PO Box 452327 Westchester CA 90045 US

(818) 927-2784

The mission of The Demetrius Antion Posey School of Music Engineering (DAP ME) is to offer students an alternative vocational music engineering education. The presence of such an institution provides our inner city youth with yet another career choice while simultaneously alleviating the ever-increasing number of youth lost yearly to gang affiliation early separation from high school and subsequently, the unemployment rate. Through mentorship, structured curriculum, professional experience and a family atmosphere, DAP ME stands alone in its approach to reaching the community at large and represents an additional support system by serving as a training ground and liaison to one of the most lucrative areas of the entertainment industry.

Goal and Objectives:

DAP ME has three overarching goals that we strive to achieve:

• To assist in the prevention of high school drop out rates

In the year 2003 more than 14,429 minorities dropped out of high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District . In February of 2004 there are already over 3,000 minorities who have dropped out and over half of these minorities who dropped out are statistically projected to join gangs, end up in jail or worse, dead.

DAP ME is a 501(c)(3) organization that was started with the simple mission of getting help for these students through something that would spark the interest of students in the new millennium; music. DAP ME is in the business of producing world-class engineers for the most well noted studios in the music industry. This lofty goal will be achieved through encouragement, responsibility, self-empowerment, leadership and educational training. Students are expected to achieve above-average grades in high school as well as in the DAP ME's program curriculum, thus helping them to grow into productive and educated members of society. It is believed at DAP ME "when you are doing something you love, you will excel in everything else you do".

• To work on the prevention of gang initiation and violence

Many young people choose membership in gangs. No longer just a big city or inner-city phenomenon, the number of youth gangs across the country has risen dramatically in recent years. 4 5 Why? Because youth gangs satisfy many of the needs of young adolescents that are not otherwise being met, such as status, meaningful roles and a sense of competence and belonging. We need to help youth see that they can "make a difference" in their own lives.

Studies have shown that people of all ages want to feel as though they belong to something, and if there is not a sense of belonging, they will seek out what is void within them.

DAP ME will provide that sense of belonging. Each student will be paired with another student who will be his or her mentor. Mentors will be charged with assisting their peers with the DAP ME work as well as schoolwork. The faculty and staff will be on hand at all times to assist with school work or be a sounding board for the students if they need someone with whom they can talk. This program begins when the students become a part of the DAP ME family and officially ends when they complete the program, however it is the hope of DAP ME that this type of relationship will continue far beyond the four years in the school.

• To provide students with a vocation that can be utilized after high school.

The DAP ME staff is made up of professionals from the areas of arts and education has created a curriculum that not only competes with many top-notch music-engineering schools, but also will be taught in a way that will reach the teenage student. Along with the classroom experience, students will also have hands on training from the first day until the day they complete the program in their fourth year. This will allow them to not only have the book knowledge, but have also logged in years of experience with top producers and artists in the music industry giving them a vocation as well as a networking experience that will help them succeed in the music industry. DAP ME is a liaison between school and the professional world that will assist each student in making a smooth transition from school to working in a very competitive industry .

Our Service to Our Students:

DAP ME is a place that can be called home away from home, where one will find family, support, a creative outlet all in a comfortable atmosphere. DAP ME provides guidance in music engineering in a classroom format, but also focuses exclusively on each student. Students can begin to test the waters and truly learn whom they are and what they are made of in a safe environment. Students will be encouraged to express themselves through the creation of music and perfecting their craft.

DAP ME works to provide a quality curriculum that works at the pace that is comfortable for each student by allowing [them] hands on experience from the moment they begin the program. DAP ME provides support inside and outside of the classroom and produces highly skilled, well-trained music engineers. Each student will at some point in their DAP ME career work with top music producers and artists in order to begin to network and hone their engineering skills. The faculty and staff will be constantly on hand to assist students with their projects and time spent in the studio.

DAP ME will also be a working studio where professionals such as producers and artists in the music industry will come to create their own masterpieces. Traditional recording sessions will become a professional teaching atmosphere. Industry professionals will sign on to have a student(s) present in their sessions. This way the student(s) will receive an opportunity to participate in an actual studio recording. The artists will obtain the quality of work they expect in a standard industry studio, as well as a chance to enjoy a sense of giving back to the community through their work with DAP ME.

How We Run DAP ME:

DAP ME is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization consisting of a Corporate Board, Board of Directors and an Advisory Board. Each board is designed to make DAP ME effective for students, parents and the community as a whole.

As we begin to have more prudent growth with our program, students and the music industry in general, we plan to expand DAP ME over the next five to ten years.

We will achieve our business expansion by continuing to do what we do best and that is helping students. Along with helping students, we plan to acquire the latest studio equipment in keeping up with the changing tide of consumer preferences, thus keeping us at the peak of our business.

DAP ME also believes in investing in our students. Through our scholarships program, the student who represents the goals of citizenship, self-improvement and musical engineering ability will be awarded a scholarship upon completion of our four-year program. Along with the scholarship program students will also work with musicians, producers, managers and label executives to help create their music, through our working music studio.

In order to assist our students in self-empowerment and self-improvement as well as social responsibility we have created a mentorship program where each student will be a mentor along with being mentored. This will foster their responsibility for others, improving their citizenship as well as improving their self-esteem through helping others.

Along with the students, DAP ME will also have skilled employees from diverse business and entertainment backgrounds, thus laying the groundwork for an extremely successful program. In order to keep with the ever increasing demands of the economy DAP ME plans to provide their employees with fair and competitive benefits packages.

Marketing and accessibility are vital parts of the success of any business, and at DAP ME we plan to make ourselves available to our donors, parents and students through our website www.DAPME.org. At DAPME.org donors will be able to see what is going on currently with the school as well as its future plans for expansion and growth. Students and parents will be able to observe what the students will be learning, as well as be able to contact us. This should assist in the further development of our image and donations.

The Demetrius Antion Posey School of Music Engineering (DAP ME) is a school that teaches students the ins and outs of music engineering in the music industry and is created to assist in alleviating some of the problems that are plaguing our students. DAP ME is dedicated to helping all disadvantaged students in the inner city, through a well-structured and supportive environment using music as our backdrop.

The Detroit News , Detroit , March 26, 1997.

4 Reducing Juvenile Crime: Frequently Asked Questions (Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, www.djj.state.fl.us/faqs/html).

5 Highlights of the 1998 National Youth Gang Survey , OJJDP Fact Sheet (Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, December 1999, #123).