Group Name performs at the 2019 Aragon Music Potluck
Formed in the spring of 2019, Group Name is an a cappella group that combines male and female voices.
The group debuted at the 2018 spring concert, singing a medley of Disney songs. Aragon alumni Kobe Liu founded the group.
“Our first performance was at Music from the Heart earlier this February,” Liu said. “I think the one that most people know about … is the spring concert piece.”
As senior member Joey Williams explains, Group Name mixes all types of voices from sopranos to baritones.
“Until last year, there was only September and Treble,” Williams said. “Kobe wanted to … work with more people and see how a blending like that would work.”
Williams originally joined Group Name because his friends were joining as well.
“I came for the people and stayed for the music because that [Disney] medley was a lot of fun to learn. It let us figure out how to blend together and … dissect our strengths and weaknesses,” Williams said.
Group Name was supposed to be a temporary group, only meant to sing one song.
“We were planning on doing just a single song at the concert last year … But then it kind of sprouted into [an] actual a cappella group,” Williams said. “The whole deal with [our] name … [was that we] thought it would be funny … because we [couldn’t come up with so] we just called it Group Name.”
As Group Name continues into the future, its members hope to explore many more musical possibilities.
“It started as a fun based thing but now we’re hoping to do a lot more gigs and performances,” said senior Priscilla Yang. “We’re focused mostly on contemporary and Disney right now, but I think we’re going to start branching out into different styles.”
Group Name’s music is different from that of Aragon’s other a cappella groups, September and Treble with Angels, as its co-ed nature gives it an unique edge.
“The sound is much different than what you hear with September and Trebles,” Yang said. “For Group Name, people are very flexible … so the dynamic is a little different. I’ve only arranged for female voices so it’s kind of nice to see a different side to it. It’s nice to hear … the quality and the blend of different ranges come together.”
The group tends to focus on the performative aspect of a cappella rather than strictly polishing their singing.
“My motto [for music] has been: ‘it’s [a] perform[ance], don’t just sing,’ Really getting into the depths of what … the music mean[s] to people [is important to me],” Liu said. “How do we best share those feelings with other people about how we feel about the music and what the music can really mean to you?”
A cappella groups such as Group Name create opportunities for students to share their love for music and bond with other like minded individuals. These independent music groups serve as both as a method of self expression for participating students and as a way to enrich Aragon music community.
