Student-Directed Performing Groups Ready for Their Close-Up

Upper school students are letting their talent shine beyond the school day by participating and collaborating in student-directed performing groups (SPG) on campus.

Currently there are 10 SPGs going through the audition process this week. Most are familiar: 49 Clinton (contemporary/alternative/rock band); Cabaret Troupe (musical theater vocal ensemble); Dohters (a cappella/folk/contemporary vocal ensemble); KODE (K-pop cover dance ensemble); Muse (world dance ensemble); Outspoken (spoken word performance ensemble); Positive Rhythm (blues/r&b band); and The Reck (traditional/contemporary world music band). Some are new: Folks Doing Folk (folk/bluegrass/country band) and Walkman (80s rock band).

“SPGs are an excellent opportunity to fit more music into your life and an unique opportunity to develop leadership skills in the arts,” said Jen Carnevale, chair of the Department of Performing Arts.
 
Josie Leff ’25 and Grayson Bokhour ’26 are the student leaders of Walkman, a cover band they started, sparked by their love of 70s and 80s music. According to Leff “there just wasn't a place on campus yet for that sort of thing. All the SPGs are fantastic, but none of them were quite what we were looking for.”

With Leff on lead vocals and Bokhour on keyboard and backup vocals, they performed “Renegade” by Styx last year which sealed the deal for them.

“It's such an interesting, dynamic song, and it was so fun to finally show the school community a little of what we'd worked on,” Leff said.

Miriam Emery and Michaela Pembroke, faculty advisors of Outspoken, are also excited for the year ahead with the spoken word group that is marking its 11th year at Masters.

“We are looking forward to giving students a space to share their love of writing and poetry with the community,” Emery shared. 

Students work together on poetry every Monday night to showcase at their winter performance. During their meetings, they workshop and share writing with prompts developed by the student leaders, Eleanor Phillips, Avi Zalkin and Remy Pearlman.

They also participate in the Westchester Poetry Festival in April, and at the end of the year, they perform in the Dopapalooza event. “We hope that a lifelong love of poetry is created because they are intrinsically and authentically motivated to use their voices and engage with the world,” added Pembroke.

“I am thrilled that there are so many students whose love of music and the arts spills out of the school day academic ensembles and into the afternoons and evenings,” said Carnevale.

Leff and Bokhour are ready to share the passion for an era they credit to their parents’ love of the genre. “There's so much really cool music and culture from the rock scene in the 70s and 80s, and we want to bring it to our friends and the community who might not have been exposed to it.”