On Friday, May 29, students gathered in Straus Library for Beatstock, an annual event celebrating the culmination of the three Magus Mabus boards’ work: music, art, and literature. Unlike Beatnik, Beatstock is traditionally performed on the Quad rather than in Straus.
The event featured more than 25 performers and groups, showcasing a wide range of artistic expression, even with some location-related complications. Students were told six hours before the event that it would be moved from the usual setting of the Quad to inside Straus due to the forecasted rain with the exception of the first two performances.
Throughout the evening, students listened to performances from their peers, purchased custom-designed Magus Mabus T-shirts and picked up copies of the Literature Board’s spring magazine issue. Montserrat Martínez Vindas ’26, a former Co-Head of Magus Mabus Music, shared that Beatstock “is a great way to end the year by having all the different forms of art and expressions come together.”
Magus Mabus Music board member Alyssa Zheng ’28 was a part of the first dance group performing to “One Spark” by Twice and of RITMO, Milton’s Caribbean-Latinx/Afro-beats dance team, which performed second. Both pieces needed “to move around a lot,” Zheng explained. Because “it’s dangerous with all the chords and microphones” to dance in Straus, these first two performances took place outside.
Groups including RITMO, The Major Minors, and the Miltones performed throughout the evening. The Miltones sang a mashup from the critically acclaimed drama and musical film, The Greatest Showman, one of the student a cappella group’s longest pieces.
The Major Minors’ performance of “Livin’ on a Prayer” by American rock band Bon Jovi concluded months of preparation. Lead guitarist Alyssa Liu ’29 was “really happy to finally execute [the song],” after preparations starting before Spring break. Frontwoman Nora Lu ’29 shared that she and the band had been hoping to play the iconic song from Bon Jovi’s third studio album all year, so the performance was a way to culminate the Major Minors’ practice.
According to Vindas, preparations for Beatstock began in early May when all the Magus Mabus board members, including the new Co-Heads, met to discuss T-shirt designs, timing of magazine issue releases, and Beatstock deadlines. Leo Wan ’28, a member of the Magus Mabus Literature Board, shared that the boards collectively arrange performances and track the instruments and materials needed for the event. Wan explained that Beatstock preparations spanned from the end of Friday’s school day to the event’s start at 6:00 p.m., and the cleanup after the event dragged on past 10:30 p.m.
Wan said that Beatstock is traditionally unique as students “[sit] beneath the warm sunset listening to music performances and chilling on the Quad.” Vindas highlighted how “the setting of Beatstock adds to the feeling of the year coming to an end… There’s something really special about watching people gather outside of Straus to support their peers.” Though Vindas’s vision of “a huge picnic” was not realized this year, it did not take away from how special the night was to many.
Regardless of weather or setting, Beatstock was the final chance for seniors to engage in the recurring tradition. Alexander Landis-Arnold ’26, who performed a dance with four other seniors, described the event as a “senior bucket list item,” highlighting how the fact that he was graduating soon gave him “reason to not be worried about how good [their] performance was.” Landis-Arnold had only performed at Beatnik in his freshman year, but underscored the importance of having a talent show “that is always fun..[because it is] in front of friends” and “that doesn’t place any one talent above the other.” Similarly, Vindas emphasized that “this event is [Class I’s] last at Milton to showcase their talents and create new memories.”
Emlyn Joseph ’27 explained that he loved “experiencing the range of support and enthusiasm from all the students.” This year’s Beatstock saw a range of talents that, despite the relocation, flourished and echoed within the walls of Straus. Zheng also loved how “super different communities around Milton got to come together and be united through…music.” As a new member of the Music board, Zheng reflected on her goals for next year’s Beatniks and Beatstock: she hopes to see “more performances in different genres of skills” such as more uncommon performances like “magic tricks, comedy, and slam poetry.”