENTIAL COLLEGES AT YALE: Jonathan Edwards

Tom Dec JE ‘13, (Business Manager of Yale OOTB):

Favorite thing: Our libraries! You will discover that the Lower Taft and Upper Taft libraries are gems and hands-down the best residential college libraries at Yale. They are huge, well-lit, and there’s even an entrance to the Art Gallery’s sculpture garden if you would like to study or read there. Curtis & Curtis library is also great, especially if you have to curl up with a book. You will do a lot of studying while at Yale, and the libraries are the best. 24-hour access is a nice quality, too.

Good to know:

Take advantage of family night. I didn’t come to appreciate it as a way to meet and catch up with JE people until late in my Yale career.

Don’t miss out on JE’s culture draw each semester. You get entered into a raffle to go to see a show (musical, dance, theater, film) on JE’s dime, often with a generous dinner included. If you don’t win a chance in the fall semester, you will have a good shot of winning in the spring semester.

Our dining hall atmosphere is great, but the staff can be more authoritarian than their counterparts in Silliman or Branford.

Personally, I’m a big fan of eating breakfast in the dining hall. It’s a great time to read the YDN or, more frequently, catching up on the work you didn’t do the night before.

We are #1 in IMs! JE SUX!!

Learn about the other Houses:

Hi Yale 2016! In a few short hours you’ll know which residential...

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 00:07:00 -0400

Hi Yale 2016!

In a few short hours you’ll know which residential college you’ve been placed into, so we created this visual to show you what your new homes actually look like! We’ll be following up with more posts, each focused on a different college.

Feel free to ask us any questions you might have about life at Yale! We promise to get back to you ASAP :). Hope you enjoy, and we can’t wait to meet you very soon!

Love,

Yale Out of the Blue

See Photosets of the Residential Colleges!

Titanium by Voices in Your Head

Thu, 31 May 2012 00:58:20 -0400

Titanium by Voices in Your Head:

Remember how excited we were about UChicago’s rendition of Titanium? They’ve released their single! I just picked up a copy and I’m loving it. Perfect start to summer!

—Allison

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Brazil Tour!

Wed, 23 May 2012 13:23:27 -0400

OOTB has just returned from our summer tour to Rio di Janeiro and Teresopolis. Some highlights include:

Saying hi to Christ the Redeemer on a beautiful, sunny day.

Hanging out on a gorgeous beach.

Riding horses through the streets of Teresopolis.

Samba-ing and singing with the wonderful girls of Voices of City of God chorus.

We had a fantastic time, and said our goodbyes for the summer. Until we meet again! (Though we’ll always be updating our pages on OOTB activity, including the new EP).

—Allison

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Completely Biased Highlights from ICCA Finals 2012

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:31:00 -0400

OOTB hangs out with Amy from Delilah after the show

…as written by someone who competed, after consulting with other biased people.

1. Titanium by UChicago Voices in Your Head. I cannot wait until they record this—their soloist sat on those top notes for eons. Their sound filled the room and they knew exactly how to use the mic system. Actually, just watch the whole set. They have a compelling story arc and make great artistic decisions. Fantastic.

2. Oluwasegun Oluwadele from the SoCal VoCals. His rendition of Tightrope drove the audience wild. And he belted the top notes (falsetto? who needs it!). He scampered all over the stage, and it was just adorable.

3. Vocal Rush, the ICHSA Champions. These girls used to have three additional male members, but the boys couldn’t make it to finals. The girls just rearranged some parts and killed it. They’re like mini-Delilah and had more balls than many of the all-male groups I know.

4. Delilah. They shook the room. Enough said. (Also, the photo at the top of this post is a personal highlight).

OOTB had a great time competing, making new friends, and seeing phenomenal a cappella at the ICCA Finals. Also, the show was across the street from the Broadway production of Anything Goes—I was completely overwhelmed by the talent all around! Anyone we met this weekend has an open invitation to come down to Yale. We’ll set you up with a performance venue, hosting, and a party! Congratulations to the SoCal VoCals on their third ICCA Championship, the Scattertones on their first runner up, and the charming gentlemen of All the King’s Men on their third-place finish!

