Meet Brian.

The founder of Ignite A Cappella and the local Detroit Metro auditioned a cappella program, Firestorm, for kids ages 8-17+.

When I started singing a cappella in high school with my quartet THE SOUND AND THE FURY (great name! - which I didn't come up with), I knew I loved singing and loved singing in harmony. At that time the only a cappella in mainstream was Boyz II Men, but they only had one or two a cappella tracks. Before that there was Bobby McFerrin in the 1980s with Don't Worry Be Happy and Billy Joel with The Longest Time. Needless to say there weren't many examples out there of contemporary a cappella on the radio and even less representation in resources for how to do it.

When I got to college in 1996 and co-founded the Accafellas at Michigan State, there were no resources, how-to articles, or books on what to do and how to do it. No road maps to follow, no YouTube videos of performances to watch, no a cappella festivals or conferences. It was trial and error with lots of error. The struggle bus was real but the group was thriving and successful.

Then I transferred schools and went on to start All-Night Yahtzee at Florida State and learned how to do everything from the ground up (music direction, vocal arranging, business manager, marketing, websites, album recording from start to finish, a cappella shows with multiple groups, team-building weekend retreats, and the list goes on). It was hard work but that group was thriving and successful when I graduated from college in 2001.

That's when I knew I had something...

I've participated in the direct beginnings and development of numerous a cappella groups and programs the past 25 years. Something like 20 groups (which is insane to think about). Life brought changes but the constant in my life has always been a cappella and so whenever I landed someplace new I would eventually just start a group...or two or three as part of a program.

Each group process has been different in their own way and there's never a direct path that looks the exact same every time. However, my groups and programs have all had success even if success looked different for each group.

That's why I've decided to share that knowledge and experience and start the IGNITE PROGRAM to start your own group and/or take it to the next level.

Whatever type of a cappella group you're thinking of can happen for you. One that leaves a legacy.

When I started back in 1996 I didn't have any special ability for this type of work other than my passion and love for the art form. That passion drove me to consistently put in the work to learn and test over the years. Much of it was guesswork. Now, I'm offering to take the guesswork out of the equation and set you on a path to success.

So, if you'd like to learn how to create your own group from scratch and/or take an existing group to the next level, sign up.