Ranger Records Affords NWCC Students Industry Level Learning Opportunities

by Sarah Smith

Senatobia, MS (09/30/2024) — Northwest Mississippi Community College's Entertainment Industry Studies Program held their first masterclass with industry professional, Jason Gillespie, on Sept. 24 at Ranger Records, the college's first-ever recording studio.

Ranger Records opened in the Spring of 2024 and is located in Northwest's Heindl Center for the Performing Arts instructional wing. Last Fall, the Fine Arts Department held a naming competition to come up with the name for the recording studio. Grayson Cruley of Coldwater, a sophomore studying Entertainment Industry Studies, won the honor for "Ranger Records."

The idea of a studio came from Jeff Triplett, who at the time was serving as district director of Fine Arts Instruction in Spring of 2023 and is now coordinator for the program. The goal of the studio is to one day be open for the public, but currently it's available only for music students to develop their skills. This semester, one of Triplett's classes has been using the studio to learn how to mix and work through the studio.

"There's no compromises on quality," Triplett said.

The studio itself is equipped with industry standard gear and built to meet the standards of today's modern studios. Triplett said it was important to him that the studio be equipped with everything that students will need or would use when they get a job. In some cases, Triplett noted, this equipment might be nicer than what they will use in studios throughout their career.

The Entertainment Industry Studies (EIS) program is designed to help students prepare for a variety of roles in the music industry and requires them to have 20 hours in the studio.

"While we cannot separate creativity and artistry from these programs, the main intent is to train students on technology for use inside the studio, which is the main focus for the Northwest EIS program," said Triplett. "This is typical for the first two years of four-year programs at area universities."

As part of this, Gillespie was the first of 4-6 masterclass guests this year. The format of these classes is a one-day recording session featuring student and outside artists followed by a day-long masterclass to focus on editing, mixing, and post-production.

"Our guests will always be in charge of the session just as they would be in their daily environment, with students helping and observing," said Triplett. "All these sessions will reinforce things being taught in our classes, plus introduce new and innovating things happening in the industry."

Gillespie is a born and raised Memphian. Since graduating from the University of Memphis in 2005, he has been making his mark on professional music and entertainment being a part of MTV's "Truelife," movie soundtracks, Grammy-nominated recordings, and an Emmy-winning TV PSA.

Triplett said he hopes as more opportunities arise in the program, more students will become interested particularly in the Entertainment Industries pathway.

If you're interested in learning more about Northwest Fine Arts, please visit: https://www.northwestms.edu/programs/academic/fine-arts-department

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