The Young Producers Group (YPG) recently hosted its third annual “Beat Battle” competition, a platform where students could create original music pieces and submit their entries on Schoology. There were three categories in the competition, the first category being producers, and students who use digital audio workspaces to create musical pieces. The second category is vocalists, students who rap or sing, and the third category is instrumentalists, students who play instruments.
YPG didn’t have a curriculum for the competition, although they do offer programs that can help students learn how to be a better artist, as well as provide students with music equipment. Thomas Macaluso, a highly qualified music teacher at MACES, had initially thought to use the competition as a class project. However, upon realizing the impending submission deadline, he decided to reach out to Senior Gregory Toscano.
Gregory Toscano, who has been attending the school since the sixth grade, has garnered a reputation as a prominent music producer on campus. Recognizing his outstanding work and maturity, Macaluso spoke highly of his talent. “I had considered students with existing work and decided to contact Gregory. The work he has done since freshman year is outstanding, and the maturity shown is professional,” remarked Macaluso.
Gregory Toscano, who embarked on his music production journey shared his motivation, saying, “I got bored during quarantine and wanted to try making music, so I could regain my creativity.” Over the course of five years, with two years of informal music creation followed by three years of professional work, Toscano has become a well-established figure in the music scene on campus.
“I heard about the competition from Mr. Macaluso and had just finished my RnB,” Toscano said. Toscano ended up obtaining an honorable mention in the competition, being a part of the top eight people in the battle which had over 500 participants, as well getting in the top eight of competitors makes him part of the top two percent. “It was a great experience and I enjoyed listening to everybody’s music, and it was inspiring listening to all these artists,” Toscano said. He plans to continue producing music and hopes to join a music school to help grow his talent further. He also wants to start doing performances and someday become a mentor to younger artists.
