Music Makers
The voice comes through the speakers, matching the synthesized beat in sync. It’s urban, edgy, the sound fresh with hip-hop and rap influences. The producer gives a thumbs-up through the glass.
The artist steps out of the recording booth.
He’s eight. Just barely over three feet tall. Has the swagger of a music veteran.
Carolina Studios is not the standard after-school program. Here, children come for an hour or so each day and learn to write, record and produce their own music all while mastering the same equipment and computer programs the professionals use…but not until they’ve finished their homework.
“We want to give an alternative to sports for these children,” says Johnnie Mitchell, Executive Director of Carolina Studios, “Give them a safe place where they can explore their creativity.”
And the music these kids create has more meaning than most of what you hear on the radio. From dreams and aspirations for the future to one child who raps about the pain of his cousin’s shooting.
These children have a story to tell, and Carolina Studios gives them not just the microphone to tell it, but the computers to produce it, the instruments to play it, and the education to pursue something greater.
“We like making music,” one girl told CHARLIE, her eyes glued to an Apple iMac as she expertly clicks and drags different beats onto the screen, “it’s fun.”
The program started in 2001 as a forum to share a passion for music with Charleston’s at-risk youth. Carolina Studios opened its first location in 2007 in association with The Boys and Girls Club’s Mary St. location and then opened its second studio on the corner of America and Columbus St. in early 2009. Grants have allowed for each studio to be outfitted with state-of-the-art computers and professional sound engineering software in addition to program staffers with a passion for both music and teaching children.
“Working with these kids is amazing,” says College of Charleston senior and program staffer Jessie Berger, “They each have talent; to see them create music and grow through the process is pretty powerful stuff.”
Power to you, kiddos.
