With Song Song less than three weeks away, students are perfecting their vocals and dance moves for the half-century-old tradition.
The student-run show will follow the theme Countdown.
Kirk Farrell, one of six co-chairs for this year’s show, has become familiar with the inner workings of Sing Song as he was also director of his class act as a freshman.
“I really enjoyed being active in Sing Song,” said Farrell, junior youth and family ministry major from Richardson. “I didn’t want to direct again, and I thought being a co-chair would be a good learning experience.”
Farrell has been working since the summer to prepare this year’s show and said it’s a lot different from being a director.
“There was a lot of preliminary work,” he said. “We’ve been working all year long. It’s more big-picture busy, and there’s not as much direct work.”
Farrell and his five fellow co-chairs have been working throughout the semester, and he thinks it will be well worth it in the end.
“Sing Song week will be crazy busy, but that’s no matter what,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a great show. I think people will really enjoy it.”
Jaci Bonneau, freshman graphic design major from Abilene, stands in his shoes as director of one of two freshmen acts this year.
Years past have feature just one freshman act, but because this year’s freshman class is so large, a second act was added to ensure fewer cuts were made and more could participate.
“Sing Song should be a unifying experience,” Bonneau said. “Now we have two out of five chances to win. A win from them is going to be a win for us.”
Bonneau was no stranger to the long-standing tradition of Sing Song.
“My mom is a Kojie adviser,” she said. “I was in the children’s acts when they used to do those, and I was in a Kojie act as a cameo.”
With her familiarity of the program, it’s no surprise that Bonneau was chosen as director. She welcomed the opportunity, though it wasn’t in her plans to do so.
“I never looked at being a director because I wasn’t a music major,” Bonneau said. “But I’ve always enjoyed leading groups of people. The opportunity just kind of presented itself.”
Bonneau led a Freshman Follies Act last semester and realized she had a knack for leading large groups of people, regardless of her lack of musical background.
“I recognized I didn’t have to be experienced to lead experienced people,” she said.
The group of freshmen have been working to perfect their act. Bonneau came up with the theme after a comprehensive creative process.
“I have a rule where I never use the first three ideas I come up with,” she said. “If I can come up with it, someone else can.”
After some brainstorming, Bonneau came up with an idea that was Sing Sing-worthy. Inspired by the show’s theme, Countdown, she settled on an act that will follow the rabbit from Alice in Wonderland through a rabbit hole lined with ACU allusions.
“There will be 99 white rabbits up there,” Bonneau said. “It’s called ‘I’m late, I’m late for a very important date’ and will be about the rabbit being late to things that ACU students would go through if they were getting ready for a date.”
Originally, 100 rabbits were to perform in the act, but that 100th rabbit costume belonged to someone who can’t be replaced, Bonneau said.
“The last spot belonged to Colby McDaniel,” Bonneau said. “We wanted to honor her spot by not replacing it.”
McDaniel, a freshman music major from Fort Worth, died Dec. 21. Despite the sudden loss of their friend, the team continues to make the most of its first Sing Song performance.
“We have themed practices,” Bonneau said. “Last week, we had a pajama-themed practice and we all practiced in our pajamas. When it was national hat day, we had a Mad-Hatter themed practice, and next week will be ‘Party in the USA.’ I don’t want the eight hours a week that we practice to be dreaded; I want everyone to want to participate and have fun.”
To keep things interesting, Bonneau has found a way to take her act’s theme beyond the practices.
“In my emails I put a bunny after every sentence,” she said. “I don’t want my emails to be boring. I keep all things bunny and it’s really fun.”
