Located in the middle of downtown Dallas, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts is a perfect metaphor for the entire city: Dallas is being rebuilt around this historic school building. The area is the Arts District now, with the symphony, Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas Center for the Performing Arts, and high-end restaurants and shopping malls. The old school building does not look as though it belongs here. Drive east a few blocks, and you are back in old Dallas, where incomes are considerably lower than the Arts District vibe suggests.

“Arts Magnet,” as the school is most often called, is a reminder of Texas's past. Established in 1922 as the first African-American high school in Dallas, it eventually became known as Technical High and provided vocational training in the 1950s. Twenty years later, as part of a desegregation plan and as an alternative to busing, the school was made into an arts magnet. But despite its old-fashioned surroundings, Booker T. Washington High School administrators did something highly progressive compared with most music departments: technology was made an integral part of the music department.

FIG. 1: Booker T. Washington High’s music program includes many components, but performance is at its heart. In the digital-piano lab, improvising over chord changes is part of the lesson, even in beginning classes.

Make no mistake, Booker T. is a performance-centered school, and the music department is developing master musicians. But the technology component is inextricably mixed into every music class in the school. Even vocalists take theory and ear training using computers. In the digital-piano lab (see Fig. 1), soloing over the changes is part of the lesson, even in beginning classes. Most students participate in the tech lab (see Fig. 2), and they can take classes in recording and live-sound production. Students are recording somewhere in the school nearly every moment of the day and late into the evening on some nights. Understanding the current methods of music production is just assumed here.

Booker T. Washington High School was designated only recently as “officially desegregated,” and is now considered an ethnically diverse environment, with 32 percent each of African-American, Hispanic, and Caucasian students. Approximately 4 percent of the students are listed as Asian or Other. More than 700 kids attend the school, and an audition is required for admission. Although grades are considered in the application process, it's talent and drive that get students into this school. In addition to music, students can major in dance, visual arts, and theatre.

FIG. 2: A student takes advantage of the tech lab, where classes in recording and live-sound production are offered and several ensembles rehearse. This is action central for most of the school’s young musicians.

The school graduates 99 percent of its students to higher education each year. Last year, its students received $5 million in scholarships and contributed 15 presidential-scholarship winners. Interim music-department chair and MIDI ensemble director Kent Ellingson (see Fig. 3) proudly produced an article from the Dallas Morning News. “This is what I'm proud of,” he explains. The article boasts that Booker T. Washington High was one of three Dallas magnet schools that have received worldwide recognition for being the best at educating their students. The school won special recognition because of its advanced-placement music-theory students' scores.

Walking through the busy hallways (the building is over capacity by more than 300 students) on this aging campus, it is clear that this is an inner-city school. Busts of Frederick Douglass and George Washington Carver are displayed prominently at the school's entrance. Civil rights is part of Booker T. Washington High School's heritage and history.

The students who attend Booker T. Washington High School are admitted based on abilities that often place them outside the mainstream, rather than on academics. Without this curriculum, one wonders where they would be. And although the hallways are loud and busy, there doesn't seem to be the conflict or attitude that often accompanies inner-city schools.

FIG. 3: MIDI Ensemble director Kent Ellingson takes pride in the school’s stellar reputation. Booker T. Washington High School won special recognition because of its advanced-placement music-theory students’ scores.

We asked whether the school had discipline problems. “We break up shouting matches in the hallways a couple of times a year,” Ellingson says. But what about more serious problems such as gangs, guns, drugs, fights, truancy, and dropouts? “We have something they want,” says band director and sound-engineering teacher Luis Martinez. “We are blessed compared with many situations in the United States,” adds Ellingson. “I am convinced that the involvement in the arts is what that's all about. Music is about discipline and responsibility.”

The historic Booker T. Washington High School building was not designed to be an Arts School. There are 750 students in a building designed for 400. Hallways double as classrooms. Computers are stored in bathrooms and any other nook that can be used. Nothing is wired the way a technologically savvy school should be wired.

Fortunately, the old school building is about to go through a major renovation. Two things make that possible: the Dallas Independent School District and a civic and business partnership called the Arts Magnet Building Campaign. Unfortunately, two things make the renovation difficult: first, because the building is a historic landmark, the facade has to stay the same; and second, the district is having trouble finding an appropriate site where the school can relocate while the work is being done.

But the renovation is overdue for a school that has long outgrown its facility. “We get one chance to do this,” says Luis Martinez, who teaches the sound and recording classes. “I'm especially looking forward to wiring this school up the right way,” he says as his eyes light up.

It may surprise the traditional music teacher that the MIDI Ensemble is the group most kids are dying to participate in. The “MIDI room,” as the tech lab was initially called, was developed in the mid-1980s by forward-thinking educator Celia Bennett. In 1993, instructor Jerrett Kinard, who was frustrated with having a wealth of great piano players with no place to go, created the MIDI Ensemble. He and Ellingson began rehearsing the ensemble on light jazz-fusion pieces.

