Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sing Song is having to reevaluate it’s layout moving forward into the spring semester. However, the plans to move Sing Song to video are still changing as the pandemic progresses. 

“I think the first thing to emphasize is that there are really no officially set plans,” Sing Song Director Nick Tatum said. “We are in the midst of figuring it out and it’s changing everyday with the pandemic.  I want to make sure that people understand that we are figuring this out and health and safety is our number one priority.” 

As of right now, the plan is to have all acts recorded and put together for a showing that will be released sometime in the spring. 

Host and hostesses’ acts will be pre-recorded in a music video style while fraternity, sorority and class acts will look more like a virtual choir format. 

The club and class acts will have rehearsals most likely split into two phases. First the groups will learn and record their vocals and then move onto choreography. 

“Personally I think it’d be unexciting to have 100 people spread six feet apart doing the choreography; I feel like that would lose the impact,” Tatum said. “Instead our plan right now is to film each individual doing the choreography and then put them together in a single video like in a virtual choir format so that the choreography looks more normal and we aren’t putting people at risk standing closely.”

In addition to changes to the format, this year they added one extra host for the show.

“Unlike normal years, we are usually only tied to six people because of the confines of the stage and the dressing rooms, but this year we have more flexibility,” Tatum said.

Rehearsals that have already started for the hosts and hostesses already look different than normal, having moved online after the recent spike in cases. 

“Not being able to all meet together, not to be able to hear everyone’s voices is really weird,” said Michael Griffith, senior environmental science major from Schertz.

Despite Sing Song being changed, enthusiasm is still high when it comes to the show. 

“This is my first time being a Sing Song host but I have been a part of Sing Song since my freshman year,” Griffith said. “I love Sing Song a lot. It’s one of my favorite things about ACU so the fact that it’s going to be different is a little hard.” 

Plans for Sing Song 2021 will continue to develop as the semester progresses.