When freshman Sabrina Salek-Hovatter discovered a newfound love for poetry at Pearl Poetry, the school’s poetry club, she decided to step out of her comfort zone and perform during the World Music Day concert last semester.
“I’d never done anything like that before and so it was exciting to try something new and challenge myself in ways I hadn’t thought to do before,” Salek-Hovatter said. “I was really nervous.”
As a part of a collaboration between the music department and the club, the school’s concerts now feature students’ original poems alongside musical performances. The collaboration started with World Music Day and will continue for the rest of the year.
“I always wanted my poetry club to have a platform to perform in a public space,” senior Gracie Huaman said. “It worked out well that Mr. Hambright had accommodating spots for my club and we just took the opportunity.”
As club president, Huaman said she is excited to bring the club’s work to the next level. However, performing for an event such as a concert takes a lot of preparation and practice. Members spent a lot of time practicing the poems to perfect the tempo the poems are read at and any accompanying hand gestures.
“What we usually do is we spend a month drafting the poems and then the two weeks ahead of time before the concert, we drill during lunch periods and after school,” Huaman said. “We practice everything from the speed of our words, how strong or how soft (they are), and sometimes even the movements on stage.”
For participating members, performing became an outlet for their creativity, as well as a chance to express their passions.
“I love the sense of community abroad,” Hovatter said. “Everyone gathered backstage. It felt nice to be a part of something that you really enjoy with others.”
With the inclusion of Pearl Poetry, concerts display multiple art forms while offering students a way to show off the hard work they put into writing their poetry.
“I think when we add poetry, it adds a little bit of variety to the performances. It breaks things up and it is a nice way to have some other art forms mixed in with the show,” music teacher Wes Hambright said. “For students, it’s a positive experience because they get to perform their poetry that they worked hard on in front of an audience.”
