Student a cappella group rounds out semester with final performance

Michael Todd

Staff Writer

This past Friday evening, the RAMifications a capella group held their final concert of the semester in the basement of the Student Commons.

The concert was one of the few this semester the group held for its own purposes. Usually the Rams are booked in other events, including the opening act for the 25th anniversary concert of another VCU a capella group, the Notochords, this past Saturday. Additionally, RAMifications will be performing Monday at a fundraiser for Art 180 at the Lee monument on Monument Avenue.

“I thought it went really well,” said DeeVa Payne, who has been the RAMifications director for the past semester and will continue her duties in the fall. “We all felt really cohesive … and I thought our sound was really good.”

This past Sunday, RAMifications began the process of choosing their set list for the fall 2012 semester. All returning members will have proposed two songs. Over the summer, of the total number of songs submitted, seven will be selected by a board including Payne, Anneliese Grant, treasurer Lynsey Fadul, and secretary Rachel Heschen.

Friday’s performance consisted of two six-song sets featuring a wide spectrum of songs including “Take Me Out,” “25 or 6 to 4,” “Black and Gold,” and “Distance.”

“When it comes to choosing songs, I want us to represent who we are. So just by us choosing songs that we think will sound good a capella, that represents who we are. We try to have diversity in our set. Today we had songs in our set that were pop, hip hop – we have a lot of alternative songs, it’s all across the board,” Payne said.

RAMifications rehearses three times a week: Sunday from 6 to 8 p.m., and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The schedule remains the same each semester so that members can plan their schedules accordingly.

“We represent a lot of different majors,” Payne said. “We only have one music student. Well, one who is leaving the music program and one who is rejoining.”

All VCU students are welcome to audition in the fall, around the time of the SOVO fair. The current 16-member group is losing a handful of members this semester, including current president Jonathan Litalien, whose duties will be transferred to Anneliese Grant. Whether or not the group will downsize or take in new members has yet to be determined, according to Payne.

“People (who want to join) really need to understand that it is a time commitment,” said Payne. “We really want someone who is energetic about music, loves working with a group of people, loves to travel. (And) we hang out all the time. We really are like a 16-member family.”

The audition process involves two parts: the actual audition itself, in which students sing 45 seconds of a song of their choosing, and then callbacks, in which selected students work directly with RAMifications. There are no special qualifications, such as the ability to read music.

“RAMifications is probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” said Payne, who joined RAMifications the fall of her freshman year. “I can say that any member of our group can tell you that. It’s really dynamic and … it’s shaped my whole life here at VCU. I wouldn’t be doing any of the things I’ve been doing here if it weren’t for this group.” CT