 She participated in the high school choir, Limited Edition, and local community theater musical productions, including her high school's production of "Little Shop of Horrors", in which she appeared as Audrey.After graduating from high school in 1998, Bareilles studied communication studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she was a member of the co-ed a cappella group Awaken a Cappella; she can be heard on their album "Dysfunktional Family", singing her original selection "Gravity" and "I Want You Back" by The Jackson 5.The group's rendition of Bareilles' "Gravity" was featured on the "Best of College a Cappella 2004" compilation CD.