There’s something very special happening at Madison Junior High this year. It’s safe to say there is no other program like it anywhere in Indiana, and probably the entire region. Madison is now offering instruction in music production, sound engineering, music performance, songwriting, and the entire spectrum of music business skills and professions. Keep in mind, this is at the Jr. High, for kids in the 5th through 8th grades!
The idea for the program came out of a fortuitous confluence of talented and motivated people. There was Eric Phagan, a local artist and educational innovator. Jay Roney, Director of Facilities at MCS and a very entrepreneurial guy. And finally Jerry Navarro, an experienced musician and music business guy, formerly of Nashville, Tennessee, now seeking a simpler and saner life here in Indiana’s Music City.
Oh, and it couldn’t have ultimately come to fruition without the vision and support of the school administration, including principal Jordan Warner and superintendent Dr. Teresa Brown. They saw the value in the idea, and have been very supportive all along the way.
The program has two key components. First is the man with the broad music industry knowledge, Mr. Jerry Navarro. “I spent many years in Nashville,” explains Jerry, “in pretty much every phase of the business. I’m a musician, of course, having played bass with many notable bands and projects. But I’ve also been deeply involved in music production, recording, promotion, copyright law, band management … literally every phase of the process from the germ of a song in the writer’s head to a finished recording making its way to the wider listening world.
“Me and my family moved up to Indiana at the start of Covid, to my wife’s hometown near Indy, but recently I started looking around for a place with more of a focus on music … a place where I can apply my broad base of industry knowledge and maybe make a difference in the larger community. Madison just kind of jumped out at me, and it’s been nothing but welcoming and nurturing ever since.”
Remember I said the school program requires two key components? Jerry Navarro was the first. The other is a state-of-the-art facility where students can learn and practice on the latest recording and production equipment. That’s where Eric Phagan and Jay Roney came in.
“We took an unused room at the Jr. High, worked with Jerry on the design and equipment list, and built a first-class music recording studio,” explains Eric. “A program like this is a huge opportunity for our students. It’s a way for them to explore something completely different and interesting and maybe find their niche, even if they aren’t necessarily into sports or getting top grades.
“We’re exposing kids to music from a lot of different angles, and building them up for the next level where they can maybe make it a profession someday. It’s essentially another platform to become successful, and I’m all for that.”
“This is the third ‘out of the box’ idea we’ve been able to implement, adds Jay. “We started the E-Sports video gaming program last year, and we just launched the Farm Stop agribusiness program. Now this music production offering is really setting our school system apart, I believe. These programs have the potential to really excite and engage our students, in ways that traditional learning might not.”
Drawing on Jerry Navarro’s broad experience in the music business, students are exposed to songwriting, playing instruments and making music, recording, mastering and moving to a finished product, marketing and promotion, and even management. Kids are discovering there is way more to music than just strumming a guitar or listening on Spotify.
Principal Jordan Warner sums it up. “School’s only been in session a short while, and you can already feel the energy. We have kids carrying guitars in the halls. We have band and choir kids who love music already discovering how much more there is to expand their passion.
“We’re sending all the 5th and 6th graders through the program for a short session, and then we are offering it as a full-year elective for the 7th and 8th. I think we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg of what this program can do for the kids and the broader community.”
HOT TIP OF THE WEEK:
Every now and then I like to take a moment to recognize the true heroes of the “Indiana’s Music City Movement” here in Madison. These are the venue owners who book live music consistently, week in and week out, so that locals and visitors can always depend on having a great time as they walk around downtown. Steve Thomas at Thomas Family Winery, of course, is the longest running live music venue in town, with performances on his awesome little stage virtually every Saturday night. The folks at Red Bicycle Hall have been staging high quality music on Main Street for about 11 years now. And for sheer volume and tenacity, Joe Breeck at Rivertown Grill has been booking live events Wednesday thru Sunday for several years now. Lots of other folks have picked up the gauntlet, including Daryl & Angie at the new Timeless & Tiki LIVE venue. So plan your getaway weekend right now and experience for yourself a live music scene literally unmatched for a town our size. Pound for pound, nobody does music like Madison!
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