Fools Fest traditionally takes place inside the MAC, with activities, snacks, and a DJ. Last year, the event was moved to the Omni, where a student-run band played along with professionals. This year, Fools Fest was held on the Beach and featured multiple student bands.
The original idea of rotating student bands was proposed by English Faculty Margaret Draper, whose previous school had a similar event. “Everybody in the school would come out and bring picnics and kick soccer balls around, and faculty would bring their children[…]It just depends on people’s willingness to relax, leave their phones behind, and hang out with each other. In an ideal world, it would just be people strewn about on the grass, enjoying each other’s company,” Draper said.
“In an ideal world, it would just be people strewn about on the grass, enjoying each other’s company.”
Another part of the idea behind Woodstock was to bid farewell to the Shattuck Schoolhouse before it is renovated this summer. In addition to working with this idea, SLC also considered the success of last year’s Fool’s Fest and incorporated some of its elements. “It went really well last year with having a student-run band, and I think it’s going to be even better this year, not having anyone from outside and focusing on celebrating people who don’t always have a chance to perform,” Sophomore SLC representative Lucas Keefe (Class III) said.
Running Fools Fest with student bands was also an excellent way to celebrate and encourage musicians at Nobles. “There’s no doubt that Nobles has an abundance of musical talent. There’s no real time, sans maybe assembly, to have this culmination and showcase of all the musical talent at Nobles. That was the basis of the idea,” SLC President Nate Madden (Class I) said. Students were able to see their friends perform, which provided more incentive to go to the event.
Fools Fest was also a low-stakes environment for students to perform because other activities meant that the music was mostly happening in the background. “It’s really community-based, which is cool, and it gives all these people an opportunity if they don’t want to necessarily get on stage in front of all of the school for assembly. It gives you a much more chill way to get up there and do your thing,” Guitarist and Bassist Nora Voldins (Class II) said.
The band format provides a unique opportunity for student musicians—it can be difficult to form a band, especially because there are a limited number of students who play specific instruments such as bass and drums. The sign-up system for Fools Fest solved this problem: in the form, students could ask for other students to play certain instruments that their band was missing. “The problem with having a band is you don’t necessarily have every piece of the band that you need, and you don’t necessarily know people to ask for those positions. So it’s really good that you can sign up for whoever you need, so you can be provided with whatever positions you don’t have so easily,” Voldins said.
While DJs can certainly bring a lot of energy to events, these bands connect to students in a way that DJs cannot. “There’s just another energy when it comes to bands, as opposed to a singular DJ. Another pro is that since we’re the musicians and we’re the ones choosing the songs and everything, we make sure that the songs are songs that people know. When it’s a band from outside of school, they’re guessing what high schoolers know,” Junior SLC representative Sunehri Verma (Class II) said.
“Since we’re the musicians and we’re the ones choosing the songs and everything, we
make sure that the songs are songs
that people know.”
An essential part of the preparation for the event was the collaboration between SLC and student musicians, specifically Ariel Rabinovich (Class II) and Will Eckford (Class I). “We’ve never collaborated with other students. It’s usually just been within SLC. But since we have Ariel and Will, they’re been great with figuring out the music logistics. It’s taken off the load a bit from Mr. Gallagher from having to find a band because now it’s just on Nobles musicians,” Verma said. Finally, the concert-style event provides students with something new to be excited about. “We’re really trying to maximize school spirit[…]We’re really trying to have a core event that can kind of get everyone hyped and excited for the spring,” Junior SLC representative Ben Gelber (Class II) said. Rather than just being a repeat of Fall Fest, Fools Fest has become an event with its own unique aspects and energy. “For some people, they might feel like they’re losing the essence of Fools Fest, but I feel like that’s the complete opposite. I feel like in terms of this kind of being a rebrand of Fools Fest, we’re actually gaining a lot of things,” Sophomore SLC representative Seynabou Seck (Class III) said. Hopefully, the new Fools Fest will endure into future years and become a Nobles tradition alongside events such as Friday Night Lights, Fall Fest, and Art Street. [Conclusion about post-event thoughts/reflections, reception]
