Title: Dodecafun

General Information about Item:

• Customary Folklore: Ritual, Tradition

• English

• USA

• Informant Data:
  • Tara Joshi ’18
  • Age: 21
  • Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
  • Joined Dodecs Freshman Fall
  • Current President

Contextual Data:

• Social Context

Current members of the Dodecaphonics and sometimes members of other acapella or other performance groups and alumni or graduated members of the Dodecaphonics participate in these events. There is no specific time or place for these events. One event that occurs every year is the first one of the year which focuses on the new members. There is also an Alumni Dodecafun during homecoming weekend.

• Cultural Context

Every time the group has a social event, they include the name of their group in the name of their event, representing the pride the group has in itself. Furthermore, the first Dodecafun of the year in which the new members are showcased represents the group’s efforts to make the new members feel included and special. The alumni Dodecafun in which Alumni and the new members get to meet each other and alumni get to sing represents the group’s efforts to create long lasting connections not only amongst current members of the group but throughout different classes of members. This represents the group’s very inclusive culture and close relationships.

Item:

Any time the Dodecaphonics have a social event they call it a Dodecafun. There are many different kinds of social events that they have, but two happen every year. The first is the first Dodecafun of the year. At this event the new members sing the songs with which they auditioned and showcase their skills. The second is the Alumni Dodecafun which occurs during homecoming weekend. Many alumni return and are able to meet the new members, hear them sing, and alumni sing the songs that they auditioned with years ago.

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):

 Dodecafun

Transcript

“Every social event we do is called a Dodecafun, even if it’s with another group. Like if we do an event with the Aires, it’d be the Dodec-Aire-fun. Or with the Subs it’d be the Subs-decafun. At the first Dodecafun, each baby sings their first solo or their audition piece. And at the homecoming Dodecafun, the alumni from the past years will come and meet the babies and realize the legacy they left behind….and now you have these people in the real world singing what they sang freshman year.”

Informant’s Comments:

This is a great way to see the group’s history and for the alumni to see the legacy they left behind. The informant believes it is really nice to see the alumni reconnect with the group after so long and remember what it was like to be in college.

Collector’s Comments:

It’s always a great to meet Dartmouth alums and hear about their stories, but to meet an alum for a more intimate group like the Dodecs must be even better, especially given that they share their first audition pieces with you.

Collector’s Name: Marcus Reid

Compiled/Analyzed by: Alex Chan/Sruthi Pasupuleti

Tags/Keywords:

• Singing
• acapella
• Alumni
• Auditions
• Team
• Bonding