The Sedoctaves are getting by with a little help from their friends.
Although the all-female a cappella group is a registered UF student organization, it is not funded by Student Government, said Alexa Gedigian, business manager for the Sedoctaves.
So the group has created an online campaign on indiegogo.com to fundraise a trip to Southern Jam, or SoJam, a weekend of workshops and collaboration for a cappella groups across the country.
As of press time, the Sedoctaves had reached $140 of their first goal, which is $500.
Gedigian, a 22-year-old UF public relations senior said in the past, the Sedoctaves’ executive board did not know the procedure for securing SG funding. She said they now plan to gain access to SG funds by taking the proper steps.
Until then, the group has been raising money in other ways — like on Indiegogo.
Donations will go toward funding the trip to North Carolina State University for SoJam next month. It will also help plan a family weekend, sell merchandise and record an album.
“We are completely funded by ourselves and our donors and our sponsors,” Gedigian said. “We keep surprising ourselves with the amount of things we’re able to accomplish and the little pieces of recognition we’re able to get based on our hard work.”
The group has also been attending tailgates before football games to perform for donations.
With the International Championships of Collegiate A Cappella in the Spring and quarterfinals held at UF, Gedigian said the group would like to have its own set of handheld microphones and a good sound system.
Kelli White, 18, a UF music education freshman, said the music department is always underappreciated.
She said it seems like all the money goes to sports, and people who aren’t musicians don’t understand what is necessary to be successful such as playing on a good piano.
“Music helps musicians escape from academics and the stress of the real world,” White said. “The connections you build when you’re making music together is awesome.”
A version of this story ran on page 5 on 10/24/2013 under the headline "A cappella group fundraises on Indiegogo for SoJam trip"
