By Isabella Lochhead
CCC Journalism Program
BLACKWOOD – Camden County College’s third Open Mic Event for the spring 2025 semester took place from noon to 2 p.m. April 25 in the new student center adjacent to the cafeteria. Students performed for the full two hours, sharing their talent through both covers and original songs.
Amy Tighe, a career and technical education coach at CCC, is one of the staff members behind creating this event, along with audio production teaching administrator David Downham and music professor Michael Billingsley. Tighe said about the reason behind starting the event and the reason she enjoys it, “We needed a place where our students could showcase their talent. I think it’s important for students to be able to have an outlet for their creativity and that is also the reason I enjoy it because I like to see the creativity that the students have.”
A second-year audio production major, Preston Claybourne, who performed two original songs, described why he enjoyed the event. “I appreciate it because I get to perform the stuff I created for people and also hearing other people that are good as well. It’s like an inspiration to hear what other people are doing.”
For Yaraina Rouse, a business administration major, performing at the Open Mic Events and others such as a cultural celebration is a way to build courage. “The more you do, the more you feel comfortable. It’s not often that we (performers) get to do stuff like this, especially where I live, and I don’t have a car, so it’s very convenient.”
Giving students a chance to perform is not the only reason that this event is useful. It also provides an opportunity for audio technology majors or other similar music majors to practice their skills in a real-life setting. Downham, who helped the students, said, “We set up all the sound, all the logistics, everything ourselves, so it’s a really good practice in what we call live sound production.”
Victoria Juarez-Aguilar, a second-year music theory major, noted the importance of this event, saying, “Because if (people) are not allowed to share their talents, they are going to hide it in their shell and never pursue it anywhere else, so it’s a good thing that they do it here at Camden County College. It gives people the chance to be themselves.”
Spike Hussey, a first-year dual arts/theater major, explained why he felt comfortable performing at this event. “It’s a very low-risk performance that if you just want to try something out or your voice cracks, it doesn’t matter. There’s like 15 people here, it’s fine. It gets you more comfortable with performing in front of people.”
On why she decided to participate, Hailie Jade-Mejia, a second-year film and television major, stated, “It’s my last semester here, so if I’m going to go out, I’m going to go out with making memories. Even though some of them might be sillier than others, it’s fun to make memories, and that’s going to be one I remember for a long time.”
