HEART Music Executive Director Serena Scibelli poses during HEART Music’s Hispanic Heritage Month Event on Oct. 16. Scibelli, who organized the event, enjoyed working with Clarke County School District students throughout the planning process. “For (HEART Music), working with CCSD students is a privilege,” Scibelli said. “When I told the students about the opportunity, their positivity and their excitement to play and celebrate was so high that I put all my energy on it and I tried my best to organize something that would recognize them.” Photo by Isabella Westrich
CCSD students and teachers came together with HEART Music faculty to perform music at HEART Music’s Hispanic Heritage Month event, which took place on Oct. 16 at Hendershot’s.
Student musicians from across Athens step up onto a stage rimmed with depictions of smiling skeleton musicians. The audience claps, cheers and shakes maracas as the students start to play, their lively notes dancing across the room.
Local non-profit HEART Music’s Hispanic Heritage Month event took place on Oct. 16 at Hendershot’s. The event was a celebration of culture and community, featuring musical performances by HEART Music Faculty as well as students and teachers from W.R. Coile Middle School, Clarke Central High School and Cedar Shoals High School.
“This event came from a conversation I had with (HEART Music) Social Media intern Alexandra Navas. We saw the Hispanic Heritage Month as an opportunity for the (Clarke County School District) students to celebrate heritage, education and music,” HEART Music Executive Director Serena Scibelli said. “When I told the students about the opportunity, their positivity and their excitement to play and celebrate was so high that I put all my energy on it and I tried my best to organize something that would recognize them.”
“(I was excited for) performing in front of people and just showing them some aspects of Hispanic music. (The event represented) me and everyone else who’s Hispanic, and it shows everyone those aspects.”
— Karen Lopez,
CCHS student performer
Performances included everything from rock renditions to student and teacher instrumental duets to pieces played by an entire orchestra, each performance imbuing elements of Hispanic culture.
“(I was excited for) performing in front of people and just showing them some aspects of Hispanic music,” CCHS Senior Karen Lopez, who performed in the event, said. “(The event represented) me and everyone else who’s Hispanic, and it shows everyone those aspects.”
A band made up of Clarke County School District students plays at HEART Music’s Hispanic Heritage Month event on Oct. 16. HEART Music Executive Director Serena Scibelli was impressed with the students’ talent, and believes showcasing it is important to the community. “This event is important to the community because it shows who talented our youth are and how essential is the community support for the students and for us,” Scibelli said. Video by Isabella Westrich
Community member Ashley Paez came to the event to support her nephew Christian, who played in the orchestra. She was impressed with the cohesion of the performance and believes it was beneficial for students to play for the wider Athens community.
“I thought it was great to see the talent that we wouldn’t otherwise get to see and that they were showcasing that for the community,” Paez said. “I think it’s important for students to learn how to play an instrument and be supported by the community.”
For Scibelli, the event was an important reminder to celebrate both Hispanic history and the future.
“We all need to know how talented our young generation is and how heritage can be a beautiful aspect of our community,” Scibelli said. “The students are really talented and they are really proud to play this music, so I’m proud to play with them.”
