Los Angeles, California music producer Lawrence Grey helped jazz and symphonic band students at Warren G. Harding High School record and enhance some of their musical arrangements as part of a demonstration focusing on electronic music.
Grey, founder of YPG (Young Producers Group), spent some time at the high school on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023, demonstrating how he records a piece of music then uses Ableton computer software to mix and enhance the work by adding various effects, such as drum beats and patterns.
Grey said he seeks to teach students how to “make the kind of music they like to listen to.” Youngstown State University music education professor Dr. Daniel Keown accompanied Grey during his visit to Harding.
“As one of the few districts in the Mahoning Valley with a dedicated Music Technology course, we jumped at the chance to have Lawrence come in and work with our students. We are grateful to Dr. Keown and YSU for their assistance in providing us with this opportunity,” said WGH Assistant Band Director Heather Sirney.
Grey created YPG in 2010 after working with the youth at an alternatives to incarceration center in Brooklyn, N.Y. called the Center for Community Alternatives (CCA). Grey earned a Master’s Degree in education from UCLA; a Bachelor’s degree in music from NYU, with a focus on electronic music composition. He is also an Ableton Certified Trainer.
