Even in the entertainment and arts world, which is often a battle for resources, the most important asset is one that encapsulates all industries, education. To guide the next generation of artists and musicians into their own space of confidence and creativity, heavyweights in the music industry discussed the vitality of education during a Culture Collective panel entitled “Drive to Serve” at the Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica.
Moderated by Santa Monica Arts Commissioner Michelle Edgar, the panel included Santa Monica-based producer and artist Maejor, music executive and television icon Randy Jackson, and Compton Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Darin Brawley.
Kicking off the evening was Santa Monica Mayor Phil Brock, who stressed that education is tied into service, drawing from his years of education at Los Angeles schools like Crenshaw High School and Hamilton High School.
“I learned early on that our mission in life is not only to take care of ourselves, but it’s to help take care of everyone as well … we need to serve selflessly, I’m proud you’re all here in Santa Monica and I hope that all of you will find a way to serve today,” Brock told the Viceroy crowd.
The panel all touched on the educational paths that took them to their current stature, including Jackson, who many know from his time as a judge on “American Idol.” Jackson noted that it “really is the truth” that “children are our future,” and that education is not just in textbooks, but is found in every interaction a young artist or musician can have. He also pointed to how a young artist needs to grow social skills and an ability to “read the room.”
“You learn all you can and you apply it, use the wisdom and pay it forward,” Jackson said. “I just love learning, I felt like one of the things that helped me when I was a kid growing up … is that I learned everything I could. I sponged everything, every speaker … everything I could go to, because I wanted to know all that I could, because I didn’t know what I would need.”
Currently, Jackson works with foundations like Save The Children, a global leader in health, education and protection for youth. He stated that he loves nurturing and inspiring the next generation, especially during his time on “Idol.”
“You need somebody to say ‘you know what, you really got something,’” he said. “You see people turn on the lightbulb. That belief in someone else is so great and so taken for granted.”
Maejor, who has produced hit songs for the likes of Justin Bieber throughout his illustrious career, said that his mindset towards giving back to others was completely changed after a bout with cancer.
“At the time … it was a shift of purpose for me in terms of instead of putting off the things I want to do into the far future, I started thinking what could make an impact now,” he said.
The Santa Monica native has made that impact by teaching wellness and sound therapy, honing in on his passion to share the effect sound has on humanity. He recently joined the Black Music Action Coalition for an event at King/Drew Magnet High School of Medicine and Science on that very topic.
“I think through art is a great way [to educate], it helps expand our consciousness in a beautiful way, [there’s a] universal language of music,” he said.
The future of music education grew stronger in California in November 2022 with the passage of Proposition 28, otherwise known as The Arts and Music in Schools Funding Guarantee and Accountability Act. The measure required the state to establish a program supporting arts instruction in schools beginning with the 2023-24 school year, allocating hundreds of millions of dollars to that cause. Dr. Brawley said that this will bring avenues for arts and music professionals to venture onto school campuses.
“[It’s] a huge opportunity … those individuals who are interested in teaching music to students, they’ll be able to get hired right away,” Dr. Brawley said.