Student a cappella groups find harmony in community

Two groups of students on campus have found community through the art of a cappella singing. 

“That’s The Key” and “Take it SLO” are completely student-run a cappella ensembles. They create music without musical instruments, building rhythms using nothing but their voices. 

Take it SLO currently has 20 members. Director and computer science senior Justin Yuen found the group at the club showcase his freshman year. 

“I’d been singing on my own, but never really in a group setting until I found Take It SLO and it was just like a beautiful family of singers and like minded people, and everyone’s so talented and kind,” Yuen said.

Yuen says one of the group’s favorite traditions is their annual Valentine’s Day grams, where they surprise students with impromptu performances on campus. 

“It’s really fun and sometimes embarrassing, but that’s the fun part about it,” Yuen said. “It’s just a great way to get the Take it SLO name out into Cal Poly.”

Computer science senior Kavya Karunakaran is the president of That’s The Key. The group currently has 18 members and primarily sings pop songs.

“A big favorite of a lot of people in our group this quarter has been a mashup of ‘I Got a Feeling,’ ‘Timber,’ and ‘Can’t hold us.’ I think that’s one of the fun things about a cappella is that you can kind of do whatever you want and create these fun mashups,” said Karunakaran.

Both groups are run entirely by the students. Yuen says being a part of Take it SLO feels more like a celebration than an obligation.

“We always look forward to rehearsing our two times a week,” Yuen said. “And we’re looking forward to seeing our friends and the payoff after every concert and gig that we have, it’s just like closer bonding with each other. And it truly is just like a family that we’ll have for the rest of our lives.”

According to Karunakaran, being involved in a cappella at Cal Poly is not only about the music, but the lifelong connections she has made in That’s The Key. 

“I think if you’re looking for a community where you can explore music and have fun with that passion, then I think a cappella is a really nice community for that here,” said Karunakaran.