What attracted me to DIME Detroit?
DIME Detroit vocalist, Alison Wiercioch, performs at a DIME student showcase.
It took Ali Wiercioch one day to know that her education and her future started at DIME Detroit.
“I could just tell there was nothing else like the people here, their passion and their excitement,” said Ali, an aspiring vocalist and songwriter. “I saw that they cared about everyone as an individual and that it would be a great place to grow and learn.”
Ali’s impression of DIME Detroit came together during the first day of a summer course that followed a disappointing year at a musical theatre school in New York City after her high school graduation.
Three years later, Ali is set to be among DIME Detroit’s first graduating class and embark on a career with complete understanding of the music business.
“I wanted to be a part of something, and I knew I could do it here,” said Ali, who grew up in Howell and for two years made the daily one-hour commute to Detroit to attend DIME Detroit.
DIME Detroit drum student, Jonathon Staten, practices with his class.
That ambition and drive to make a difference also compelled Jonathon Staten, who is studying drum performance, to commit to DIME Detroit. Staten, originally from Macomb County, met the instructors, including Head of Drums Eric “Rain Man” Gaston, and was inspired. Gaston’s professional credits have had him on national tours with Charlie Wilson and Big Sean among others.
“They’re laying the foundation for you and building you as a musician, as a businessman and as person,” Staten said. “They want you to be as great as you can become, and the thing is, they’ve lived it. They’re doing it now themselves. There’s no better way to learn than from those that are in it.”
Staten said he grew up in the church and he remembers feeling the same sense of camaraderie when he met other students in the drum program. It was an instant brotherhood, he said.
“We’re all pushing each other to be better and to be leaders,” Staten said. “That’s a great feeling and you know you have to be a part of it.”
For information about degree programs available at DIME Detroit, click here!