FIG. 4: The prestigious MIDI Ensemble originally included only keyboards and a drum machine, but it eventually developed into a complete band with electronic and acoustic percussion, electric guitar, bass, and vocals.

Soon the kids began composing their own songs, and now the MIDI Ensemble plays mostly original music composed by its student members. When Kinard resigned ten years ago, Ellingson moved everything in his schedule out of the way so that he could devote himself to directing this group, and he has been directing it ever since. In his first year as director, Grammy Award-winning artist Norah Jones was in the group. In 1995, the Booker T. Washington MIDI Ensemble won its first Downbeat award, and went on to win five additional consecutive Downbeat awards.

Initially, Ellingson said that he was shortsighted and wanted only keyboards and a drum machine in the ensemble. But as time passed, the kids changed the instrumental mix; guitar players, drummers, and singers wanted to play with the group. Students gradually began bringing in their own equipment from home and borrowing from the digital-piano lab. As the gear changed, the music changed. “The equipment and the kids came hand in hand,” laughs Ellingson. “Electronics and contemporary music just go together.” Today, in addition to keyboards, the 16-member MIDI Ensemble contains electronic and acoustic percussion, guitar, bass, and vocals (see Fig. 4).

For senior Ombrey DeGrate, the MIDI Ensemble was the pinnacle of success. “When I first got here, the MIDI Ensemble was the top group [to get into] because everyone likes to write their own songs.” De Grate didn't make the group on the first pass, but he went to “Mr. E” and begged. He said he would do anything — sweep floors, set up gear, carry amplifiers — anything to be in the MIDI Ensemble. Ellingson agreed, and it turned out to be a fine decision, as DeGrate now handles the male vocals.

Although Ellingson never bills the group as a jazz group, last year it was selected to open the International Association of Jazz Educators Conference in New York — a huge honor for any performing group. But for an electronic group to open a conference like IAJE indicates a new acceptance for nontraditional musical instruments.

In addition to carrying a rigorous academic schedule and navigating the standardized testing found in any Texas school, students complete a full complement of music classes and are given ample opportunity to perform. Whether it's in the Mariachi band, the Latin Ensemble, the orchestra, the R&B band, the jazz band, or the MIDI Ensemble, the kids have multiple opportunities to gain performance skills. And in every instance, computers and technology play an integral part.

Otis Gray directs the Mariachi band and the Latin-music band, and runs the tech lab. “Having the MIDI Ensemble rehearse in the tech lab is a great idea,” explains Ellingson, “because Otis knows the gear better than anyone, including me.” Gray teaches theory and composition in a room full of gear, including keyboard synths from every manufacturer, sound modules, and computers. In the first semester class Introduction to Music Synthesis, students learn notation and basic sequencing. Later in the year, Gray will teach sampling and synthesis, and students will begin creating their own sounds. Most of these students aren't piano majors and come from every area of the music department.

The tech lab is one of the most active rooms in the school; that is where the kids and their friends hang out. Gray tells a story about answering a phone call and hearing someone “rapping really fast” behind him. He looked around to see a student on the computer, playing his piece, and a kid he'd never met standing behind the student, speaking as fast as he'd ever heard someone speak. “Anything can happen in this room,” he laughs.

Gray is a Booker T. Washington graduate and looks young enough to be one of the kids. But in his soft-spoken way, he has his students' absolute respect. Rehearsing the 16-piece Latin band, Gray slides onto the bench beside the student pianist, takes over the keys to establish the correct feel for the piece, and then steps back out, without stopping the band. They sound as though they could be playing any hall in town. And that's what they are preparing to do: the Latin Ensemble was rehearsing to play at Spence Middle School the following day, opening for the MIDI Ensemble.

“I'm probably going to do a lot more of that,” explains Gray. “Money being what it is in public schools today, I am going to have to find other ways to fund-raise.” Even though Booker T. is a highly visible arts school that attracts donations, they have the same budgetary problems as any other school. Without athletics, the performing groups must work hard to bring money into their programs. “I have no budget,” explains Gray. “If something breaks in this lab, I've got to find the money.” Performing in the community is one way to develop sources for funds.

One of the newest and most popular performing groups is the R&B Ensemble. It originally contained 40 students, but that proved to be an unwieldy number, and it was scaled down to 22. Directed by Roger Boykin, the R&B Ensemble performs R&B standards such as “I Feel Good” and “At Last.”

