Count-Me-In A Capella, an all-treble a capella group of Iowa State students, has welcomed their new members for the 2026-27 competition year and wrapped up their first performance of the year at the Downtown Ames Music Walk Wednesday.
The group is made up of 18 voices, a director and two assistant directors. In previous years, the group had been a club, but is now an official ISU class, allowing for more consistent rehearsals leading up to the competition season.
“Our rehearsals are not much different than you’d expect from any other music ensemble,” Lilyann Downard, a senior in aerospace engineering and president of Count-Me-In, said. “We have 3 [to] 4 hours of rehearsal every week with occasional weekend retreats… that we can use to dive a little deeper into our music or learn choreography.”
The group prepares a setlist, choreography and coordinated outfits to submit to the International Competition of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA). The first round starts in a video format, and determines whether they move on to compete in the in-person events.
“We have gone to [ICCA] Quarterfinals for the past few years, and it is always such a fun experience,” Jessica Gorre, a junior in computer science and member of Count-Me-In, said. “We work so hard leading up to the competition, so being able to finally perform and share it with other people is special.”
The process starts with auditions, where they are assessed on pitches and rhythm through various exercises. This helps the group gauge someone’s ability to quickly learn music, as most learning happens in a short period of time.
There is also a portion where students are requested to sing a short segment of a song, which brings out individuality between voices.
“As a freshman, I was terrified to audition, but taking that step outside my comfort zone became one of the best decisions I have ever made,” Aleena Rosacker, a junior in event management and assistant director of Count-Me-In, said.
The group relies on student leadership and has different roles, with each voice part containing a leader and a leader-in-training. The leaders are in charge of guiding practices and making decisions regarding the competition setlist.
“Count-Me-In has taught me a lot about how to work in a group run by peers instead of teachers…We are all learning together how to be independent in the learning process, and it allows our group to be collaborative in a way most choirs can’t,” Erin Barnes, a senior in kinesiology and member of Count-Me-In, said.
Through the student-led teaching style, the group bonds through mentoring one another. The group takes pride in fostering a leading style while prioritizing making memories and having fun.
“We all made it in, we are all working on it together, we are all equals,” Barnes said. “By the time we got to our first gig, we were all laughing together and friends with everyone.”
Before competition season kicks into full swing, the group does various gigs around the Ames community, such as singing telegrams and Halloween performances at Reiman Gardens.
The second half of the fall and early spring semesters are devoted to crafting their setlist, which usually revolves around a theme that ties all of the song sections together.
The group has qualified for the ICCA Quarterfinals, the qualifying round after virtual tryouts, for the past three seasons, allowing the group to travel and perform their setlist against other teams in the Midwest.
“I think the best part is getting to experience it all together,” Gorre said. “We work so hard leading up to the competition, so being able to finally perform and share it with other people is really special.”
From auditions to competitions, Count-Me-In prioritizes creating a group where music meets a community where students can bond through what they all love doing.
“We are here to have fun and make music together,” Barnes said. “t is a chance to do something we love. We are all coming in from different majors and areas of experience, and we get to bring it all together to make something beautiful.”
