Acapella Group Groovestand Makes Music Remotely
Sunday, Nov 15, 2020 at 7:52 pm by
Lucas Vogel
The show must go on!
Groovestand is SU’s premiere student a cappella group that performs at different Syracuse
University events, non-profit organizations, and have even competed at the International
Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) and have placed among the very top a cappella
groups in the country.
This a cappella group has faced the challenges that COVID-19 has presented this past year. After
the shutdown in March 2020, Groovestand had to adapt to a new way of performing. The group
started the “Quarantine” series, where members would post videos of them singing and were
featured on the Groovestand Instagram. The group has even recorded their performances virtually in the past.
Business Manager of Groovestand, Briana Gilyard, expressed that even after the campus shut
down this past week, they are well prepared to transition to a remote schedule for now. She went
on to explain that during Zoom practices, the soloist for the piece unmuted their microphone and
played the track of the song, while the rest of the members sang on mute. This is especially
difficult to do, because a cappella performances rely on being in person, seeing people’s body
languages, and standing close together.
This semester, Groovestand was able to practice outside underneath the Quad’s tents that
Syracuse University had set up. This was good for the first half of the semester, but soon the
weather got unbearable and it was hard to hear other teammates. Morgan Eaton, president of
Groovestand, was able to work with the University to secure inside practice rooms in lecture
halls and in auditoriums. The group consists of eleven members and when practicing in-person,
must remain 18 feet apart, which is the singing standard.
Even during tough times on campus, all members of Groovestand have a positive attitude and are
hopeful that they will all be able to see one another in the Spring semester. This group has gotten
creative in ways to make their voices heard, even if the performance is virtual
