For my Journalism Experiment in a class informally titled ‘Get Off the Hill’ at Denison University, I composed and produced several songs based on conversations I had at the community drop-in center at the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Newark.
I wanted to have conversations with drop-in center visitors about how long they had been visiting the drop-in, what a typical day in their life looked like, their life story and what keeps them going.
Then, I tried to construct these songs with the feelings I had after talking to people.
I found that music was a common ground among most of the people I talked to. I also had the opportunity to try playing an old white electric guitar and to listen to a man play “Roadhouse Blues” on it right outside the drop-in, at the steps next to the entrance.
This project blended in-class learning and off-campus experiences with a creative opportunity. Watch the videos below to listen to three songs I composed, “It comes back around,” “Love Ohio,” and “Steering Wheel.”
A special thanks to Donna Gibson for welcoming me with open arms.
Grant Hunter writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.