By Leela Uppaluri

On November 4, The Student Association of the Fine Arts (SAFA) held the event SLAMP, or Student-led Afterschool Music Program, with Roxbury Latin and Belmont Hill. SLAMP is an open mic event held once each semester, and is open to both performers and casual audience members. As someone who went to SLAMP this year, I decided to interview SAFA’s club heads in order to get a more concrete idea of the event and the meaning behind it.

Throughout the night, people danced, sang, read poetry, performed dramatic monologues, and showcased comedy. As Ms. Macaulay, the advisor of SAFA, said, “just about any kind of performance is accepted and welcomed.” It was incredible to watch all of these diverse performances, and learn about the talent of those both in my class and in other classes. According to Ella Pascucci ‘23, one of the heads of SAFA, the variety of performances was a “great way to highlight and appreciate all of the musical and poetic talents within the Winsor community” and even in other schools.

The event was enjoyable both for audience members and performers. In the audience, I found myself singing along to “When Will My Life Begin,” observing musicians playing songs and poets performing pieces, laughing along to comedic performances, and mostly just cheering on fellow Winsor students during their own performances.

As Ms. Macaulay noted, the “open and welcoming and supportive” environment of the event gave many students an opportunity to share talents they may have never before been comfortable sharing. According to Ms. Macaulay, “often we get students who are putting themselves out there for the first time”; some performers this year sang original songs they had never before performed in front of an audience. SLAMP is also an opportunity for students that do not normally “identify as performing artists at this school” to showcase this essential part of their identity.

SLAMP is running again this spring, and Ella Pascucci encourages students to “come to cheer on your friends and peers” and to participate in this event that is “unlike any other at Winsor.”