A medley of “doo-doos” and “bum-bums” combine to create one-hit-wonder Alex Clare’s song “Too Close,” as a group of sixteen VCU students practices a musical number from a recent competition at a Sunday night rehearsal.
The R.A.M.ifications of VCU shortens their punny moniker to the RAMs. As one of VCU’s two a cappella groups, they are preparing for their upcoming winter concert.
The RAMs underwent a recent directorial and directional change. The new director, senior and fourth-year member Anneliese Grant, wants to change the way the RAMs run their club.
“We’re going to be adding a lot more movement and interaction,” Grant said. “We’re really trying to spread R.A.M.ifications this year, and set a really solid ground for the new members now.”
The tone of the group is the same as it has been over the past four years, but the RAMs are attempting to do much more with their events and musical routines, according to Grant.
The RAMs recently hosted Richmond Rhythm, an a cappella competition where universities from around Virginia perform for VCU and the Richmond community.
Richmond Rhythm was initially an invitational hosted by the RAMs. The group intends for the event to grow to Virginia’s premiere collegiate a cappella competition, according to Grant.
“We’ve had it four years,” Grant said, “but this was the first year we made it a competition.”
Grant believes this switch is possibly the reason ticket sales increased for the event this year.
“The first year we ever had it, we sold eight tickets in advance,” Grant said of the 2009 event. “This year, we sold 175, or something completely absurd.”
Forrest Glass is a second-year member of the RAMs, but is unable to perform this semester because of time constraints.
Glass attends as many rehearsals as he can, and sees Grant as the reason for the RAMs’ success this semester.
“She’s a lot more musical,” Glass said. “And she’s just taken them to great places.”
First-year member Chelsea Hanson views the group’s use of social media as a possible reason for the group’s rise in popularity, and Grant and Glass agree.
The RAMs now have a social media director who posts regularly to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, according to Hanson. In past years, the group didn’t use social media to the extent it does now.
Regardless of the reason, members of the a cappella group hope their luck extends to upcoming events.
The RAMs held a winter concert in the VCU Common’s Theatre Dec. 7. Attendees normally pay for a ticket to the concert, but the RAMs made the decision to make the concert free because of the success of Richmond Rhythm. The RAMS made over $2,500 in profit from the event.
“This is the first time the R.A.M.ifications have been on really solid ground financially,” Grant said. “We’re in a really good place, so it’s like we can afford to do a free concert.”
Grant hoped to see an increase in student attendance because the concert is free, but to ensure the RAMs generate some funds, the group accepted donations and sold raffle tickets for serenades by the group and t-shirts.
“I’m hoping it goes really well,” Grant said. “We’re going to incorporate a few different things we never put in our final concert before.”
Grant hints at the Christmas medley the group will perform and some possible costume changes throughout the show.
The RAMs will also participate in Washington, D.C.’s SingStrong in the spring, a music festival for professional a cappella groups, as well as groups from various colleges and universities.
The group has never placed before at the event, but Glass says he has high hopes for this upcoming year because of the success the group has experienced this semester.
“There’s going to be a lot more pride within the group,” Glass said. “We’re going to know that we’re good, and know that we can win.”
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Check out this RAMs performance of “Too Close” by Alex Clare
For more videos, check out the VCU RAMifications’ YouTube channel