Recently it was announced that morning music at the Stoop would be opened up to all musical acts, not just the Friday morning “Jazz at the Stoop”.
Students have been enjoying these Friday morning treats since the fall of 2011. Up until this announcement, only the Manhattan Project, a jazz band comprised of Chris Robotham, James Robotham, Max Fenton, Ross Flieger-Allison, and Bob Sommer had played at the Stoop. Last year Zach Brazao and Richard Arnold were also in the Manhattan Project as two of the founding members before they graduated.
2012 graduate Zach Brazao said, “I’m open and completely supportive of other people playing at the Stoop. Basically I thought that the Stoop was an underutilized aspect of the school and that it would be so cool if there was jazz there in the mornings. Ms. Nuzzo was more supportive of the idea than I expected because she told me that some of the younger kids felt intimidated when kids would sit on the stoop in between classes.” Yet not all members of the Manhattan project were so optimistic.
Senior Chris Sylvester, an avid supporter of the music at SHS, is in full support of the changes.. Sylvester said, “Mr. Wargo came to me and said he had an idea. I checked with my band and they were in.”
Since then, Sylvester and his band, Olde School, have played every Tuesday morning, welcoming students of SHS to the school with their classic rock sound. “I think it’s a great opportunity for other bands to get some experience playing in front of a large group of people…we’ve definitely gained a lot of recognition,” said Sylvester.
But not everyone is so optimistic. Senior Chris Robotham said, “[music] encourages intellectual development, studiousness, and commitment to an endeavor over the long term, all of which are positive and lacking in our society…but that doesn’t mean we should languish in the destruction of one of the few outposts of legitimacy, in any area, in this school. We have open mics. This is not an open mic. This is not American Idol.”
And while it is true SHS offers Unplugged nights, this new opportunity allows new ands, or individual acts, to have a steady venue.
“It’s really great because anybody can play. Mr. Wargo really wants to see solo artists and people reading poetry, not just big bands,” said Sylvester.
Some of the upcoming acts include Cliff Bowe on guitar. So will you be the next big “Stoop Star?” All you have to do is go to the administration and sign up for one morning during the week, and voila! You’ve got your own show at the Stoop. Mr. Wargo, as well as music students hope that this tradition will continue for years to come, even after the originators have graduated. So stop on by the Stoop for some great music performed by your own classmates!