The blare of electric guitar reverberates through the room as costume-clad performers and spectators weave between the spotlights and freshly carved pumpkins. The Halloween Open Mic Night, held in the band room on Friday, Oct. 18 served as an exhilarating end to the school week and a perfect kickoff to the Halloween season.

The Halloween Open Mic Night was part of a series of open mic nights organized by the Music Collective throughout the year. Coordinated by Music Collective members senior Graham Martin-Wilson and junior Ethan Bracha, the event featured both improvised and rehearsed performances that ranged from Bach to the White Stripes.

In addition to the musical performances and snacks, the Halloween Open Mic Night offered lively, Halloween-themed activities. A costume contest, judged by audience clapping volume, included ten participants; a contestant wearing a Chappell Roan costume ultimately triumphed. Meanwhile, participants in a pumpkin carving competition produced creative designs. A cat jack-o’-lantern claimed a decisive victory.

Music Collective teacher Carolyn Castellano said this variety in activities is what makes the Open Mic Night events welcoming to a wide range of performers and audience members.

“We just try to make it fun. There’s always food here, there’s always a theme,” Castellano said. “So there’s always something going on that, while people are here listening, they can also partake in.”

The Open Mic Night was loosely structured, and some of the performances were spontaneous and unrehearsed. Martin-Wilson said that the least polished performances are often the most enjoyable.

“It takes a lot of courage to do something like that: a fun thing on the fly,” Martin-Wilson said. “But I think people should do that more often.”

According to Castellano, the free-flowing nature of Open Mic Night events is a benefit rather than a flaw, enhancing accessibility and helping to build the self-assurance and competence of performers.

“It helps people become confident in performing. It’s not a competition. I’ve watched students throughout the years who come to the open mics become really proficient performers. Maybe their first year it’s a little sloppy and they’re not confident and after a couple of years, they’re really confident. They play better,” Castellano said. “So it’s like a practice for them, and I enjoy that, and everyone’s very supportive of that.”

Sophomore and Music Collective member Arik Smith said that although Open Mic Nights often include contests, as this one did, it is the cooperative and community-based culture of the events that makes them special.

“Even though they were judged, the atmosphere was more collaborative than competitive, and that, I think, is kind of the atmosphere of the whole thing,” Smith said. “People are just working together and making the best art they can.”