Through a collaborated effort between the Ministry of Education’s Allied Arts Unit and Kross Kolor Records, a Music Producer Incubator Programme was launched Saturday for Secondary School students.
According to a release from the Ministry, secondary school students will undergo training over the next six months, in batches of thirteen, in music production and recording engineering.
This will allow them to become independent emerging producers capable of creating professional-sounding rhythm tracks.
Head of the Unit of the Allied Arts, Nicholas Fraser said this is in keeping with the Ministry’s vision of ensuring students are exposed to some aspect of music before graduating secondary school.
The Unit’s Music Coordinator, Joel Gonasalves is part of the team which is spearheading the programme which will be conducted every Saturday at the Unit of Allied Arts located in the Queen’s College compound.
Chief Executive Officer of Kross Kolor and local music teacher and producer, Burchmore Simon is the lead instructor on the programme.
He explained that the programme is made possible through UNESCO and CARICOM, while the University of the West Indies is the administrator. The course will cover basic music theory, and the use of keyboard controllers to make rhythm tracks within standard music creation/audio software. It will also feature audio engineering basics for sound recording, music marketing basics, and understanding the functions of music industry specialists like producers, arrangers, publishers, road managers and music managers.
Students were selected for the programme earlier this year and upon the successful completion, five of the best students will be presented with music production equipment. These students will also be registered with a regional performing rights organisation.
The ministry noted that the students expressed their enthusiasm to be a part of the programme.
Sixteen-year-old Justin Whyte from St Rose’s High School expressed his passion for music and noted that a programme such as this will help propel his career.
Rehaicia Romain, a Caribbean Advance Proficiency Examination student at the Bishops’ High School excitedly said she is grateful for the opportunity to be a part of a programme such as this.
