I have loved the addition of coffeehouse events in this school year. I think they have been a wonderful opportunity for students to express themselves creatively and for the student body to support them. The themes for the night have been unique and inviting.

This last coffeehouse though did not give me the same feeling.

Granted, I did show up a little late, so I did miss the first couple acts. But there was something about the mood of the night that left me feeling a little empty.

Comparatively, there was a significant drop in student participants. There did not seem to be much focus on student performances, since half of the night consisted of S.P.A. St. Patrick’s Day entertainment.

To be clear, I was very impressed by all of the students that participated. I am constantly amazed by the amount of musical talent that this school contains. Mostly because I have none. I could probably play the kazoo, but not with the level of talent that Riean has. That is for sure.

I think that having the event on a Thursday night really threw people off. It is the first week back from Spring Break and many students are still trying to adjust to the workload once again. I am sure many people decided it would be better to lock themselves in their dorms to finish their paper for Friday morning rather than spend the night up in the cafe.

I know of a few students who decided to drop out of performing because they did not have time to practice. While they may only play for 5 minutes or less, practicing a new song takes multiple hours out of the week. This is extra difficult when everyone was at home the week before.

I understand the thought process of having the event Thursday night since it was St. Patrick’s day. But it seemed that having the event on a school night did not pay off, as there was a lack of audience members and performers. I think the event would have fared far better on Friday night, and I think they could have still had songs reflecting St. Patrick’s day since it would have only been 24 hours removed from the holiday.

Or maybe it did not have to reflect the holiday at all. The coffee house’s theme was “Around the World in 80 Minutes,” but we seemed to stay in Ireland the entire time. The international experience seemed to take a backseat to the holiday.

I think that this is still a good event to have, but the timing was wrong. I think that the turnout will be much higher come fall semester, when we have fresh and eager faces who want to perform, paired with the lighter school workload.

P.S. Can we have hot chocolate again?