Story by Amber Henderson / Inform Muncie
Editor's Note: This story was originally published in November, 2021
Twelve-year-old Emily has been in love with music for as long as she can remember. Her earliest memory was when she was 5 years old singing with her aunt grandmother. They bonded over gentle melodies while they cooked dinner together.
Emily is a member of Boys & Girls Clubs of Muncie and is part of one of its newest programs, the Junior Producers Club. In the program, Ball State University students teach Club Kids in grades 6 to 12 how to produce and mix music using professional equipment. “I like the chance to be creative and make my own music,” Emily said.
She comes from a family of musicians. You might even say, it’s in her blood.
“My aunt gave me the courage to be able to sing in front of people,” said Emily. But it was when she started playing clarinet when she found her voice.
After her grandmother died five years ago, Emily wanted to do more to be like her. “I tried the flute,” said Emily, “but the clarinet was the instrument for me. It [allowed me] to express myself without words.”
Dominic Bordenero is the teen director at the club. Dominic is in his first year in this position and already loves it.
“It is rewarding,” he said. “Programs like this keep kids off the streets. That is a big part of the Boys & Girls Clubs. We are here to serve every child.”
Creativity is intelligence having fun, Bordenero said. “Programs like these give kids the opportunity to use their minds in ways that interest them. This program has been successful. The kids love it.”
All Inform Muncie articles are written by students in the School of Journalism and Strategic Communication in a classroom environment with a faculty advisor.
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