Latrell Sumner: Guest Artist for Audio Production
On October 17th and 18th, Audio Production students welcomed Nassau BOCES alum Latrell Sumner come in as a Guest Artist. Latrell attended the Audio Production program when it was at Barry Tech and graduated in 2017. He was excited to be in a “different BOCES school but [with the] same amazing teacher, Mrs. Tourt!”
Students took a break from working in Pro Tools to learn a different software, FL Studio. For Mrs. Tourt it was great to see an alumnus back working with her current students. “Latrell was a great music producer at 16. He always wanted to learn something new to improve. He was working with well-known artists already as a teenager. I’ve loved following his journey after graduation and seeing all the great things he’s been doing, and I’m happy he made room for LIHSA in his schedule”.
Latrell’s credits his as being his driving force for his own career choice. “When I was a kid, I was a huge Drake fan. I wanted to make instrumentals with the hope that one day Drake would hear it. There are so many talented people to look up to. I kept working hard at my goals and over time I have seen my skills become more refined.”
After graduation from BOCES, Latrell continued his studies at Mercy College, but said he learned the most outside of the classroom, while actually working in a recording studio. “I think it’s the best place to study- on the job.” After graduating college, Latrell opened his own recording studio that he and his business partner built themselves. His career has evolved and expanded to not only producing music for artists but also for video games.
Latrell enjoyed his visit LIHSA. He said he liked seeing the excitement when students were putting the skill he taught them to practice and create. Cameron Craan, a second year student shared that he was happy to have Latrell in. “I don’t typically work in FL and he made me understand it, and pretty fast.” Ameah Munlin from the 1st year class said, “He was really helpful. He showed us a lot of tips and hot keys to help us use the program.”
Latrell’s advice to students aspiring to work in the field is “Other people may learn something faster or slower, but that’s not important. Your talent will bloom. You just need to be willing to keep trying, practicing and improving. Consistency and determination.” Audio looks forward to having Latrell back again in November!
