BGEC member Barnes wins top award
The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast has announced that 12-year-old Brian Barnes took home the top prize for his age group in the 2007-2008 Club Tech Digital Arts Festival, for his entry, “Good to be a Member of the B&GCA."
Barnes, who attends Meig Middle School in Shalimar, where he is a member of the Boys & Girls Club’s SMART Center, was one of more than 219 music making regional entries in the Club Tech Digital Arts Festival by youth from across the world.
Barnes’s mission was to create a digital art piece falling under the theme “Our Changing World,” and musically capture the ways today’s youth are positively changing the world.
“We are proud that Brian and the staff at our Meigs SMART Center did such a great job representing us in this competition,” said Bear Henley, CPO and President of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast, “We look forward to seeing what he does next,”
After winning on the local level, Barnes competed with tech savvy youth from all across the Southeast region and then moved forward to the national competition. Because of his hard work, talent and technical abilities he will travel to Minneapolis this summer for an adventure filled with sightseeing, job shadowing at Best Buy’s corporate headquarters and other opportunities to gain real life applications of the technology skills learned through the competition.
“To succeed in today’s technology-driven world, digital literacy skills are key and almost always expected,” said Roxanne Spillett, president and CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of America. “Through the Club Tech Digital Arts Festivals we’re bridging the digital divide and giving all kids of various ages and backgrounds the opportunity to explore technology in ways they never imagined possible.”
The Festivals are a part of the Club Tech program, a partnership between Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Microsoft and Best Buy Children’s Foundation to equip millions of youth like Barnes with the advanced technology skills needed to succeed in school and the workplace.
The National Festival was judged by a panel of distinguished industry judges that praised Barnes’s piece. Grammy-nominated singer, writer and actor Mario commented that Barnes' piece was a "skillful composition conveying…unity without words." Radio Disney's Kelly Edwards, director of music, stated that she really enjoyed the song's nice rhythm.
Through Club Tech’s Digital Arts program, members are introduced to the world of digital movie making, photo illustration, graphic design, music production and Web design. The program offers members like Barnes who are interested in music production discover the world of digital-music making, from the basics to the most advanced.
Club members learn how to write sheet music and compose tunes through the use of music tracks, sound effects and filters. Loops, music theory and sequencing round out the techniques taught to the Club’s aspiring music producers.
For more information about Club Tech, visit www.bgca.org. For more information about the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast, please contact us at (850) 862-1616 or visit www.bgcec.com.