Music Production Club back on track

ARHS’s Music Production Club isn’t exactly new; the club actually existed for a few years until the 2023-2024 school year. The majority of the club members at the time were seniors, including former president Ben Feeney. 

After they graduated, there was no one to fill the gap, and the interest of the club fizzled out. However, music teacher Todd Fruth said junior Jude Martin-Weinbaum reached out to him over the summer after his sophomore year “about starting the Music Production club [again] up this year.”

When he was just a freshman, he signed up for the Music Production class that year, and he eventually contacted Feeney, which led him to want to produce more music himself. He asked Feeney for his Ableton login to access music production software, and he gave it to him.

Martin-Weinbaum is the president of the new club, and Fruth agreed to advise. The club meets once a week on Thursday after school for about an hour. It is a very relaxed, laid-back space for students to practice making their own music, either solo or by collaborating in groups. 

People can make any genre of music in the club, and anyone can join. The music production room is well-kitted, with every student having access to an iMac, MIDI keyboards with a drum pad, headphones, and Logic Pro.

“We want to create a good space where people can come and feel like even if they don’t know much, they can learn about producing music and having fun with their peers,” said Martin-Weinbaum. “The club isn’t limited at all; it’s for anyone remotely interested, even if you have no experience.” 

Fruth believes music production is important. He talked about the evolution of music technology that allows people to listen to music anywhere, or easily make it; about how frequently students in our school listen to music in the hallways, and how the club is a good opportunity for teens to dabble in music production without having to take the full-length class offered at ARHS. 

The club meetings look different from week to week. Martin-Weinbaum said that in the first few weeks, everyone was just “doing their own thing and experimenting and sort of finding their footing.”

Freshman Siga Sarr joined the club early this year. “I like to make mashups, which is really fun,” Sarr said. “We eat snacks, we play games, and we do fun stuff. And Mr. Fruth is magical, and we love him.”

However, the club is interested in building more structured activities, “and we’re having a Google form to learn about people’s interests,” Martin-Weinbaum said. But above all, he and Fruth want this club to be an open and free space for those who are passionate about music.

The club also intends to raise funds to plan a trip to a real recording studio by spring and is focused on establishing itself in the school community as a place for anyone to pop in and learn about music. Martin-Weinbaum hopes to “create a good space where people can come and feel like even if they don’t know much, they can learn, and get better at producing music.”