The Greene County High School Jazz Choir is headed back to the Iowa Vocal Jazz Championships.

Director David Heupel says jazz choirs are selected to compete based on submitted recordings and Ram Jive was one of eight that were chosen in Class 3A. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio the students in Ram Jive always have two goals which are: earning a Division I-rating at the state jazz choir festival and qualifying for IVJC, and they met both of those.

Heupel says the ensemble will perform three songs and it starts off with a swing-style tune of “No Moon At All” by Peter Eldridge and Darmon Meader.

“It’s kind of a slower swing piece and we get to feature Ava Schilling and Gavin Vander Linden as soloists, (they) kind of pop in and out. It starts out a capella and then the swing kicks in, and it’s a lot of fun.”    

Heupel says they follow that up with a ballad-style song with “Detour Ahead” by Paris Rutherford, and then finish with a contemporary jazz-style song with “Rollercoaster” by Kerry Marsh. He adds that Ram Jive will perform at Waukee High School Wednesday, March 27th. The other Class 3A schools include Center Point-Urbana, Gilbert, Iowa Falls-Alden, Mount Vernon, North Polk, Solon and Spirit Lake.