By SUZANNE PFEFFERLE TAFUR | Special to The Advocate
MAR 20, 2019 - 7:15 AM
Upbeat Academy Foundation director Matthew Zarba sits at the nonprofit's classroom in the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation. The academy educates at-risk youth in electronic and hip-hop music production.
Upbeat Academy Foundation director Matthew Zarba sits at the nonprofit's classroom in the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation. The academy educates at-risk youth in electronic and hip-hop music production.
During this weekend’s BUKU Music + Art Project, renowned performers such as Lana Del Rey, A$AP Rocky, RL Grime and Louis the Child will take the stage. But several local young people will also have a chance to showcase their talents.
The annual two-day festival, founded by Winter Circle Productions, happens at Mardi Gras World and welcomes more than 40,000 revelers from around the country.
The nascent artists are students of BUKU and Winter Circle Production’s nonprofit called Upbeat Academy, where at-risk youths learn how to produce and perform electronic dance and hip-hop beats, and also turn their hobby into a business.
“This is the first time most of our students are getting on a stage and performing in front of people, so it's a great place for them to cut their teeth,” said Matthew Zarba, the executive director of the Upbeat Academy Foundation, a nonprofit organization established in 2012. Zarba — aka Mr. Z — is also an emcee, a vocalist and a graduate of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts.
“They get to see how an audience responds to hearing their music, but also hear their music through (BUKU’s) sound system,” he said.
A portion of each purchased BUKU ticket benefits the foundation.
Upbeat’s on-site classes take place at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation center on Rampart Street, but the organization also holds weekly sessions at The NET Charter High School and the Covenant House. They’ll soon begin visiting Travis Hill School inside the Youth Study Center — a pretrial detention facility for teens.
During class, the instructors introduce students to the older methods of creating hip-hop and electronic dance music, then show them how those methods relate to modern, industry-preferred software. They provide access to state-of-the-art equipment such as turntables, headphones and production software.
They also teach teens the basics of playing piano because that instrument, combined with the software, plays a major role in creating different sounds. And they host guest speakers who’ve achieved success in the music industry.
Student Jamil Carter, 23, joined Upbeat seven years ago.
“I was introduced to it by a schoolteacher of mine. I guess she saw how much I was fascinated with music,” he said. “I enjoy coming in here, meeting new people, passing on what I already know and learning new things as I go on.”
Carter hopes to study media arts at Full Sail University in Florida.
Zarba said that the hip-hop and electronic dance music genres were chosen as Upbeat’s focus because the city already offers “a whole lot of jazz-type programs, and a whole lot of access to those programs.”
“What we don't have is something that caters to the music of these young people's generations, and what's contemporary,” he explained. “Not everybody wants to play the trumpet or the saxophone. Maybe they want something that speaks a bit more to their vibe and what they're into.”
Participant Lewis Hubbaid, 17, is an aspiring rapper who performs at parties and small venues around the city. Since he doesn’t attend high school at the moment, his mom encouraged him to register for Upbeat.
“I wanted to learn more about music, so this was a good idea,” he said, noting that he now has a better understanding of how the business side of the music industry operates. “I can communicate more about that.”
Upbeat students have performed at BUKU for the past five years. And during that time, they’ve met such artists as Nas, Chance the Rapper, Run the Jewels, Kendrick Lamar and Public Enemy.
Several graduates of the program are now studying music at the collegiate level, whether it's in the field of music business, performance or engineering.
Others have enrolled in NOCCA.
When Upbeat alum BluShakurx made her debut during BUKU last year, she went onstage with Jay Electronica and performed in front of more than 500 people. She told Zarba that she continues to perform and has no plans of turning back.
“I always tell young people, especially when they first arrive, ‘Give yourself a chance. We're going to teach you the basics, because we don't want to just make songs for you. We want to equip you with the tools to do this independently on your own,’ ” Zarba said.
The students thrive because they’re surrounded by peers who are pursuing the same goals and possess the same passion for music, Zarba said. They become engaged in a healthy competition that propels them forward.
“We're always going to have to keep up with new technologies, learn more efficient ways to do things and find different ways to set yourself apart from the pack,” Zarba said. “You can see that carry into their academic lives and their personal lives. We’re very real with one another. We can talk about these things in an honest, open manner.”
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