**by Emily Cevallos Janssen**

Musicians often have a hard time getting their music recorded, but a new student-run project is mixing things up.

Mixtape is an opportunity for musically gifted students to share their talents with the community. Aspiring singers and musicians can submit videos of their performances to be among the 10 to 15 applicants selected May 16 for a professional recording. The final product will be displayed at the start of next school year on the Black & White Online, YouTube and the music-sharing site SoundCloud. The songs in Mixtape will also be available for free download.

Juniors Emma Mairson and Hanna Lee and sophomore Maria Mu developed the project to give exposure to undiscovered student artists. After working on Eidolon, Whitman’s literary magazine, Mu and Mairson wanted to adapt the same concept to music.

“People who play mellow music with a guitar aren’t really appropriate for talent show,” music teacher Wayne Chadwick said. “But Mixtape lets people get attention for musical talent that doesn’t fit into any other program.”

Junior Mikey Gonzalez said the indie-grunge vibe of his music has made it hard for him to find a performance venue at school. But, he is excited for the opportunity Mixtape presents.

“I really just wanted to get my music out there,” Gonzalez said.

Chadwick is lending his equipment to the cause, including eight microphones that can separately record different elements of a song.

Over the summer, members of the sound crew, juniors Lindsay Worthington, James London and Alex Allen will mix the elements of each song to create a finished product. They hope to give the artists an experience that mimics a professional recording.

Mixtape will incorporate musical genres ranging from classical to rock, and feature individual artists as well as bands to find an outlet for all musicans. The project integrates students into the music scene whose music would not otherwise have been heard, Mairson said.

“What’s cool about Mixtape is that lesser known artists can display their work and get recognition for it,” Mairson said.

Junior Hanna Lee is the copy editor for the Black and White online.

Students who want to be a part of Mixtape can submit their videos to [email protected] . Submissions are due May 16.