It’s Not All Fun and Games
The SISU Program in Lawrence has fully embraced technology as a teaching tool with some of Lawrence’s highest-risk young people
Urban culture has a storied tradition of developing great artists and even greater music. From early Gospel and Spirituals to the Blues and Doowop to early R&B and Rap and Hip Hop, music provides a forum for vulnerability, self-expression, and self-revelation. The SISU BEATZ program is building on that storied tradition one beat at a time.
On any given afternoon, in a second-floor corner of the SISU Youth Center, five young people are lounging on couches. Each of these five young people have dreams and aspirations of recording their own music, defying the odds and making names for themselves as internationally known artists. Each of them may earn the opportunity to enter the booth, adjust the microphone, and take that first step. However, like all of the programming at SISU, SISU BEATZ is not all fun and games. Statistically, only .4% of artists are able to make a living off of their music. However, those artists rely on other trained professionals to help them create their music, their style, and their brand. SISU BEATZ encourages young people to share their voice and their lived experience while providing them with the skills to present a professionally packaged product to the world. The SISU BEATZ program encompasses three focus areas: sound engineering and production, artist development, and podcasting. SISU BEATZ uses an eight-module curriculum designed and taught by X Omegas Studios, out of Methuen.
The music recording industry has changed dramatically over the past 30 years. The smoke-filled space with tens of thousands of dollars in equipment has been replaced with a couple of microphones, a small audio interface, and an Apple Computer. Pro-Tools, the industry-standard music creation and production software, is affordable and easily assessable, and with the proper training can turn your average urban youth into a sought-after sound engineer and producer.
In front of each of the young people lounging on couches in a second-floor corner of the SISU Youth Center is a MacBook computer running the latest version of Pro-Tools. In the front of the room, two local music producers work on an IMAC displayed on a 75 Inch Flat Screen. They are teaching the intricacies of cutting and mixing beats. The young people follow along, mesmerized. Soon they will have the opportunity to step in front of the Mic and create their own beats, but first, they have to learn how to do the recording, the cutting, and the mixing.
In another far corner of the SISU Center, five different young people are sitting front of computers, learning a different set of skills. They are in the SISU E-Gaming Studio where they are battling each other using the STEAM online gaming platform. SISU began using online gaming during the COVID shutdown as a tool for outreach and communication. SISU’s Outreach staff quickly discovered it was also an invaluable tool for teaching teamwork, communication, and conflict resolution skills. SISU’s STEAM server allows young people to play games, purchased by SISU, against other SISU players onsite in the E-Gaming studio. SISU has set up restrictions on the type of games available and the language used. E-Gaming is open to all SISU participants and will continue to be an invaluable tool for recruitment and teaching.
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