Mattea J. ‘25 stands in front of the audience in room 7204, which is tense with anticipation. She makes sure everything is prepared: microphone, computer, projector. She counts down in her head. 3, 2, 1. The lights go on, and she breaks out into song.
Mattea and her friends began the Karaoke Club this year in September as a way to have more fun during their senior year. After recruiting her initial faculty advisor, high school English teacher Dr. Kelly Kawar, as well as members during the Club Fair, Mattea didn’t expect much turnout for the club’s first meeting. However, she was pleasantly surprised.
“I think it turned out really fun,” Mattea said. “The best thing to come out of the club is the experience of it all. It’s a good space where everyone can come together, [and it’s] something for people to look forward to. I think the faculty really love it because it’s like something where we can invite all the teachers [and] all the teachers can have fun.”
Since that first meeting, other faculty advisor high school math teacher Scott Comley, who joined as an additional faculty advisor, feels that the club has grown tremendously. There have only been three meetings so far this school year, and each one has seen increased turnout. Comley believes the club’s growing attendance is rooted in both a desire to have fun and the need to have a space to relax at school.
“I think [having this space is] necessary [because] we spend our whole days here just doing work and sitting in class,” Comley said. “To have something that is just fun is really useful to fill your happiness meter. We get burnt out during the week, so it’s something that [allows everyone to] just have a good time.”
As the technology director for the club, Jake L. ‘25 has participated in meetings both behind the scenes and in front of a microphone. Jake has been a singer since he was a child, and though he is in music classes at school, he wanted to have a musical outlet that was an escape from his everyday life. When working on the club’s lighting and sound, Jake can take a more creative approach to a musical environment while still periodically having the opportunity to share his talents.
“When you walk into the room, there’s loud music, lights and so much energy,” Jake said. “It’s [nice] that the club is right in the middle of your day at lunch, [because it] transports you somewhere else. During the meetings, I’m using three monitors to try to encapsulate that karaoke bar experience. We go way over the top of it and try to go for that feeling of escapism.”
Like Lewis, the Karaoke Club has served as a space to try something new for secondary English teacher Summerlyn Poon. Poon feels that it is rare to see clubs on campus whose leaders are persistently passionate, and knew she needed to attend the Karaoke Club because of the excitement her students shared about it, despite her fear of performing.
According to an October 2023 article written by Smart Minds Together, published in Medium, karaoke exhibits different effects than other forms of singing because of its social nature. The social aspect of karaoke can increase self-esteem and human connection. This rings true for Poon, as she does not find singing in front of many people to be in her comfort zone, however, she wants to step out of it to set a good example for her students.
“I don’t [usually] like performing,” Poon said. “I’m an introverted person, and I’m not a singer. I think if I’m [going to] ask students to do things that are outside of their comfort zone [in class], I would like to show them that I can do that too.”
Karaoke has always been something Mia G. ‘27 enjoyed, and when her sister Emma G. ‘25, Jake and Mattea began the Karaoke Club, she knew she had to join. While she feels that some club environments consist of only a few friend groups, the Karaoke Club has given her many opportunities to talk to people she doesn’t already know. Along with meeting new people, Mia and those already in her friend group attend every meeting to continue the activity they do at many sleepovers with their at-home karaoke machine.
“I always like to bring my friends [to the club] because I’m always there, and it’s a very happy environment where no one’s ever judgy,” Mia said. “I always feel comfortable singing, and I [have done] a Justin Timberlake song with my best friend. It’s our inside joke because they did it in our favorite show Glee and it’s like a duet so we wanted to be like the people from Glee and I sang ‘Hotel California’ with my sister, because it’s our favorite song.“
