St. Scholastica’s student body hosts a vibrant and diverse range of musicians, yet there are currently very few outlets for creative musical expression available at the college. Ensembles such as Choir, Handbells, and Concert Band provide an opportunity for students to be classically trained, but there isn’t a platform for those who consider themselves more casual musicians.
The Coffee House performances, while great for students who have experience playing live music, may be intimidating to those who don’t have two hours of prepared material. The answer to this problem may have already been answered at the neighboring University of Minnesota Duluth, where students of all disciplines are learning how to create and perform their own original music.
The club was founded by Joshua Boelter, a Junior at UMD who has been producing music since he was a middle schooler in the Twin Cities. Boelter initially took an interest in producing hip-hop and rap beats in his early teen years, but began exploring new genres throughout his first years in college.
Despite not majoring in music, Boelter was eager to get involved with the local music scene in any way he could. Despite Boelter’s ambition, he still faced problems getting the club rolling initially.
“It was incredibly difficult to get students to join, as it was just me and a few of my friends. Things began to change when I brought more students into leadership positions. They helped grow the club to numbers I never thought possible.”
The gradual expansion of the Music Producers of Duluth has allowed them the opportunity to truly engrain the club’s presence in the UMD campus life.
“The SGA was very supportive,” Boelter stated, referring to receiving funding for the club. This support from the student government was only amplified by the club’s first Bulldog bash, which has evolved into an annual event where student performers of all genres showcase their original music.
Boelter attributes the group’s approved budget to the success of the Bulldog Bash, stating, “This event, along with others we organize, demonstrated to the SGA that our funding would be responsibly and stewarded well.”
As the club, officially titled Music Producers of Duluth, has grown over the years, Boelter and his friends have managed to foster a new whole community — not just the UMD campus, but in the greater Twin Ports music scene as a whole. Boelter emphasizes the fact that experience in music or music production is not required to join the Music Producers of Duluth.
“Having a shared passion connects everyone and allows the club to be not only a place to learn, but also a place to have fun,” he said.
Additionally, Boelter and his fellow producers offer bi-weekly classes where they teach students the basics of music production and more.
The success of Music Producers of Duluth shows promise for the prospect of St. Scholastica starting its own music production club. In a student poll conducted by The Script, nearly 70% of students responded that they would be interested in attending or even performing at a monthly open mic performance where students could casually perform their own music without any added pressure. Over half of the students polled answered that they had some level of interest in learning music production and songwriting.
It is clear that there are a variety of music lovers in College of St. Scholastica’s student body, and the creation of a club similar to Music Producers of Duluth could be the opportunity many of them have been waiting for.
