Heeeeeeeeeeeiiiiii Moiiiii!
I’m Apollo Ailus: 5th-year student, DSD alumnus, current Acoustics & Audio Technology master’s student, man of several guilds, Yankee, and proud provider of Horina-as-a-Service (HaaS). Also (in)famously, the first person to get a job through songleading at sitsit (a job I later left, but still, a job).
I’ve been songleading at AS since my very first year, and it’s a craft I’ve truly honed and loved. Admittedly, I was slower with AS this past year while serving as SIK International & Master’s Captain ’25. But now, entering my bona fide unc years and reconnecting with AS, I’d like to revisit my roots and truly live out the phrase “ELEC Yhteistyö” by applying to be Songleadermaster (Lukkarimestari) for 2026.
What experience do I have?
From my first year, I was one of the first non-Finnish-speaking songleaders roaming Otaniemi with English donkey bridges, something that’s now become common across guilds. My early highlights include songleading big multi-guild sitsit like the English Bachelor Fuksisitsit and International Grand Sitsit as a wee 19-year-old tupsu.
Since then, I’ve stayed active with 30+ songleading gigs/lukkarointi’s under my belt. Not only has it been fun, but it’s een an awesome way to lead by example and inspire other internationals to jump into our student culture. Speaking of jumping in, I’ve also jumped in to songlead for other schools and guilds, like at this year’s CHEM x ENG x AK International Train Sitsit (where I was rewarded seven Coop Cervezas, which had me jumping the entire night 
). I’ve also been a songleader at Athene this year because why not? And this has given me firsthand insight into how song culture varies between guilds.
At AYY’s International Committee (KvTMK), I’ve recruited songleaders for our many sitsit, and I’ve developed läsys alongside them and been their main contact person on site. I also served on Aava’s Song Culture Committee (LaKuTMK ’24), the “sister” of LutKu, where we promoted song culture across Otaniemi, notably through the hit “ChiliPääSitsit” which MTMK has since adopted.
Goals as Songleadermaster?
1. Boost songleader confidence and authority. Help songleaders feel calm, proud, and ready to spread joy, while emphasizing how to control an overly rowdy crowd. Remember, songleading is something that most people don’t even dare to do, so I want to make our songleaders feel happy and excited to do this job. I’d also like to create a quick “cheat sheet” of aasinsilta/punchline tips for improvising on the spot, which they can keep in their back pockets if needed.
2. Embrace unpredictability. I love me an absurd or unexpected aasinsilta/donkey bridge that keeps people guessing what song it’ll be. I’d encourage this while also hearing out other ideas for songleading styles, and we can brainstorm some different approaches as a committee.
3. Diversify the songlist. Move beyond the classics and bring underrated songs into rotation, including rare English ones. I will organize at least one sing-through evening for Aasinsilta and make note of some hidden bangers.
4. Highlight songleading perks. Discounted sitsit, visibility, cross-guild friendships, boosting your public speaking, maybe even job opportunities (it happened once, could happen again 
).
5. Make English songleading easy. Many find it tough to songlead English sitsi songs, and I completely understand why. Thus, I want to provide whatever tools and examples I can to help make them natural, entertaining, and ideally more common.
6. Build committee community. Encourage more bonding, refreshments, and joint events for songleaders; songwriting together is one idea. Also, if I may reference SIK again, the SIK songleader committee has matching vests, and I think some type of accessory (scarf? bowtie? muu?) would be dope. Maybe even link up with their committee for some joint shenanigans!
7. Actively contribute to LutKu. This role would also put me on Teekkarijaosto’s Songleadermaster Committee LutKu, and I would make sure to be an active player there and organize some bänger lukkari seminars and similar activites for songleaders both inside and outside of AS. I’d also use this to advertise rare and interesting songleading opportunities beyond just AS whenever I can.
If given the chance, I’ll do my best to make songleading at AS as fun and easy as it can be. I’ll hopefully see you all from the songleader table in one way or another!
TL;DR
WHO? Apollo Ailus
WHAT? Application for Songleadermaster/Lukkarimestari 2026
WHY? I’m a top 5 yapper in Otaniemi and I know a thing or two about song culture
Otaniemi CV:
2025:
AS: Songleader, ASIC, Halloped
SIK: International & Master’s Captain
Athene: Songleader
2024:
AS: Songleader, ASIC, Halloped, Account Manager
SIK: Master’s Fuksi 
Athene: Master’s ISO :DD
Other: Aava Song Culture Committee (LaKu)
2023:
AS: Songleader, Abisinth, Halloped, kv-ISO
Other: Aalto A!dventures Board Member
2022:
AS: Songleader, MinIEn, DSDeetti, Trip-prentice, kv-ISO
Other: Aalto A!dventures Board Member
2021:
AS: Hyperfuksi
High school: Graduate with honors
Thanks for reading and feel free to reach out on Telegram @SIKCaptain. Have a lovely rest of the election season!
With lukkari love,
Apollo Ailus