Ava Strippling
Staff Writer
Acafella’s perform at the RJR Homecoming tailgate, one of many events happening this year. Photo provided by: Avery Ehrman and Will Bumgarner
We’re all familiar with A Cappella, whether through well-known comedies like “Pitch Perfect” or “Glee” as well as through our schools group. A Cappella is a form of art that consists of a musical performance by a singing group without an instrumental accompaniment. For many years, R.J. Reynolds High School has kept up with the tradition of an A Cappella group that comes together to perform within the community and for our school. There are three different groups of A Cappella at RJR including Syncopate, X, and Acafellas. This year, A Cappella has been taken to a new and exciting level.
“We’re doing A Cappella jam which is something that we always do,” A Cappella director Joshua Settlemyre said. “We’re also producing an album that will be released at the holiday showcase, and then we’re starting a high school level A Cappella competition this year in April where we’ll invite other school groups to come and compete with judges so there will be a winner. It’s not just an exhibition, we’re competing to win.”
A Cappella is not just as simple as singing, there are many different components to create a cohesive song. Students work every day to perfect their voices, choose songs, and practice for performances.
“We rehearse on Sundays so we have to have the song memorized by a certain day, pick out a soloist, and vote as a group to choose one,” Syncopate member Lilly Greene said. “We learn the song and memorize it, then perform it.”
A Cappella songs are broken up into different parts to imitate the sounds of instruments. Each person sings a different part of the song, which all comes together to create one sound.
“It’s a big time commitment, it’s a lot of stuff but it’s also a lot of fun,” Settlemyre said. “It’s not easy and it does take a lot of work on the front end, but the reward is pretty great coming out of it. We’re together a lot so we get to know each other well and we have fun when we’re together.”
A Cappella is not just a form of art, it’s a family. Especially this year, RJR A Cappella has gotten really close with each other through various bonding activities they do as a group.
“This year we all really came together. I look forward to going to class every day, going out in the community, and performing with these people.” Acafella member, Davis Churn said. “I think that all stems from A Cappella retreat where we’re all together for a whole weekend and we all got very close. I think this year A Cappella is really strong in our community and it’s really exciting.”
RJR A Cappella will continue to grow every year; combining talent, hard work, and friendship into their performances. A Cappella performs throughout the year within the community and spreads their love of music to everyone around them. Stay tuned for the holiday showcase, A Cappella Jam, and the new competition!