Making It Happen Foundation/HEROES Music Technology Program

The Helping Everyone Reach Opportunities and Elevated Sustainability (H.E.R.O.E.S.) technology program would use funding for:

     Personnel: One Project Director, Project Manager, Payroll Manager and           Administrative Assistant.  Three Teaching Artists/Industry Professionals

     Technical equipment including a Midi studio and production software  

     Supplies including a camera, keyboards lighting kits and headphones 

     Marketing in metropolitan Detroit    

     Expenses including fees for studio mixing, mastering and editing      

These items will assist with music distribution, marketing and updating our equipment. We would also be able to outfit all participants with a mobile mini studio production pack consisting of beat machine, lap top, speakers, midi keyboard.

The other support compoents would help us further champion our program. The amplification component will impact our ability to reach a greater audience of students and potential donors by making them aware of our program components and reasons for giving.  Our belief that we can impact  the world would benefit from the partnerships provided by the mentorship component.   

Believing “iron sharpens iron”, the opportunity to exchange ideas, be inspired by the stories and others and receive priceless guidance from past winners will serve to propel us to success.  The unique experience of a tailored plan for success is both timely and welcomed.

The Making It Happen Foundation was founded in 2000 by a passionate group of Detroit professionals and community advocates, including MIHF President Chetrice Gillon. MIHF’s philosophy is informed by a mission to create directed pathways for underserved youth in lower socio-economic communities by eliminating barriers and centralizing resources. Over the past 20 years, MIHF has developed and implemented award-winning programming to benefit our State’s youth. 

The H.E.R.O.E.S. Music Technology Program equips students with the skills to create exciting, unique compositions and pursue careers in the music industry as producers, sound engineers, song writers, digital media specialists and recording artists.  Students learn from industry professionals and learn industry techniques to produce original music compositions, commercial jingles, and musical scores for film, TV, online content and video games.

Our goals for the future include:

⦁ 100% of H.E.R.O.E.S. Tech students complete certifications
⦁ 100% of H.E.R.O.E.S. Tech high school Seniors are accepted and attend colleges and universities
⦁ 100% college graduation rate from 2017-Present 

Under the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, community-based youth organizations have struggled to deliver measurable and sustainable programming while simultaneously keeping students engaged. However, in Metro-Detroit, one program has successfully overcome challenges to arm its graduates with highly-marketable skills.

Since its inception, the H.E.R.O.E.S. has successfully addressed a programming void for students and young adults aged 14 to 24. Specifically, the Making It Happen Foundation (MIHF) has leveraged creative partnerships to provide program participants with marketable technical skills and experience in the music and film production fields. 

Due to an innovative partnership with Michigan State University’s Berklee College of Music and Hub for Innovation, along with Coursera and New Paradigm for Education Early College of Excellence, 50 Detroit-area youth earned certification in music production technology (Ableton Livein) and the art of music production. 

The partnership was formed to develop and expand career learning opportunities in creative industries and: 1) complements high school core credit and elective requirements; and 2) allows students to pursue their creative passions, while potentially leading to employment, continued education and entrepreneurial opportunities; and 3) establishes alternative credentialing pathways for students and industry experts; and 4) trains technically-skilled and workforce-ready candidates; and 5) provides career placement resources. 

In a unique environment with access to industry professionals, our approach is four-fold and includes:

Music Production:  Students learn music production concepts, including composition, sound design, and sampling using Ableton Live. They also learn to create original music compositions and mashups.

Songwriting: Students in the songwriting programs learn the entire process  to write a song, from ideation to writing lyrics, to recording and production.

Sound Engineering - Mix and Mastering:  Students edit and mix music using Ableton while learning to use industry-standard plug-ins to finalize and polish tracks while exploring tools such as equalization, panning, time & space effects, and automation.

Digital Media: Students learn photography and creative content development skills using Canon cameras, Android, and Apple devices, Adobe Creative Studio and social media marketing.

We engage Grammy Award winning, entertainment industry experts to provide "ready to use " training and our non traditional partnership with MSU and Berklee College of Music to provide scholarships to courses they receive certifications and now College credit while in High school.

Students who participate in the arts are more likely to be proficient in reading, writing, math, and develop skills that equate to more than just expressing creativity. As federal funding for arts education in U.S. public schools dwindles, the need for accessible learning programs for young students is growing.

Through the program, 80 students took courses like The Art of Music Production or Songwriting: Writing the Lyrics, and Introduction to Ableton from Berklee College of Music on Coursera. With their new skills and certifications, the students created original music soundtracks inspired by the street art in Detroit’s Eastern Market that will be featured at “Detroit Voices Unlimited” Music, Technology and Art Intersection Exhibition in the spring of 2019. 

We were thrilled to co-create a learning space for youth in the Detroit program to discover how they can leverage technology to realize their musical ideas. Given the success of the students in the course, not to mention Detroit’s track record for producing great musical artists, I am confident that they will have much to contribute to the world.” – Carin Nuernberg, Vice President of Online Education at Berklee College of Music