Special to the Daily World
In its eighth year providing music education resources for Atlanta youth, the Dallas Austin Foundation for Music Education (DAFME) held its annual fundraiser on Saturday, July 23, in Atlanta with a Casino Royale, James Bond-themed celebration.
“We’ve had so many star-studded events…and I felt like it was time to have a little more fun with it. Take it out of the regular fundraiser mode and say, OK, let’s start doing themes and things that will make the person enjoy being there.”
The Grammy award-winning producer and DAFME founder, Dallas Austin, started his foundation in 2003 with hopes of educating youth about the music process and cultivating a mindset of the importance of music education in the school system.
“I basically started it because I wish I had it when I was in school. It was two reasons: For one, they started taking music programs out of schools and then for two, I wish I had it when I was in school because we had band class but we didn’t have electronic music where we could make music with, that we make on the radio,” said Austin.
“When I saw people taking it out of the schools, I was like, that’s dead wrong, especially for Atlanta because we made so many records out of here. Kids went to school with their peers that ended of being stars until they look at it and say I can do that too. So I said you can’t take music out of the schools, you got to enhance the equipment and put the equipment in that we’re making records with because they’re not associating the clarinet and the flute with making a lot of money these days, but they are associating beat machines and songs, and raps or singing songs — whatever with making money because they’ve seen their friends do it around here.”
The Dallas Austin Music Academy program is offered at Cedar Groove, Maynard H. Jackson, Martin Luther King Jr., Lithonia, Benjamin E. Mays, Miller Grove, North Atlanta and Booker T. Washington high schools. Austin targeted inner-city schools and schools that were in most need of funding for music education.
Most importantly, Austin says the record-making business is diverse and needs a plethora of talented individuals to help make an artist successful. There are a host of career paths that his program exposes to students.
“When I go in [to the schools], we set up work stations. Protools, [we] set up Logic, microphones and all that stuff, and then it spins off of about four or five different jobs. One kid wants to be an engineer, one kid wants to be the manager of the artist, and
then you got the artist that’s there, so I try to tell them it takes more than one person to make this all happen.
“If you’re not the artistic person, maybe you’re the finance person. If you’re not that person, maybe you’re the lawyer. Maybe a photographer, maybe the choreographer, maybe doing art direction, maybe the stylist. It takes all of these people to make one act happen. So that’s what we kind of encourage and we teach business education in it too. Make sure you learn your business in the music industry.”
At the fundraising event, Atlanta City Council member Keisha Lance Bottoms presented Austin with a proclamation from Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed for the accomplishments DAFME have achieved over the years.
“I feel honored about it because Kasim has been a part of the music industry before he became mayor. I consider him to be a part of us because he’s come from dealing with a musical background in Atlanta. It’s a 360 in a way. It’s a full honor. For him to be mayor it’s a full honor for one and for him to be able to give me a proclamation is a super honor in the same sense,” said Austin.
Austin has made an indelible mark on the music industry in Atlanta as well as in filmmaking. In 2008, Austin lobbied then-Gov. Sonny Purdue and other legislators to create more tax incentives in film while he was preparing to film the movie “ATL.” Austin’s efforts resulted in the governor signing into law the Georgia Entertainment Investment Act.
A Columbus, Ga., Austin said he is pleased with how far his career and foundation have progressed. He intends to make his music program a part of each school’s curriculum and eventually plans to start some initiatives in his hometown. Austin also requires students who have low grades to improve them in order to participate. Thus far, more than 2,000 high school students have participated in the program.
“It’s panned out to be great. Some schools like North Atlanta have taken the program and expanded on it. When I go in, it’s one set up and then I go back in and it’s nine set ups.”
As a music pioneer in Atlanta, Austin views Atlanta as aspecial place in music history. “It’s a thing in Atlanta and I know in other places it’s there, but very much so in Atlanta. Music has been our savior in a way….of people maybe not as well-educated, maybe it didn’t connect to you at school, but it connects to you through music. It makes you aware and other things become important at that point. You’re like, ‘Oh man, if I had known if I wrote, this would be important, then my math would have been important.’ I tell a lot of kids if you want to be a rapper, you better get your English straight. You need your social studies and English, and everything straight. You never been to St. Tropez; you need to know what they’re talking about. So make sure you study these things so you know what you’re talking about. It’s a link to make school interesting to that kid,” said Austin.
In the near future, Austin says he’s going back to basics with developing artists and creating brands and quality artists such as when he started out and careers of artists like TLC were launched. Atlanta will be anxious to see the manifestation.
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