Jubygrams Offer Jubilee

As Valentine’s Day approaches, many of us are overcome with anxiety instead of romantic joy. For some the worry comes from the inevitable reminder of their singlehood. But even for those with a valentine, the worry comes from the search for the perfect gift—one that won’t be considered trite. That’s where Jubygrams come in.

Jubilation!, the only Christian a cappella group at Columbia, has been performing Jubygrams—personalized a capella performances—for the past nine years every Wednesday on the week of Valentine’s Day. The origins of Jubygrams are unclear, but since 2001, they have become a unique tradition of Jubilation!. “We inherited it [the Jubygram tradition] from previous years. No one knows how it started anymore but we wouldn’t be Jubilation! without it,” said Michael Kim, CC ’09, president of Jubilation!.

The only way students can purchase the Jubygrams is by personally contacting Kim. The purchaser can buy a performance for $10 and select a time slot. (The profits are used to pay for music, sound equipment, and space rental for performances.) After the purchases have been made, Jubilation! arranges its schedule to make sure the recipient will be available at delivery. The Jubygram is often used as a surprise gift—the recipients open the door to find 12 a cappella singers serenading them.
It is a shame that the availability of Jubygrams is not more widely known. The Jubygrams lack advertising—rather than flyering or putting blurbs in listservs, members of Jubilation! ask friends to make purchases. The biggest advertisements are made as announcements at Christian group gatherings. This method has unintentionally made the Jubygrams exclusive to a select group of students, though many would appreciate them.

Although Jubilation! performs Christian songs for regular performances, they choose special numbers for Jubygrams. This year’s selections include: “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “Stand by Me,” and “In the Still of the Night”—classics of the a cappella repertoire.

Jubilation! is the only a cappella group at Columbia to offer anything like Jubygrams, possibly due to the demanding time commitment. In addition to practices, Jubygrams take hours to deliver as the a cappella group visits students in their rooms individually from 7 p.m. to midnight. “It feels good to know that what we do can bring joy to other people,” said Ki Hoon Kim, CC ’11, a member of Jubilation!.

Michael Kim agreed and noted, “We [the Jubygrams] don’t really get a profit from it; it’s a uniquely a cappella way of interacting with an audience. So it’s more about meeting and singing for people more intimately—and to build a stronger fan base.”

It seems to work. Jenny Kim, CC ’11 received a Jubygram last year from a friend. She described her experience as “Amazing. To have the entire group [Jubilation!] singing for me was overwhelming—in a good way. It feels very special to know that an entire performance is being orchestrated just for you.” With private professional music performances averaging between $100 and $300 (especially costly on Valentine’s Day), the Jubygram at only $10 may be the cheapest private performance available.

If you miss the chance to have Jubilation! perform through the Jubygram, be on the look out for their free study breaks and concerts. Their next performance will be a study break on March 4 in the Satow Room in Lerner Hall.