A cappella music is usually perceived to be doo-wop or barber shop melodies, but None of the Above (NOTA) sings just about everything.

"We do mostly popular music, classics and mainly just songs that will get the audience to say 'I love that song!' " NOTA Secretary Alyssa Ketterer (sophomore-journalism and women's studies) said.

NOTA is Penn State's oldest a cappella group, founded in 1991 by a graduate student.

NOTA is completely student-run and survives solely on the dedication of its 16 members, Brendan McEvoy (sophomore-public relations), the group's treasurer, said.

McEvoy said the group consists of varying majors and musical backgrounds.

NOTA holds a concert at the end of both the fall and spring semesters to showcase songs the members have worked on throughout the past months.

The purpose of the concert is to give students a break before finals and to provide NOTA with a chance to perform at the end of the year, Ketterer said.

The concert will consist of 13 songs and two encore songs performed by NOTA, NOTA President Allie Porter (sophomore-vocal performance and music education) said.

"[The concert] is something to work towards," Porter said. "It's a good chance for our families and friends to come."

The songs NOTA performs are chosen by members of the group who arrange it into a four-part harmony, including sopranos, altos, tenors and basses.

Arranging a song requires a person to try to match the song in its entirety and mimic the actual sound through voice.

"Arranging a song is really hard because you do it completely by listening to the song," Melanie Boretsky (freshman-genetics and developmental biology) said. "You have to create chords and come up with syllables."

Because most of the students in NOTA are non-music majors, the group is a nice alternative to an actual collegiate choir, Porter said.

"The concert helps promote the group if people want to join, and it's a good way to get our name out there," Porter said.

The music of NOTA spans the lifetime of most of Penn State's students, with combinations of recently popular music with late '80s and '90s music, Porter said.

Currently the group is singing classic songs such as Jackson Five's "I Want You Back" and Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes," as well as current favorites by Fall Out Boy, Coldplay, Justin Timberlake, James Blunt and Something Corporate.

"Fall," by Something Corporate, is a favorite among many of the NOTA members.

"It's real upbeat and lets us all let loose and get into the song," McEvoy said. "There's generally a lot of pop music and we're not used to punk rock, and the arrangement is really good."

The concert will also include two guest groups that will perform three or four songs each, Porter said. The groups include a new, all-male student a cappella group on campus and the University of Delaware Vocal Point a cappella group.

"We have other groups because it's good to hear other arrangements and performances," Porter said. "It's a good learning experience for our members, and it gives us a break throughout the concert."

For students who have never heard a cappella music before, NOTA is a good starting group, Boretsky said.

"It's better when you've heard the song and you can see how it transitions without instruments," Boretsky said.