Standing in a huddle, donning bow ties, satin vests, dress shirts and slacks, freshmen Michael Braman, Bryce Dunn, Cameron Stussie and Michael McFadden prepared to sing on Feb. 22.

“I believe. I believe that. I believe that we. I believe that we will win. I believe that we will win,” they chanted, channeling the spirit of a sporting event.

The barbershop quartet, self-titled Acafellas strolled onto the stage, ready to harmonize into a single microphone in front of 600 to 700 people. Despite their nerves, they took home second place in the 9th and 10th grade division of the Harmony Explosion barbershop quartet competition. A slow clap welcomed them onto the stage, diminishing nerves built up after months of practice.

“It really gets your adrenaline pumped up,” lead Stussie said. “So by the time you’re on the stage, you’re jumping and running and you’re very excited. If you carry the energy throughout the song, it turns out pretty well.”

Just a few months earlier, the group was serendipitously formed during a Freshman/Sophomore Men’s Choir rehearsal. They auditioned for their parts and were chosen.

“We were doing a song in choir that was called ‘Barbershop Opera,’ and the choir couldn’t pull it together, but the four of us got together and did that for the concert,” bass Dunn said. “After that concert, we decided we wanted to stick together. So we started practicing on a song called the ‘Chord Buster’s March.’”

Steve Scott, a doctoral student of the University of Kansas Music Department, with the help of choir director Dr. Dwayne Dunn worked with the Acafellas to choose choral pieces that best suited their group.

“We get together every week and learn the song,” Bryce Dunn said. “Dr. Dunn created rehearsal tracks for us, so we use those when we wanted to practice together during school. And then we had Steve Scott from KU come down and coach us. He’s a choir teacher, but he’s also a big barbershop guy.”

Since then, the boys have rehearsed every Sunday to ensure their pieces were competition ready.

“Each person usually brings in songs that they think would be good, and then we will eliminate some and then we will all vote on it,” tenor Braman said. “I’m really excited to see what people think of our quartet as we progress.”

Although the Acafellas were ready by the time the competition rolled around, they didn’t just stick to business during their rehearsals.

“Most of our practices we spend about a half hour singing and an hour and a half just goofing off,” Stussie said.

Earlier this year, the Acafellas even practiced performing as a group at choir concerts and in the talent show.

“If you’re in a normal concert you’re like, ‘Hey, we want to do good and impress everyone,’” baritone McFadden said. “But in a competition, we have to do better than everyone and steal the show.”

Just 45 minutes prior to the talent show, a fellow performer suggested the group be called “Acafellas,” and the name stuck.

“We got down to a week before the Harmony Explosion and we were like, ‘Are we gonna be 2T2B or the Acafellas?’” Stussie said. “Acafellas won out.”

To further prepare for the competition, the group performed for A Cappella Choir during fifth hour a few days before Harmony Explosion.

“Some teachers heard us in the hallway and had us practice for their class,” Braman said. “You could tell they knew we were freshmen because it was a senior class, and you could see that they were thinking ‘Oh, it’s just freshmen.’ But as we start progressing through the song, they’re like, ‘Oh, they’re pretty good. This is something.’”

Finally, the competition day arrived, and the Acafellas headed to Olathe East High School to compete.

“At the competition, we were working with Dr. Dunn in a little room with a piano, and we were making sure we were staying in tune and getting our entrances,” Braman said. “One of the main things the judges critiqued us on was excessive hand movements. So we were making sure we were calm and dealt with our nervous energy. And we made sure our bow ties were on straight.”

In their practice room, the boys’ nerves weighed heavily, but they worked to maintain their composure and energy.

“We all kind of get jittery,” Dunn said. “But mainly, I just try to think to relax. Because the judges are looking at the two categories in Harmony Explosion: One of them was how well you sing and the other is if you’re having fun.”

On stage, the group’s pre-performance jitters remained, but their performance left judges singing a positive tune.

“It’s really nerve wracking,” McFadden said. “Because you kind of go on stage and have this big, big, big, big theater stage, and there’s just four people on the stage, and there’s this huge crowd out there. It makes you think if you […] don’t know it, it will show.”

After their initial performance that day, the group moved on to the final round in which they placed second in their division.

“It was nice to get second place,” Braman said. “We made it to the finals after the first round, so we knew we were going to place in the top 10. But we really wanted first. We were off by 15 points out of 1,200.”

Although the Acafellas did not take home the gold, their silver win allotted them a unique opportunity.

“We competed to sing with Boomtown, which is a nationally known choir, and we actually got the invitation to sing with them,” Stussie said. “On April 12, we have to go back to Olathe to sing with them.”

As an all-freshman group, they plan on continuing to practice and compete throughout high school careers.

“It gives us more time to work with each other,” McFadden said. “Because some groups don’t get together until their junior or senior year, and then you only have one or two years to get to know each other and become friends. We kind of started at the beginning of ninth grade, so it’s a lot easier for us to adapt to each other and learn what ticks each other off.”

Although some of the boys worry about changing voices as they mature, overall the group anticipates a bright future for the Acafellas.

“We really have a goal of what we want to be senior year,” Stussie said. “Because we’ve seen some of the best choirs in the state, and we’ve seen the third ranked national barbershop choir. So we really want to see how we progress from freshman year to senior year, and on if we continue to sing through college.”

Whether their voice parts switch or the group dynamic is invariable, the singers hope to improve and take first in the senior division by the time they graduate.

“You know that there’s a goal you’re striving for, and it’s just a challenge,” Braman said. “There are a lot more nerves because when you’re performing as a choir. It’s just parents and family, and they’re going to tell you that you did a great job anyways. And then in competition, you find out what’s actually happening, and you have a goal to strive toward.”

As competition season comes to a close, the group is optimistic about the challenges they may face in years to come.

“We have three years to learn everything,” Dunn said. “I think we’re doing good right now, but I definitely think we could be a lot better. There’s always room to improve.”