Over the last few Monday nights at Goodrich Coffee Bar, students may have noticed a change in the café’s musical ambience: Instead of the usual selection from baristas’ Spotify playlists, a handful of student singers and songwriters have taken the stage. Goodrich Open Mics, held every few weeks on Monday nights, are organized by Olivia Gubel ’25 and Peter Miles ’24 as a part of their ongoing effort to bring together a community of singer-songwriters on campus and dedicate a space to their performances. 

“I think what we’re really looking for is to create a space where people can enjoy music on a regular basis,” Gubel said. “It’s also [a space] for people who are on the verge of wanting to play songs but normally wouldn’t. 

The pair held its first open mic night on Feb. 19. Gubel opened with a speech that reassured Goodrich-goers that the music would not get any louder than the regular, barista-selected, music. With that, she pointed to a  sign-up sheet that sat on one corner of the stage. Some students arrived with purpose, writing their name down as soon as they arrived. Others became inspired — or were cajoled by their friends — halfway through. 

While some students seemed confused by the unexpected live music — a few doubled down on their concentration by turning up the volume on their noise-canceling headphones — most seemed pleasantly surprised, occasionally pausing to look up from their work when performers hit particularly raw notes. 

In their opening remarks, performers enthused about the opportunity to perform and thanked Gubel and Miles for kickstarting the event. “The atmosphere is relaxed but supportive, which is wonderful for someone like me who’s trying to overcome stage fright,” singer-songwriter Alexa Hommen ’26 wrote in an email to the Record.

More than half a dozen students took the stage the first night. The majority of the songs were originals, exhibiting the eagerness of student-songwriters to share their work. Miles closed the night saying that there will be many open mics to follow, encouraging audience members to perform at the next one regardless of their experience. 

“I want to see more people sign up because I promise this is one of the best opportunities for performance you can get,” Hommen added.  “[This is] low stakes, low expectations, practice with microphones and crowds, and a space for you to share whatever you want.”

In addition to the open mics, Miles and Gubel organized the Singer-Songwriter Festival on Feb. 29 in which six student songwriters shared their recent works in a slightly more formal setting.

In contrast to Goodrich Open Mics — which are just for “getting up there and having fun,” according to Miles — the festival was an opportunity for singer-songwriters to practice performing formal gigs. The festival “provided more of a formal space to practice [how to] talk between songs and connect with your audience,” Miles said.

The small but enthusiastic festival crowd created a warm, intimate atmosphere in which students shared their stories — both the happy and the melancholy — with their peers.  

Both Miles and Gubel said that they want to create a sustainable and long-lasting community in which singers can share their music. They commented that open mics had been set up multiple times in the past, both by previous generations of students and themselves.

“We’re not the first people to start open mics,” Gubel said. “[I]t’s definitely happened, but [they] kind of fizzle out as the person who runs it graduates.” After taking part in Artistic Associate in Vocal and Songwriting Bernice Lewis’ songwriting Winter Study as a first-year — where she met Miles — Gubel ran a series of weekly open mic nights at The Log called the “You Are My Jam Sessions,” but she noted how difficult it was to run the event on her own. 

Earlier this year, Gubel reconnected with Miles, who had just returned from attending a series of inspirational open mic nights in New Zealand, where he was studying abroad. They decided to give open mic nights another try at the College — this time together. Teamwork, they both noted, has made the events possible. 

Gubel and Miles emphasized the importance of consistency. Their hope is that the open mics will build a lasting community that feels “super united and supported,” Gubel said. “It’s so important that if you’re a songwriter on campus, you know who the other songwriters are, and you know where to go if you ever need help or motivation.”

The next Goodrich Open Mic will be held on April 8 at 8 p.m.