Sophomore exploratory major Kevin Pospichel expresses his musical side at the Student Center yesterday evening at Open Mic Night. BRIAN MARKS | DAILY KENT STATER

Credit: Jason Hall

Though a turnout of 20 people at a campus event can hardly be considered a crowd, the setting was just right for Open Mic Night.

The event was held in the Music Listening Center to encourage a smaller, more intimate feel. The lighting was low, and chairs were arranged in a semi-circle around the microphone, the symbolic host of the event.

Most of the performers were musicians, which came as a surprise to Zack Ankney, a member of Kent Student Center Programming, which sponsored the event. Ankney was also surprised at the originality of the performers.

“I didn’t expect people to do as many originals as they’re doing. I thought there would be more covers involved, so apparently this campus has a few songwriters, which is nice,” he said.

Open Mic Night is meant to have a smaller crowd for a few reasons, said Rachael Shansky, supervisor of the event. One is to help performers get used to the limelight.

“There are a lot of people on campus who like to play and a lot of people in bands who aren’t used to performing in front of people. So this is a good way to help get them out,” she said.

Freshman exploratory major Alex Roberts played his guitar and sang a couple covers, as well as one original, a song he calls “Peace Pipe.”

“I learned a song a couple days ago, and I wanted to perform it in front of people,” he said. Roberts considers himself a seasoned performer, however, and admits he was not used to playing in front of a small crowd.

Ian Hupertz, freshman music education major, is also used to larger crowds. Hupertz, who also plays guitar and sings, didn’t really care who was in the audience, “as long as someone enjoyed it,” he said.

Contact on-campus entertainment reporter Lisa Hlavinka at [email protected].