On the eve of Christmas Eve, the new Baton Rouge Music Studios space is coming into its own. Owner Doug Gay and director Carolyn Ray are cleaning up and organizing classrooms before the beginning of a new calendar year.
“I can’t wait to get this open. I’m ready,” Gay says.
He and Ray, along with the rest of the staff, are exhausted, but their excitement is keeping them going.
Moving from a small office off Bluebonnet Boulevard to a space with double the size on Burbank Drive, the team can now more comfortably forward their mission of empowering children.
This new space features 12 classrooms for lessons in drums, guitar, voice, bass, brass and woodwinds. There’s a concert venue that can seat more than 100 attendees and a set of rooms to be used for music engineering and recording.
Gay and his team are building something more than just an afternoon hobby for teens. Students can take lessons, form bands, record a few songs then book a gig all at the new space.
Along the way, students learn about the music business and etiquette when working on the recording process and performing live.
The results speak for themselves; the Studios’ Young Band Nation Blues Project was invited to play at the 2015 Jazz Fest. It will be the band’s fourth appearance.
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Baton Rouge Music Studios
