STUDENT CLUBS AND SUPPORT

For students who have dreams of musical greatness, no musical skills are necessary to compose their own masterpiece. However, a little computer literacy will go a long way.

CFCC’s Beats Lab is a room full of Mac computers—not musical instruments. Visitors and members are welcome! Instructor Adam Moxley-White instructs individuals on how to navigate digital audio workstation (DAW) software such as Garage Band and a MIDI controller keyboard to create their own musical masterpiece.

Moxley-White brings 17 years of musical experience to the Beats Lab and his classroom. In addition to teaching Applied Brass and Music Appreciation at CFCC, Moxley-White plays trumpet with the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra.

“Beats Lab Club is a place for creators to work on their music projects in a common workspace,” Moxley-White shares. “Members collaborate and learn from each other how to make beats, mix, and produce. We all bring unique perspectives and experiences to the table.”

Student Ted McIntire, a retired Air Force veteran, decided he wanted to launch a video production company and specialize in creating commercials and promotional videos. Though the CFCC Film and Video Production Technology program was the perfect fit for McIntire’s academic interests, the Beats Lab provided him an avenue to explore creating his own music for his video creations—despite his lack of a musical background.

And thanks to his fellow students, McIntire discovered the Beats Lab Club and is on his way to creating royalty-free background music— without knowing how to play an instrument!

Returning to school after several years was nerve-wracking for single mom Cheriekke Dreher. She decided to return to CFCC to study Baking and Pastry Arts and credits the Nixon Leaders Center for helping her navigate the enrollment process and connecting her with counselors and student success coaches. Dreher is fine tuning her skills and plans to expand her social media bakery business to a full blown bakery shop.

“I came to CFCC to learn and expand my horizons. There is so much support here on campus. At first, I was terrified, but the staff guided me all the way through and kept me motivated.”

The mission of the Nixon Leaders Center is to support the educational goals of underrepresented populations of students enrolled at CFCC. The program is focused on increasing graduation, retention, and transfer rates through mentoring, networking, and fueling students’ visions for accomplishing goals.

FISCAL YEAR 2021-2022

$5,784,135.85 in grants awarded to CFCC

Arts Council of Wilmington and NHC Bank of America

Gene Haas Foundation

Lumina Foundation: PACCE

National Endowment for the Arts

NC Arts Council

NC Department of Health and Human Services

NC: SECU

South Arts

UNC C-Step

U.S. Dept. of Education

U.S. Small Business Administration