PROGRAMS FUN TO FAME Day to day operations at the MRC are governed by a single guiding program called "Fun to Fame." Members are divided among three "tracks," each of which comes with different privileges and expectations. We adapt the program to the members' interests -- for example, one student might want to become a better rapper while another might want to become a professional songwriter. Keeping these goals in mind, we design a customized series of activities and experiences for each student which is relevant to their interests, and may include workshops, research assignments, classes, lessons, rehearsals, and performances. Fame Track I provides the most structured learning and mentoring experiences for our members. Prerequisites include a weekly attendance commitment to MRC and structured goals determined with the help of the staff. Each year, a maximum of 75 students are selected, and subsequently receive intense mentoring from MRC staff, volunteers and contractual professionals where appropriate. Fame Track II is intended for members who have musical aspirations but cannot yet commit to a weekly attendance requirement. They typically have simpler program goals and greater autonomy. MRC staff and volunteers are available to these members as well, but are typically not needed to the same degree as with Fame Track I. Fame Track II often seeks to give its participants a taste of more intense training experiences in the hopes that they will become interested in moving to Fame Track I. Fun Track members often use the Center as a “drop-in” spot, occasionally coming by to casually pursue musical activities. They are not as goal-directed as Fame Track members, and sometimes simply enjoy the social aspects of the MRC, such as being around peers and listening to music with them. They tend to have short-term goals, such as recording a single song for a particular purpose. Our track system allows us to meet our members where they are in terms of musical development and overall maturity. Some have specific goals or even career plans, while others enjoy socializing, using state-of-the-art equipment, and talking about music. At both extremes and all the points in between, we provide a healthy, productive alternative to the risky behaviors that can develop during aimless hanging out after school. The MRC strives to attract individuals with all levels of aspirations. Our tiered program accomodates highly motivated members while simultaneously encouraging less ambitious students to adopt new goals. MUSIC LESSONS Staff members and volunteers from the Charlottesville musical community provide lessons to MRC members in a variety of subjects including guitar, bass, keyboard, voice, and music theory. All lessons are free, and scheduling may vary depending on instructor availability. Students working with Vijith Assar can keep up with their lesson plans online. SCHOOL VISITS At the Music Resource Center, we work closely with schools and other organizations in the Charlottesville-Albemarle community which serve groups similar to our target population. Students from area schools are invited to tour MRC and engage in special projects with the help of our staff. This is a great way to recruit new members, and it allows us to help the schools provide innovative, high-interest learning activities for their students, especially those who may be non-traditional learners. During the school year, we design programs which involve recurring weekly visits from students during school hours. During their time here, they work on structured projects, such as rehearsing with a trio or creating a CD. We work with school administrators and teachers to define project goals, and we typically ask school personnel to accompany their students and get involved as the program progresses. JUVENILE DETENTION We feel strongly that it is important to share our resources with young members of our community who cannot travel to our facility. Armed with our portable studio setup and a heavy dose of musical knowledge, staff members bring the MRC experience to other locations when and where it is needed. For example, incarcerated juveniles typically have few creative outlets while institutionalized. These students have typically endured significant hardships -- family problems, for example -- and can benefit greatly from the emotional outlet that music provides. Once a week during the academic year, MRC staff conducts workshops on-site at the Blue Ridge Juvenile Detention Center, located in Charlottesville, Virginia. The staff encourages participants to become MRC members after returning to the community and to stay out of trouble. INTERNSHIPS We sponsor customized internships for junior and senior high school students that span either a semester or the entire academic year and can be adapted to fit school-specific criteria. Interns typically pursue courses of study in audio engineering and music production; often, the goal is to leave them self-sufficient, able to effectively conduct sessions in Studio A without consulting a staff member for technical assistance. CHILDREN'S REHABILITATION Music can provide an especially effective vehicle for facilitating emotional release and healing for people with medical challenges. To this end, MRC staff are currently in the process of becoming volunteers at the Kluge Children’s Rehabilitation Center, where young people typically undergo intensive treatment for a variety of different conditions and injuries. By using music-making activities to enhance the therapeutic process, we hope to enhance recovery and make rehabilitation more enjoyable. COLLABORATIVE PARTNERS We frequently work with many local groups that share our interest in promoting the arts. This creates a synergy in the local creative community which often benefits our members, opening doors and exposing them to new experiences. Some of the organizations with whom we have partnered on projects in the past year include The Boys and Girls Club, Computers4Kids, Lighthouse Studios, Charlottesville Parks and Recreation, the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library, and TeensGive, a service learning program. In some cases, these organizations brought groups to the MRC, and in others we conducted workshops for them on location. For example, Computers4Kids asked us to run an audio workshop in which MRC staff showed their program's participants how to manipulate music and audio using computer programs. Lighthouse Studios and the MRC also worked together on a music video which went on to win the 2004 "Best Of Reef" award from Listen Up!, the largest youth media network in the country. We are also in close proximity to two excellent institutions of higher education, the University of Virginia and Piedmont Virginia Community College. Both house thriving arts, dance and music departments. Thanks to generous invitations from both, MRC members have been able to experience master dance classes taught by touring professionals and performances by ballet, modern dance, and jazz music ensembles. In the city of Charlottesville and the surrounding area, there are numerous businesses and venues for music and entertainment that have generously made their resources available to our students. The Paramount Theater, for example, is a newly renovated first-class old-world style performance venue in downtown Charlottesville which frequently features nationally and internationally renowned performances. MRC students have repeatedly been invited to Paramount Theater performances, and were even able to visit the musicians backstage. Starr Hill Music Hall brings an impressive array of musicians and vocal artists to our area each year. Our students have been able to attend some of these events, and even perform on the same stage as their favorite musicians did by way of our periodic concerts. Plan 9 Records, a Richmond-based music merchandising outlet with stores in the Charlottesville area, periodically hosts in-store performances that are free and open to the general public, and generously makes requests of in-store performers to meet and greet MRC students before or after performances. Music Today, a Charlottesville-based artist management company with internationally renowned clients, continually works to bring affiliated artists to the MRC to tour the center, perform for our members, and discuss their music-making experiences. Through all of these experiences, our students are exposed to vastly different styles of music-making and performing, all of which nurture their development as artists. DANCE CLASSES Three times a week, the MRC hosts hip hop dance classes taught by our in-house instructor. Participants work on rhythm, improvisation, choreography, and coordination, and the sessions are open to all members on a drop-in basis. AUDIO ENGINEERING Technical know-how is crucial for any member who wants to master the complicated studios we provide, so the MRC hosts intense training sessions every week. Audio engineer Cory Teitelbaum leads small groups of interested students through the intricacies of Studio A, focusing more on mastering the equipment than on producing a song.
© 2004 The Music Resource Center™