Open mic in the coffee shop
IUS students show off their talents, make their voices heard, and fight the nerves that come along with performing at an open mic in University Grounds
Jacob Howard, a freshman who is an English Education Major, sings “Michael” by Red House Painters while playing his guitar. “My parents started getting me guitar lessons and I hated it but once I started listening to music, I was like, ‘oh, this might be worthwhile.’ I like performing…and I love that song too.”
September 9, 2019
In coffee shops across the nation, patrons are faced with a slew of different caffeine-filled options. Some prefer their coffee black, while others load up with cream and sugar.
Avid coffee lovers at IU Southeast on Thursday, September 5, ordered their beloved caffeinated beverages with the soothing sounds of music and poetry in the background as the Campus Activity Board hosted an open mic in the University Grounds Coffee Shop. One by one, students stepped up to the microphone, performing songs and poetry for an audience of students and faculty.
Jazz Strope, a freshman who is majoring in Graphic Design, performs an original song titled “Under the Bed.” Her instrument of choice is a ukulele because it, as she puts it, is a “nice, portable instrument.” She chalked up her fear of performing in front of people for why she chose to perform at an open mic. “I have a lot of stage fright,” Strope said. “I always have. Even performing for the past 10-plus years on stage with many people, I still always get so nervous. I just like to have as many opportunities as I can to deal with it, get over it.”
Jacob Howard, a freshman who is an English Education Major, sings “Michael” by Red House Painters while playing his guitar. “My parents started getting me guitar lessons and I hated it but once I started listening to music, I was like, ‘oh, this might be worthwhile.’ I like performing…and I love that song too.”
Brandon Visetchaisri, a third-year Vocal Music Education major, belts “Never Enough” from “The Greatest Showman.” He noted how different it felt to perform in the coffee shop. “I think being a music major, it’s really good for me to perform in venues that are not just attended by music people. It’s weird [because] when I do my performances and recitals, I’m just performing for music students and faculty, but when I perform in a public place like the coffee shop, it’s really different and the nervousness I feel is a lot different and I feel like I did an okay job after those performances because I performed in front of different people compared to people I know, so it’s kind of good.”
Jaime Young Irvin, a sophomore who is double majoring in Strategic Communication and Music Business, recites an original poem titled “Minstrel Song,” influenced by a poem written by Langston Hughes titled “Minstrel Man.” He chose to perform so his voice could be heard. “[I came to the coffee shop] mostly just because it’s hard to find a place to put your voice and it’s hard to get people to just listen to you. I think this is the perfect platform where people are just coming by and maybe someone just happens to find something in you or someone else that is also performing that they’ve never felt in themselves before or that they’ve never heard before.”
