Graphic by Maya Uribe
By Miggy Aguilar and Melisa Rodriguez
The CI Music Club hosted its first open mic event on Sep. 3 located in Ekho’s Cafe where talented performers showcased their singing or music-playing skills! This semester brings an opportunity for more music club events on campus as Vice President, Owen Mason, speaks about their vision. “We want to do music nights that way because then we can come up with a higher quality of events here at CI. We have tons of very talented performers here at CI, many of which haven’t heard of Music Club,”. Mason joined last semester during the fall by scrolling through CI Sync and discovering how to join. The club encourages others to do the same, especially new students on campus who love music.
This is the second year of the club and members are excited to see how it will develop this year by potentially adding workshops to teach others how to produce or play an instrument apart from doing karaoke. “We want to have… kind of a setlist live show here in essentially our backyard,” said Mason. Most of the performers have participated in the previous open mic events such as Soleil Jones and Andrew Hart. The club welcomes others to the stage or to watch if they are interested in seeing the talents of CI. Additionally, the club is eager to foster a supportive environment where students can gain experience, collaborate on projects and contribute to a thriving campus arts community.
The Music Club has introduced a new feature to their events with jam sessions. At the recent open mic event, this transition was a highlight where Music Club President, Andrew Hart took the stage and spontaneously created a drum beat, chords, bass and piano to form a song on the spot. The idea is to encourage attendees to join in, adding their solos and improvisations to the mix. This new layout aims to foster a collaborative and dynamic musical environment allowing participants to experiment and showcase their skills.
Mason outlined an exciting vision for future events saying, “Ultimately, the focus is on working up. So this semester, we’re planning to hold music nights every other Thursday, with the hope of transitioning to weekly events next semester.” The aim is to make these nights a regular part of students schedules turning them into a consistent gathering where students can enjoy a lively party with great music and good company. This offers an opportunity to meet new people and have a good time in Ekho’s Cafe as this fall semester kicks off. As the club continues to strive forward and continue to grow, everyone is invited to learn more about what is on campus!
