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INDIANAPOLIS — Students are using their talents to make music while working in the classroom.
It's part of of the music and production program at the J. Everett Light Career Center in Indianapolis. Students at the center are learning every aspect of the music industry to they stand out along with their talent.
The students start by building a solid foundation on their digital audio recording and mixing skills. They use industry standard software to make their songs that actually air on their school's radio station.
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"Students who take this class are ahead of the game when they go to the next level whether they go to a six-month recording school or to a four-year college," Rob Hendrix, music and production instructor, said.
Students in the program also work on music composition, sound editing, engineering and in the process show their creativity. Their major project is creating their own album and doing a live concert at the end of the year.
"I think it's a very unique experience, not everybody can experience this," student Derrick Franklin said. "I can possibly become a producer and help people that are practically underground rappers probably help them create beats."
Instructors say this is a tough industry and remind students that it is a grind to be a success in music.
"We emphasize that it takes passion, grit, very hard work and determination along with networking those are just key," Hendrix said. "I try to preach that all year long for those who are very, very interested."
In addition to performers, the program emphasizes that there are other opportunities in the music industry — sound techs, producers and audio engineers.
