With the tap of a teacher’s finger, a drum machine pulsates. A thick beat comes out of the speakers, laid over a prerecorded hip hop track.
“Take your time, but hurry up. Time is money in the studio,” said the teacher, Music Producer and Teaching Artist Akil Esoon Griffin. “You can make that beat out of any one of these drums.”
Esoon Griffin worked with students in Jessica Bromley’s High School Instrumental Class throughout March and April. Esoon Griffin, a multi-instrumentalist from Pittsburgh, has produced music for decades, and performs as part of the duo GRXWN FXLKS.
His goal – along with telling a few tales from the studio – can be summed up in one word: “Confidence.” Added Esoon Griffin, “I want the students to walk away with the ability to use their own voice.”
Esoon Griffin was brought into Sto-Rox through Mary Brenholts at the Pittsburgh Center for Arts & Media.
“She called me and put this whole thing together,” said Esoon Griffin, “and I’m very thankful and grateful for the opportunity, because this blends right in with my mission statement: Change the state of music and art by creating my replacement.”
One member of the next generation is Zyion Archie, a Sto-Rox 9th grader. He has dabbled in music production, but seeing Esoon Griffin work was a whole new experience.
“He definitely is showing me things I haven’t done before,” said Archie. “The different ways that technology can be used. I wasn’t aware of all the different things the programs could be used for.”
Esoon Griffin’s impact was clearly about more than making beats.
“Being able to hear the different sounds and experiencing how it all feels was important to me,” said Archie. “It’s definitely something I’d like to come back to.”
“A lot of people wouldn’t be in the places they are today if it wasn’t for the confidence that they found in music, particularly hip hop,” said Esson Griffin. “It shows them how to bring their best qualities out.”
During one Spring Semester class, Esoon Griffin helped students put their own spin on popular artists such as Bruno Mars. He also reached in the 1990’s with Sade’s “The Sweetest Taboo.” But even Esson Griffin was surprised when one student asked for a Phil Collins track, “In The Air Tonight.”
“That was interesting because...” he paused, slightly shocked. “That kid knows something about the 80’s?! For (those students) to recreate those drums was amazing.”
As a producer and teaching artist who has been working for nearly three decades, Esoon Griffin relishes the opportunity to work with young creative minds, especially those in Sto-Rox.
“These students are beautiful children,” he said. “They have genius locked deep inside. If the right teachers are involved in their lives, they can make a huge difference.”
Esoon Griffin also praised teachers for making sure their students’ creative desires are fulfilled.
“The one thing I found about Sto-Rox: no matter what people may say, there are teachers here like Miss Bromley who really care,” said Esoon Griffin, “and give them to the tools that they need to discover their inner genius.”
With help from artists like Akil Esoon Griffin, Sto-Rox is laying a creative foundation that will position students for success today, and in the future.
The district would like to thank both Akil Esoon Griffin and the Pittsburgh Center for Arts & Media for their time and support. These experiences are invaluable for our students, especially at the high school level. We can’t wait to see what they do next!