Lynn Studio Clubhouse in the news!Lynn, MA, November 11 2011
Dropkick Murphys help launch Y’s music studio
Originally Published on Friday, November 11, 2011 By Sara Brown / The Daily Item
LYNN — Moses Abraham was aimlessly hanging out at home and watching television after school before the Lynn YMCA’s Music Studio Clubhouse came into his life.
“I really wasn’t doing anything,” Abraham reflected. “Now, I actually plan out my future.”
The budding musician has aspirations of attending Berklee College of Music and becoming a bass player.
Abraham was just one of the many kids who spoke about how much the new clubhouse means to them Thursday night. It was the grand opening of the Clubhouse at the YMCA on Neptune Boulevard.
The Music Studio Clubhouse is a place where youth and teens can explore their creative talents by learning music and music technology in a safe, supervised environment. The program serves students from ages 10 to 18. At the Clubhouse, teens can write and produce their own songs thanks to cutting-edge technology.
“It is about bringing the kids together and mentoring them in a supportive place,” Youth and Teen Director Gregg Ellenberg said. “It is about giving them access to something they never had access to.”
The studio started out as a small closet space.
“It was so small,” Ellenberg joked.
However, the YMCA had an opportunity to partner with the Music & Youth Initiative and the Dropkick Murphys’ foundation, The Claddagh Fund, to raise money for a bigger and more impressive studio. “We really are so appreciative of both those organizations,” Ellenberg said.
For Music and Youth Executive Director Gary Eichorn, the new clubhouse is a way to get kids to be more creative.
“In the 21st century leaders are not just going to have to pass a test and regurgitate information but be creative as well,” Eichorn said. “Music is a wonderful way to be creative.”
Earlier this week, Lynn public school principals and administrators visited the new studio.
“The music director didn’t want to leave,” Lynn YMCA CEO Bruce Macdonald said. “They were all amazed at what we had.”
Tim Brennan, the lead guitarist for the Dropkick Murphys, was also in attendance to represent the band and the Claddagh Fund.
“The fact that I was asked to be a part of this is amazing,” Brennan said. “I remember when this studio was just an empty room and now to see it like this is amazing.”
Brennan wishes there was something like Studio Clubhouse near him when he was growing up.
“I had an inexplicable love for music,” he said. “I never had access to anything like this as a kid. This will be such a constructive way for kids to spend their time.”
Wednesday, Brennan visited the studio and played music with the children.
“I was so impressed,” he said. “They have great musical instincts.”
Thursday night’s celebration featured several performances from the children playing their own original songs and a stirring dance number from In The Making step team.
Sixteen-year-old Denyse Hairston started off the night singing a rendition of the national anthem. She says she has been going to the YMCA since she was 6.
“It has been a great experience for me,” Hairston said. “It feels like home here.”
For teenager Carlos Suriel the new studio offers a cathartic release.
“It give us a creative and expressive way to discover ourselves,” he said. “And to rock out.”
Sara Brown can be reached at sbrown@itemlive.com.
