MY VOICE MUSIC AND SUN SCHOOL PROGRAMS AT DAVID DOUGLAS HS
DDHS Students, Alyssa and Christian, performing at the MVM Winter Student Showcase!
Every Wednesday afternoon from 3-4:30pm, during the school year, My Voice Music has been participating in a SUN School Program being hosted at David Douglas High School. Regardless of skill level, the program is an excellent way for students with the passion and interest in creating music to flex their creative muscles and develop their talents, all under the guidance and assistance of local musicians and My Voice Music volunteers.
My Voice Music founder, Ian Mouser, explained that when the program first started in October 2011, they had planned the program would be a very top-down, curriculum-based class, teaching youth to make electronic music over the course of 8 weeks. However, the nature of the program, and its drop-in style, meant that the curriculum-based format was not as effective for the students, who often were arriving with their own beats and lyrics ready to record. With this change of culture, the program evolved to better meet the needs of the students in the form of bringing My Voice Music instruments and recording equipment so that students could learn to create their beats, and record their lyrics about their experiences, challenges, and elements of life.
Now, the classes play host to students making their own electronic music on My Voice Music-provided laptops, opportunities for students to practice writing lyrics and composing songs, as well as working with each other and volunteers to write acoustic music. All of which is a great experience for any students with the passion to create and have their voice heard.
“This has become a great program because it is really directed by the motivation and passion of the students involved,” Ian Mouser continued. “The students who have been attending this class have also become integral participants in our public student performances. Their motivation and passion is pretty awesome!”
Whether the students are preparing for a performance, or just looking for an outlet for their creative energy, this program is a great opportunity for students to embody the My Voice Music motto of: Believe, Create, Give – Believe in yourself in order to create something that means enough to give back. And it is also what the SUN School Programs are all about: Collaborating with community partners to provide youth with amazing opportunities!
And that is music to everyone’s ears.