—Allison

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OOTB Leadership 2012-2013

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 01:55:00 -0400

Hey y’all,

After a successful year, OOTB is proud to announce the fearless leadership who will bring us to new heights in the upcoming academic year!

Pitch: Fiona Vella, Davenport ‘14. Fiona is originally from Ireland, and now comes to us from Maine. With a long history of musical addiction, of which humming in her sleep has thus far been the severest symptom, she joins Dre in the traditional OOTB/Glee Club contingent that has existed for aeons and in pitch lineage.

Assistant Pitch: Sana Sharma, Davenport ‘14. When she isn’t singing in OOTB, Sana can usually be found painting, playing the ukulele, and performing controlled explosions in the name of science. She is an avid aficionado of all things astrophysics, and will attempt to turn you into one too, if given a tin can, a laser, and half a chance.

Business Manager, Fall Term: Back by popular demand, Tom Dec, Jonathan Edwards ‘13. Tom’s enthusiasm for OOTB is only matched by his passion for politics (of the Democratic flavor) and he can often be found reading, writing, or talking about it when he’s not singing. He is also an avid twitter user, Meat Loaf fan, and vanilla ice cream aficionado.

Business Manager, Academic Year: Allison Bryant, Morse ‘14. Your friendly neighborhood OOTBlogger loves primates, lemons, hiking in the mountains, the American West, stories, my family, and OOTB. I’m from Idaho, but I don’t care much about potatoes, unless they’re ice cream potatoes.

Rush Managers: Harry VanDusen, Morse ‘14, will be leading the OOTB flagship into next year’s rush! He will be joined by Kate Mighty, Pierson ‘15, Johnny Shively, Ezra Stiles ‘15, and Carter Michael, Calhoun ‘15 in OOTB’s quest to find its newest members.

We can’t wait to see what awesome surprises next year brings!

—Allison

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OOTB takes a break from walking at Yale Relay for Life 2012!

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 01:34:48 -0400

OOTB takes a break from walking at Yale Relay for Life 2012!

OOTB is producing an EP!

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 15:15:00 -0400

We’re so excited to announce that OOTB is producing our first ever EP! The album will feature our set from ICCA Semifinals - three songs that have defined an incredible year - and will be recorded over the next two weeks at Bristol Recording Studios in Boston, MA. OOTB usually records an album every other year, most recently releasing 16 Edgewood in 2011, but this year we decided to capture our award-winning ICCA set in an EP.

I’m really excited about the way that we’re producing the EP as well, and it’s appropriate that it comes on the heels of our Kickstarter post yesterday. We’re preselling the CD for $5, but there are so many ways to get involved with the production!

For a donation of $5 or more, we’ll email you a digital copy of the OOTB EP as soon as it is complete.

BUT WAIT…

For a donation of $15 or more, you’ll get a CD recording of the EP, mailed to you!

For a donation of $25 or more, you’ll get a CD copy of 16 Edgewood or Getting Wise (your choice), a commemorative photo of the group from the ICCAs, and we’ll sign your copy of our EP.

For a donation of $50 or more, you’ll be recognized as an EP Sponsor on the album and on our website.

For a donation of $100 or more, we’ll record a personalized YouTube video of any song in our repertoire to a person of your choice (including you)!

Check out our awesome EP website(designed by OOTAlum Nathan Griffith) to send a donation! We’ll be liveblogging the recording process and might even put up some bonus material online! Keep following our progress—this EP is going to rock your socks.

—Allison

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How to Use Kickstarter to Fund Your A Cappella Album: Lessons from the Starving Artists and OOTB

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 14:17:00 -0400

Looking for alternative ways to fund your next a cappella album?

OOTB has noticed that a cappella groups are increasingly turning to Kickstarter, the “world’s largest funding platform for creative projects,” to fund their albums. Kickstarter allows anyone to set up a donation page, set a target amount of money to be raised, and get donations via Amazon Payments. There’s also a safety mechanism in place—if the target amount isn’t raised, Kickstarter refunds all donations, so your money won’t be wasted.

