Atlanta influences everything, especially in entertainment, and The B.E.S.T. Academy at The Thomas W. Dortch Jr. Institute invited one of Atlanta’s legends in the music and film industry to share his story with its students.
Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee and Grammy Award-winning producer Dallas Austin, a Georgia native, went from getting his songs played at Cascade skating rink to producing a discography full of hit songs. Austin was also the producer of hit films Drumline and ATL.
“We had a legend here today,” B.E.S.T. Academy principal Robert Williams said. “Mr. Austin was able to provide our students with some valuable insight from an expert who has been a game changer within Georgia and Atlanta.”
The B.E.S.T. Academy students took full advantage of this opportunity and were eager to learn more about Austn’s journey from music to film, his motivations, his inspirations, how to navigate the entertainment industry, how to network, and also his advice on what they could do now to help them reach their goals.
“The students had some great questions to ask, and they were really into what it takes to be successful and what it takes to make music,” Austin said. “They were most curious about my journey; the mistakes I made and what not to do if you’re going to be in the music industry, but they also understood that school has a lot to do with being successful in music.”
“B.E.S.T. Academy is great,” he added. “Whatever they’re learning here is keeping them focused and they really believe that they could be something, and that’s important.”
After engaging with students for over an hour, Austin took a tour of the Ric Ross Studio on campus where B.E.S.T. Academy students train on state-of-the-art sound engineering equipment to create podcasts, music and other creative projects.
Bringing in industry professionals has been a feature that sets apart B.E.S.T. Academy’s Music Pathway of Development for Success (PODS). Through the school’s music PODS, B.E.S.T. Academy students have gained access to unique opportunities and have been introduced to some of the leading professionals in the music business.
“We want to develop different entry points for our students to be able to gain that motivation and engage in the content,” Williams said. “As we find those different entry points for our scholars, that means that they’re going to be more engaged, participate in the classrooms, and make the connections. That real world context is critical for our students to be able to stay motivated.”
The music pathway was the first POD at the school, and in its first year students were able to work with Grammy Award-winning producer Kuk Harrell and Ric Ross, producer and founder of the Music Education Group.
That class had the opportunity to engineer an original song, release it on iTunes, and perform in an Atlanta Hawks pre-game show. They also visited the Roc Nation offices in New York City, where they got the chance to meet various executives in the industry.
Experiences like that were made possible through the school’s partnerships with 100 Black Men of Atlanta and the Music Education Group (MEG). Since the development of the music pathway, students have gained access to more opportunities for exposure, technical training, and mentorship.
“Our mission at Music Education Group is to teach life skills and career development through music, film, and digital media,” MEG founder Ric Ross said. “It’s really not to create the next superstar, but it does give them the tools that they can use in any profession that they want to go into.”
Ross has been an influential partner with B.E.S.T. Academy for more than 15 years and is a consistent presence on the campus. In addition to supporting the young men at B.E.S.T. Academy, he also opened a studio at Benjamin E. Mays High School and has plans to bring studio spaces to more schools in APS.
“We’re dedicated to seeing the success of our young men,” he added. “Whether they go into the entertainment industry or any other profession, just making sure that they go in with that passion and purpose knowing that they can achieve whatever they want to achieve in life.”
Opportunities like welcoming Dallas Austin and having a space like the Ric Ross Studios at B.E.S.T. Academy is a formula that blends the benefits of engaging student interests and providing memorable experiences for students to keep them motivated.
“We have this opportunity to be able to connect to various artists and use the relationships and network of 100 Black Men of Atlanta to infuse that connection within the curriculum during the school day,” Principal Williams said. “This allows our students to see that their dreams are right in front of them. They can have that conversation, engage in dialogue, ask questions that are challenging, and try to find solutions to make their dreams a reality.”