Parkway South holds hundreds of events a school year, however, only a few are for a sign-up to showcase a talent. And the ones that do get set up get shut down almost as quickly because of the few number of students who signed up. The 2025 South High talent show was almost an example of one of those. 

There were only 7 participants, with various acts such as piano, violin, and singing 

Orchestra teacher Lucy Arbini was the coordinator of this event, along with the music honor society, Tri-M.

“The talent show was something from high school I’ve always remembered, and I think it was important to try it at South again to give kids a creative outlet!” she said. “ However, I almost canceled it due to lack of sign-ups, but everyone was so excited, so I just couldn’t.”

Some of these musicians have been working on their talents for quite some time, including violinist Etta Brazel.

“I’ve been playing violin since I was 2 years old. I just fell in love with it instantly,” she said.   

To be able to participate in a talent show, you have to be able to swallow the fear of performing in front of an audience. Brazel talked about how she manages the fear of being on stage.

“It was difficult to manage my stage fright, but taking deep breaths and trusting in my practice helped,” she said 

Another violinist, Abi Kumar, shared his inspiration to take part in the show

 “I was inspired by my orchestra teacher, Ms. Arbini, to participate in a talent show and perform on the violin. I’d practiced primarily at home and chose a song they had prepared for a solo and ensemble concert. The most challenging part was overcoming stage fright. To handle nerves, I took deep breaths and remained calm,” he said

There are a lot of nerves about joining a talent show and being able to perform in front of an audience, especially since this talent show was the first in a long time for Parkway South. Kumar shared his advice for future participants. 

“Stay calm and don’t stress too much. Participating in the talent show helped me improve my stage performance and confidence and prepared me for bigger performances,” he said.

Senior Bella Boewer sang and played guitar to the song “Change” by Big Thief, and shared how she felt the talent show helped her improve as a performer. 

“I think it helped me grow, because it’s one of the few opportunities you get to, perform by yourself, and not just with a group, which is what a lot of the performers up there are used to because they’re all in, like, an orchestra or a choir or a band. So getting to perform alone and knowing that you are holding yourself accountable 100% was really interesting,” she said.

In all, the three participants interviewed shared they would definitely participate in the talent show again if asked. 

Arbini spoke about what she would change about this in the upcoming years. 

“I was overwhelmed with how amazing the performances were! However, I wish there was more of a variety with maybe a dance routine, or a magic act!” she said.