And there is jazz at Booker T. — lots of jazz. Most of the students claim that jazz is their first love, and they are fortunate to have an outstanding teacher who shares that love. Twenty years ago, jazz instructor Bart Marantz was contentedly teaching college-level jazz courses at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. He wasn't interested when he initially heard of a job teaching jazz at Booker T. Washington High School, but he was persuaded to go to the interview anyway. “When I walked in, there were rags tacked up on the walls to absorb sound. I said, ‘I just can't teach in this.’ The administrator excused himself, saying ‘While I'm gone, why don't you listen to this album our kids did?’” When the administrator came back into the room Marantz asked, “Do you have a marching band?” When the administrator replied that they did not have a marching band, Marantz said, “Where do I sign?” (Despite being in the great state of Texas, where marching band is considered a letter sport, there is still no marching band at Booker T. Washington High School.)

Today, thanks to Marantz's leadership, a parade of talented and inspired students, good use of music technology, and the support of the school's administration and faculty, Booker T. Washington holds the record for the high school for the most Downbeat awards, with 157. The program has graduated 17 Grammy winners, including Nora Jones, Erykah Badu, Roy Hargrove, and members of the gospel group God's Property. Four graduates were up for Grammys this year, and graduates attend virtually every prestigious college of music in the nation.

Everything in this school is designed to help these kids succeed at music. Because it's an arts magnet, the arts are integrated into every area of the academic schedule. Music teachers coordinate with English or history teachers to have students work on collaborative projects. That is a luxury most music teachers in traditional schools don't have. But what if a similar strategy could be applied to schools outside of the magnet system?

“If I had one piece of advice to give to the teacher who wanted to build a technology component,” explains Marantz, “it would be to find and work to keep administrators who ‘get it.’ I can't tell you how difficult it is to work with people who aren't artistic and don't see the value of the arts.” Marantz suggests that music teachers be more proactive in working to keep administrators who value arts classes, and in cultivating arts-savvy teachers to serve as administrators. Having other teachers who see the value of the arts can be very helpful in building your own department in the eyes of your administrators.

Do these kids know what they have? “I never want to do anything to screw up what I have here,” says senior Jake Alexander. Alexander probably understands better than most students. He went to a regular public school his first year, and he played drums in the marching band and was in drum line. “I was just a drone,” he explains. His grades were suffering and he didn't seem happy, so his dad suggested he audition for the “Arts Magnet.” “I used to hate school. I hated going every morning. In my old school, I failed at everything I did. But here, I'm making As and Bs, and I love coming to school.”

The students' dreams make seasoned musicians smile: “I want to own a major record label,” “I want to have a career as a performer, but I want a family too,” “I want to establish a well-rounded and stable musical career and be comfortable,” “I'd like to have a record deal before I graduate.” You have to love dreams this big.

“I think our biggest challenge as a performing arts school is to always be wondering, ‘Where will these kids work?’” muses Gray. “I am always considering a music education that will translate into a life for these kids.” Given the music industry's constantly increasing dependence on music technology, the technical foundation that Booker T. Washington students are building will serve them well in pursuing their dreams.

This is a time in public education when standardized testing is the measure of success. Electives are cut to make more room for students to take classes to help them pass those tests. Furthermore, studies show that the majority of students in each school body will not participate in music programs, and the majority of students who do participate will not play their instrument after leaving high school.

Technology programs can reach some of those students who may be supremely talented but who aren't attracted to traditional avenues of school music. Booker T. Washington High School's Arts Magnet approach offers kids an alternative to traditional music programs, and technology is just one component. It does not take the place of responsibility and practice. Rather, it gives a student the option to grow past what is written on the page and to become a creator. As Luis Martinez explained, “We have something the kids want.” It's a basic of parenting: once you know what motivates a child, discipline gets easier.

Debra Barbre is the education market manager for Roland Corporation and sits on the executive board of TI:ME.

When preparing for performances that will require the use of electronics, Booker T. Washington High School's Kent Ellingson advises teachers using electronic instruments to have two of everything. Be sure to have sufficient cables, adapters, power strips and extension cords, microphones, and even an extra keyboard and snare drum, if you can. Guitarists need to carry extra guitar strings, straps, and picks. Train your students to be responsible for their own rigs. The problem is often as simple as remembering to turn on a power strip, but it's wise to assume that anything that can fail probably will fail sooner or later.

Having a sufficient amount of time to sound check is also important, although sometimes you have no choice in the matter. “At IAJE, Take 6 (the headliner) took a long time to sound check, and we didn't get a sound check at all,” says Ellingson. “That was nerve-wracking because it was a big event. Luckily, IAJE's sound people were pros and knew the ins and outs of electronics. That isn't usually the case.” Planning extra time for venues with unknown elements is important.

Also important is having your own tech people. This year, for the first time, Ellingson has two student techs who wanted to work with the Ensemble, but not as performers. The techs are responsible for maintaining the equipment inventory, moving gear, setting up and tearing down, sound-checking, and running the sound system. “Having one student run sound and the other act as stage manager has really helped me!” laughs Ellingson. “I can't believe it took me this long to figure that out.”

Occasionally, the techs play with the group, as well. One performs on percussion when multiple percussion parts are needed, and the other plays trombone.