City of Chattanooga Parks and Recreation
Months of work, preparation, writing, recording, producing and, most importantly, commitment and confidence have paid off. The STARS of Chattanooga CD Release Party on Saturday, February 9 was a blast. Hamilton Skate Place estimated an extra 250 to 300 people filled the rink to hear the sounds and rhymes coming from the STARS of Chattanooga, who sang to a positive tune.
These young men and women, ages 10 to 20 years old, were selected after a call-to-artists last summer. Of the over 100 songs submitted, members of Chattanooga Parks and Recreation and the City’s Gang Task Force selected 13 songs to be recorded at South Chattanooga Community Center’s recording studios. For months, the artists wrote, recorded and produced their own music, with everything leading up to last weekend’s live performance. Now the artists will continue to fine-tune their music, with professionals in the music industry giving feedback in upcoming meetings.
Feedback from parents has been great. Since starting this project, several of the youth have turned their lives around, staying away from the wrong crowd and even improving their grades.
Most afternoons, you’ll find members of the STARS of Chattanooga CD at Chattanooga Parks and Recreation’s two studios at South Chattanooga and Eastdale Community Centers. Both studios are available for youth and teens, with numerous programs offered through our Prevention and Youth Development Services Department. This includes the education of producing a record.
Stars of Chattanooga CDs are still available for free from staff at Prevention and Youth Development Services by calling 643-6800, or for download at soundcloud.com/starsofchattanooga.
For more information on the program, call 423-643-6096.