Posted July 13, 2022 at 10:11 pm
‘Purple Playground’ inspires students with the music of Prince
Inside the High School of Music Recording, music fills the air. But this is no ordinary school of rock, it is also a tribute to his purple majesty. Read also : Rock lives in the Live Music Center camp. Almost twenty students raise their voices in harmony in the studio, while also getting an education in musicology.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Inside the High School for the Recording Arts, music fills the air. But this is no ordinary school of rock, it is also a tribute to his purple majesty.
Almost twenty students raise their voices in harmony in the studio, while also getting an education in musicology.
“Prince is just a phenomenal artist and the way he lived his life, made his music, and the way he used his music, not just for entertainment, but as a vehicle for social change. We’re trying to capitalize on that,” Purple Playground said director of education Willie Adams.
Purple Playground was started by fans and people who worked with Prince after he died in 2016 to keep his legacy alive.
Every year they host a two-week summer music camp called Academy Of Prince, where they use a musician from Minnesota to help teenagers find their inner muse to write and record their own songs.
“Through analyzing his lyrics, through the way he wrote and recorded music, how can we learn from that? How can we take some nuggets and gems to carry it forward even though he’s no longer with us,” Adams said.
The curriculum includes not only history lessons about Prince, but also the “Minneapolis Sound” that helped create and made him famous around the world. Guest teachers range from Bobby Z and Matt Fink of The Revolution, to Paul Peterson of The Family, to The Time drummer Jelly Bean Johnson.
This year, the purple students even went on a field trip to Paisley Park.
“We’re honoring Prince, but we’re trying to make students understand that he’s part of a larger legacy here in the Twin Cities,” Adams said.
Elisa Fiorillo was a member of New Power Generation as a backing singer for five years.
“Unbelievable. He was one of the best teachers I ever had,” Fiorillo said.
She believes Prince would be proud to see her teach 13- to 18-year-olds about creativity and collaboration as a way to find their own voice.
“It was a beautiful experience. “I’ve had many parents cry, thank us and take their shy kids who were stuck on the phone or computer all day and come home and write a poem or just feel better about themselves and connect with the kids,” Fiorillo said. .
Kimora Collins has attended AOP since its inception.
“I’m not really a Prince fan. I’m not going to lie. I’m kind of a fake Prince of Prince, which I know I shouldn’t say,” Collins said.
She says Prince is a textbook example of a top artist, whose work inspires others to follow in his footsteps.
“Just working with the people that Prince worked with is a pretty big deal. Let me just say that I did this for the experience to improve myself as an artist. I’m so grateful that I got the opportunity,” Collins said.
And who knows? Perhaps Prince Academy’s revolutionary approach to music education will eventually crown the next member of Minnesota royalty.
“I don’t think there will ever be another prince, that level of creativity and genius, I think it only happens in life. However, I believe that through our program and design of music education, we will create the next artist who will be just as influential for the generation behind us.” Adams said.
