Winter Coffeehouse: music, talent and soul
December 18, 2015
The biannual concert is one of the many fundraisers that NHS hosts. It is completely student-lead and all of the acts are chosen based off of auditions. As usual, all money raised will go to a charitable cause. This year, NHS is donating all funds to Bantfwana Phambili, an organization that provides funds to qualifying students in Mpumalanga Province in South Africa to help them further their education.
At this point in time, schooling is only required until age 15 there, which is not sufficient to obtain proper employment. With the unemployment rate at 82 percent, most children are the head of their households at the age of 15, which means that they would not have the funds or time to continue education.
Coffeehouse is widely known by many students. It is a tradition that many people love, especially around this time of year. People can not help but want to come to the black box to admire the tranquil voices of their fellow students.
“I think one of the reasons people love Coffeehouse so much is because they get to see their friends and peers perform in a fun atmosphere.” junior Maia Carter said. “It’s extremely relaxing and tranquil. I think one of the reasons that I love it and am excited to perform is because it is very cozy and winter-y. I love it,” Carter continued. She will be performing 3 times in the concert, once singing with Beatrice Lawrence, and playing the piano once as accompaniment to Governess Simpson and once on her own.
While some people prefer more of an upbeat, energetic setting, like Battle of the Bands, others prefer the slow-tempo, tranquil and acoustic environment of Coffeehouse much more.
“Battle of the Bands and Coffeehouse couldn’t be more different,” senior, and MC of the night, Matt Brown explained. “For starters Coffee House is not a competition while Battle of the Bands is. There aren’t mosh pits at Coffee House so there isn’t a fear of being trampled over at all.” Brown said.
He continued on to talk about the environment of Coffee House. “It’s really laid back and supportive. People mess up all the time at Coffee House and there is no lack of support from the audience,” Brown explained, “it’s really nice and refreshing.”
Senior and fellow MC Kallie Quist, weighed in on the event. “There are string lights and snowflakes everywhere. I think that people really like how calm and relaxing it is. There aren’t many other events that offer such talented kids to perform is a peaceful and non-judgmental environment,” she continued, “Everyone is always extremely talented, the atmosphere is undeniable.”
Sam DiStefano • Jan 13, 2016 at 8:17 pm
The background information and quotes used in the article kept me reading till the end!
Dylan Foster • Jan 7, 2016 at 12:56 pm
I really like how this article touches up on what Coffeehouse is meant for, not only a way for to people to show off some of their talent, but also says it’s for a better cause. I like all the interviews because they show that the students were truly involved in the event. Great work.
Governess Simpson • Jan 7, 2016 at 5:59 am
Even when reading the article, it had an aura of relaxation and calmness to it! I enjoyed reading it because it was very straightforward and simplistic but without compromising any writing technique. It was a nice choice to go with the atmosphere of Coffeehouse as an angle rather than just relaying facts about the event itself. The quotes were also great; it was clear that the interview questions were successful. Great job, Brian!
Cassie Hansen • Jan 7, 2016 at 5:30 am
I love how you brought up the charity aspect of coffeehouse. The quotes from your sources are great and comparing coffeehouse to battle of the bands is an interesting point I hadn’t thought of.
Samantha Flipp • Jan 7, 2016 at 5:15 am
I love how you explained the charity work behind coffeehouse because that is not as well known by the students. I also love the quotes that you decided to use. They really helped make the story light hearted and also informative. Nice work!
Ben O'Malley • Jan 7, 2016 at 12:39 am
Through your own writing and the quotes selected, you did a fantastic job of capturing the light-hearted spirit of Coffeehouse. In addition to this, you implementation of quotes and the context you provided went over incredibly well.
Megan Karnuth • Jan 6, 2016 at 10:57 pm
I really like how this article goes deeper than just talking about something that happens ever year, but it tells why it is such a beloved event and the meaning behind it. Nicely written!
Laura Ilkka • Jan 6, 2016 at 10:43 pm
I really enjoyed reading this article! The quotes used showed how much the students all enjoy Coffeehouse, and you went beyond just telling us what it is, but why we hold this event as well. Great job.
Caroline Allessi • Jan 6, 2016 at 10:37 pm
This article is really well written and I enjoyed it a lot. The quotes were really long and informative so great job on that. However, there aren’t a lot of facts that go along with the quotes. You could have possibly gone more in depth into the fundraising aspect of the show to get more facts, rather than having such a quote heavy story. Overall, though, I really enjoyed the article because it kept me interested!
Mary Burchill • Jan 4, 2016 at 8:23 pm
The article was really well written on not just the performing itself but the true meaning behind it and why it started! It gave me a ton of new information I hadn’t actually known and is persuasive to want to help out the cause and see a wonderful performance! You also had really strong quotes that supported your evidence and article perfectly!