Eight-year-old Olivia Nethercutt soars when she can stand on a stage with a microphone in her hand, looking toward her dream of becoming a singer. Her participation at Project Paradise, a non-profit in Muncie, puts her one step closer to that dream.
Project Paradise was established in June 2024 by Marquiese McClendon with the help of Habitat for Humanity Muncie. The program provides free access to music education, music engineering, studio recording and photography for youth and young adults in Muncie.
“I've heard through research that one of the most impactful, receptive forms of communication of input that we can get is music,” said Amy Hourigan, Ball State associate lecturer of music education.
Hourigan believes music can help alleviate some of the isolating feelings of adolescents by imparting skills applicable to their lives in addition to providing an outlet for kids.
“I think that's usually the first step for kids that struggle, in general, that just being able to be part of a group, I think that's one of the biggest skills I see,” Hourigan said.
Susannah Nethercutt, mother of Olivia, said programs like these are what enrich communities and provide an outlet for kids.
“Some kids may not know how to express themselves otherwise, or they may turn to other things that aren't good for them,” Nethercutt said.
She said the program has also opened her eyes to the possibilities that life has to offer, noting that the impact the program has had on her daughter has transferred to her.
“You know, it's not over for me. I still can make goals for myself and think outside the box and out of my comfort zone. And I can be an inspiration to others,” she said
The struggle to find one’s identity while trying to situate oneself in the world is a common issue for adolescents, which can make them more susceptible to other types of pressures, according to Clearfork Academy.
“I can identify with these kids, you know? I got into a lot of trouble as a kid,” McClendon said.
The development of emotional intelligence is important for kids to learn, according to Understood, an educational nonprofit. Using music, Project Paradise works with kids to help them process some of the things they’re feeling that they can’t express otherwise.
“There's a kid I work with who lost his uncle, and he wanted to talk about that, so I would ask him, ‘How did that make you feel?,’ and I helped him put that in song form,” McClendon said.
This is an example of social-emotional learning which is an educational method that integrates the development of social and emotional skills into school curricula, according to Helpful Professor.
In Hourigan’s experience, this is becoming a large component of learning in schools with state guidelines for what kids should talk about in classrooms.
“[It] also allows you to have a conversation with someone else about that topic
that might not have been comfortable in another way. That might lead you to be able to have a conversation because you can have that shared experience of a particular song,” Hourigan said.
Hourigan sees ways in which music has strengthened and brought communities together. She has seen music bring together students at a sports game and the country together when tragic events, like 9/11, happen in the United States.
“It’s ingrained in us, and it’s a way we can communicate with each other without having to have conversations, but it’s something that we all feel,” Hourigan said.
McClendon said he’s seen the impact of community involvement after Paradise Productions Recording Studio's opening. Community members donated furniture, artists offered their services to paint on the walls and the mayor made an appearance at the grand opening.
“It was just seeing everybody come together. It just shows you teamwork really does make the dream work. And I couldn’t have done it alone,” McClendon said.
McClendon had never really considered the aspect of turning Project Paradise into a full-fledged business. For him, the impact of this program was what made it worth fighting for.
“I really just did it out of love, just so kids could have somewhere, something to do, a sense of direction, something to focus on and know they got somebody to believe in them,” he said. “That’s why I am where I am because somebody believed in me and put me in a studio.”
Hourigan believes that there should be more music programs available to help kids work through their feelings and strengthen their sense of community with other kids.
Nethercutt appreciates all of the work McClendon has done to make a program like this available to her daughter and to all of the kids in Muncie. Her daughter has gained confidence from participating in the program.
“I know it has helped my daughter, and I know it's helped a lot of other kids as well,” she said "... [It's] something positive that he's doing for the community, for the kids; the kids are our future.”
McClendon hopes for the program to continue to grow and become a global success to “plant that seed” and impact communities around the world.
“Music saved my life,” McClendon said.
Contact Rainna Yarborough via email at rainna.yarborough@bsu.edu.
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