Professionals Tamborine Mountain 
It’s hard to find a group that embodies the creative spirit of Tamborine Mountain more than Bella A’Cappella, a female A cappella group run by Dianne James. Today she takes us into this curious world of sound and shares a few trade secrets.
by Kyle Hitchmough
How did you come to start Bella A’Cappella?
I was looking for a group on the mountain to sing with, because I’ve been singing for 25 years. My neighbour had a group of women that she would sing with every Wednesday. She closed the group down, and she convinced me that I should set up a singing group. About four or five of the girls that were singing with her said they’d be happy to sing with me, so I started teaching them songs and it just grew from there.
How did you get started in A cappella singing originally?
Certainly, I’ve had an interest in singing all my life, I sang with my school choir. Not long after my children were born, I sang with an accompanied choir in Wynnum, but it didn’t feel like a performance to me. I wanted something less traditional. In the Redlands where I was living there was a membership evening for a new group. I went and watched a couple of songs A cappella and I was hooked. They didn’t use any music, they performed and entertained me, it was perfect. I still sing with that group every week.
Can you explain what it is the Bellas do?
We sing four-part harmony, so there are four different parts to the group. Tenor, lead, baritone and bass. We start with a warm-up, then we’ll go through the songs I’ve set. When we rehearse, we’ll go through all the parts and often duet them so we can hear how they’re going together. We build on that and eventually we sing the whole song!
Do the Bellas perform publicly anywhere?
We have only been together about 3 years and have performed at the Tamborine Mountain Show and also at the Artisan Fayre. We’ve done a bit of Christmas singing, and at the opening of the Christmas tree. As well as performing at the Zamia Theatre when they’ve had plays, as a half-time show.
Do you have to have any previous experience singing A cappella, or in music in general, to join?
A lot of people say to me “I can’t sing, why would I come?” I have a real belief that everyone can sing. You don’t need to read music, you don’t need any prior singing experience. In our group we have a mixture of people who have done a lot of singing and others who have never sung before and they’re fantastic. It is not just about the singing; it’s about learning how to sing.
What do you believe are the benefits of joining a group like the Bellas?
There’s lots of benefits to learning to sing. Lots of scientific evidence shows that people stay healthier when they’re singing. It builds your stamina and breathing. But also, there’s the camaraderie side of it. I’ve noticed that the Bellas have become a group that welcome new people openly and there’s lots of friendships being formed. It’s definitely good for your health.
How many members do you have? How do you separate a barbershop-quartet style across multiple people?
We have about 25 at the moment. People come and go. The lovely thing is we are a community group, we are not about competition. People think of a barbershop as a quartet. What we end up with is a group of people singing one part. Typically, it’s like a pyramid. You want quite a lot of basses, slightly less singing the melody, less singing the baritone and less singing the tenor. We use the male terminology. Particularly for people who haven’t had much experience with singing, it gives them a lot of confidence to be able to sing with other people in their part.
Which part do you sing?
I was a baritone for 21 years, and I’ve now started to sing the melody and am enjoying that. Interestingly enough, with the Bellas sometimes I have to sing all four!
Do you have any particular trends across your membership?
I think mostly it’s the people who don’t say to me “I can’t sing.” Then I know they usually won’t come because they don’t have the confidence. I try to convince them that of course they can, it’s like any learned skill, you just haven’t trained for it. But it’s the people who say, “I’ve always liked to sing but I don’t know whether I can sing.” They’re the perfect ones to join.
Are you a local to the area? What’s your opinion on the area and the community?
Yes, I’ve lived at North Tamborine for 5 years and we rehearse at my place. I came here looking for community and I found it. People were welcoming. I’d tell people I’d just moved to the mountain and they’d say “Wow, isn’t that fantastic! Welcome to it! Are you loving it, isn’t it wonderful?” My friends and I have coffee after yoga and we still sit here and talk about how lucky we are to live in such a wonderful community. It’s friendly, there’s plenty of choice to do as much as you want. The people are just amazing. I’ve met so many interesting people from all walks of life.
What do you enjoy most about doing this?
One is that I have a joy of teaching, so I am really enjoying passing on what I learnt from other teachers and coaches over the years. I enjoy the satisfaction that the singers get when it all comes together and sounds beautiful. They really are special people to me, every one of them has become a good friend. I’ve met people I wouldn’t have met had I not started the Bellas.
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