We talked to Abby Armstrong, Business Manager of the Brandeis Starving Artists, about their experience with Kickstarter. She and OOTB have compiled some great advice for a cappella groups who want to make the most out of the Kickstarter experience!

1. Bring up your Kickstarter account to friends and family in a personal way, not just by sharing the link. Most of the Starving Artists’ donations came from people they knew personally. Every person in the group wrote “personalized emails, letters, [and] made phone calls” to share their funding search with people they cared about. Reach out to alumni as well! Your alums are one of your biggest markets for your CD, and if you give them a way to finance the CD, they can feel even more connected to the process.

2. Set a realistic goal. Remember, if you don’t meet your goal, you don’t get any of the money! You can think of your Kickstarter project as part of a series of installment payments for your CD. The Starving Artists used Kickstarter to raise a large block of money to record their CD the first time around, but they’re shifting to a more staggered recording experience. Kickstarter can be the way you fund recording or mixing—it doesn’t have to be your sole source of money for the whole CD! However, if you’re worried about not making your goal, try out indiegogo.com. It’s basically Kickstarter, but even if you don’t make your goal, you get all of the donations contriubuted to your project. Some friends of ours at Brown, the Bear Necessities, are using indiegogo to fund their latest CD, Eat the Beach.

3. Use Kickstarter as a way to presell your CD. People are much more willing to donate money if they know they’ll get a good return. Advertise your Kickstarter as a way to get in the door early.

4. Create awesome incentives for your donation amounts. One of the coolest projects on Kickstarter are the Double Fine adventure games. I talked to a friend who enjoys adventure games about the incentives on Double Fine’s Kickstarter page, and he had this to say:

“Double Fine’s Kickstarter project is awesome because you get to see the whole process from start to finish. They send out a really well-done documentary video every month (seriously, Tim Schafer is hilarious), so I get to experience the most exciting and interesting parts of building the game without actually having to do any of the work. Pretty sweet deal, if you ask me.”

Double Fine is using incentives that get people excited about the finished product and reminds them that their money is being well-used. OOTB is no stranger to prerelease videos (remember the OOTB Recording Project, which took you behind the scenes of 16 Edgwood?) and we think they’re a great way to engage your Kickstarter donors. Try using traditional incentives, like signed CDs or T-shirts, but here are some other ideas we thought up:

Sneak peeks of songs before they’ve been released. Everyone likes to have early access to cool stuff!
Blooper tracks. Every so often, recording just doesn’t go quite right the first time. I have some “less than perfect” but hilarious takes from 16 Edgewood in my iTunes right now. These are especially wonderful for alumni and family members.
Interviews with pitches, business managers, and professionals mixing the CD. Other a cappella groups are interested in how you record and how to save time and money! Let them know what you’re up to from a technical standpoint.
Personalized recordings for big donors. The Starving Artists offered private performances to people within 100 miles of their school. You can offer live performances to donors close to you, or record a quick birthday greeting, hello, or thank you to those farther away.

5. Publicize your CD after it’s done. Try to get as much information as possible to your donors after your project is complete. If possible, send a thank-you email to each individual. After all, if they donated, they’re probably interested in your group, and you want them to associate you with quality CDs and friendly people.

A cappella groups are utilizing Kickstarter to create exciting new CDs! Kickstarter is convenient, and also levels the playing field a bit for new a cappella groups with less alumni support than others. OOTB encourages you to check it out (not just for a cappella CDs, but other awesome projects like An Evening with Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer, which is readings of Neil Gaiman’s work live and set to music!).

—Allison

P.S. Check out the Starving Artist’s latest CD produced with help from Kickstater, Order Up!

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"Something's Got a Hold on Me/Candyman"

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:56:39 -0400

Check out Kate Mighty on our arrangement of “Something’s Got a Hold on Me/Candyman” (opb Etta James/Christina Aguilara, arr. Andre Shomorony and David Ottenheimer)! Dre and David won Best Arrangement at our ICCA Semifinal last week.

—Allison

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