GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A new studio and music production and entrepreneurship class hopes to help students at Ottawa Hills High School find their voice.
Grand Rapids Public Schools unveiled the project during a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday.
According to the district, the four-year course teaches students, like Kenneth Brown, how to use professional audio software, copyright a song, and more.
Brown, a freshman at Ottawa Hills who enjoys hip hop, says because of the class, he wants to become a music composer.
“I didn't get it at first, but when I started actually putting the puzzle pieces together, it started clicking,” said Brown. “It’s really fun.”
Lucius B. Hoskins, an award-winning songwriter and producers who graduated from Ottawa Hills in 1997, owns the company that created the studio and curriculum for the course.
“The purpose of our program is to train the next generation of young music professionals,” said Hoskins. “My goal is to make sure that some of the things that happened to me in my industry or along my journey … doesn't happen to them.”
Hoskins says it feels “incredible” to give back to his alma mater in this way.
Other Ottawa Hills graduates turned musicians include Grammy-nominated gospel star Marvin Sapp and members of ‘Switch’.
“The southeast side has always been known for breeding [musical] talent,” said Hoskins. “Having this here, gives them an opportunity to once again be exposed to and for that talent to be exposed.”
Erik Love teaches the class and says it gives students more creativity than traditional music courses like band and choir.
“We have a bigger focus on that improvisation, on that songwriting, on that composition, which is a fully important part of our art that I don't think we're necessarily getting to as strong in our ensemble classes,” said Love.
Love believes the class and studio allows students to mix their life soundtrack.
“If [it] turns into career for them great,” said Love. “If they just had a wonderful time in high school, they can still have these skills the rest of life, that's wonderful too.”
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