Mr. Z
OffBeat Magazine|March 2020
Matthew Zarba is Upbeat Academy’s unflappable rap principal.
AMANDA
Mr. Z

I’m sitting in the back seat of Upbeat Academy Executive Director Matthew Zarba’s car, riding along with him as he picks up a student at NOCCA. “Hey Mr. Z,” the student says as he gets in the front passenger seat. It’s a glimpse into the inner workings of Upbeat, which provides free after-school music instruction classes to middle school and high school students. More specifically, instructors teach kids hip-hop and electronic music production techniques; class sizes typically range from five to eight students.

We’re on the way to the George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage Center, the historic building on North Rampart Street which is now an education and community center that also houses the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation’s Heritage School of Music. There, Upbeat Academy—which was founded in 2013—conducts its business in a classroom setting, albeit a classroom set up more as a lab. Computers running programs like Ableton line two of the four walls, while various music stands, keyboards and other instruments pepper the space. Zarba—who says he sees his role at Upbeat as a kind of “rap principal”—remains involved in classes, sitting in the back while instructors handle the nuts and bolts of various lessons ranging from how to sample the sound of a tweeting bird to adding risers to an EDM beat.

This story is from the March 2020 edition of OffBeat Magazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the March 2020 edition of OffBeat Magazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM OFFBEAT MAGAZINEView All
Celebrate While We Incinerate
OffBeat Magazine

Celebrate While We Incinerate

Malevitus has never sounded weirder or more beautiful.

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2020
Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph [talks back]
OffBeat Magazine

Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph [talks back]

As eclectic as the New Orleans music scene is, it’s still hard to imagine an artist having a more diverse career than Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph, who, at the age of 31, sings in three bands that could hardly be more different.

time-read
8 mins  |
February 2020
Indie Rock's 10-Year Anniversary
OffBeat Magazine

Indie Rock's 10-Year Anniversary

New Orleans rock artists have always been a part of the city’s music scene.

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2020
THE ICEMEN COMETH
OffBeat Magazine

THE ICEMEN COMETH

THE ICEMAN SPECIAL MAKES MUSICAL MAGIC WITH A CROSS-GENERATIONAL COLLABORATION AND FAMILY TIES

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 2020
Christone ‘‘Kingfish'' Ingram talks back
OffBeat Magazine

Christone ‘‘Kingfish'' Ingram talks back

A native of Clarksdale, Mississippi, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram comes from the land of Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, John Lee Hooker and Skip James. Just turned 21, this young man with the blues respects his music’s past even as he shapes its future.

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2020
Mr. Z
OffBeat Magazine

Mr. Z

Matthew Zarba is Upbeat Academy’s unflappable rap principal.

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2020
A Walking Spirit
OffBeat Magazine

A Walking Spirit

Victor Harris, the Spirit of Fi-Yi-Yi, celebrates 55 years of beauty and culture.

time-read
6 mins  |
February 2020
Playing For His Life
OffBeat Magazine

Playing For His Life

Darius Lyndsley is on a mission to turn his art into something more.

time-read
3 mins  |
February 2020
The Supreme Green Fairy
OffBeat Magazine

The Supreme Green Fairy

Tank and the Bangas reign over krewe Bohème.

time-read
10+ mins  |
February 2020
Felipe's Mexican Taqueria
OffBeat Magazine

Felipe's Mexican Taqueria

Everyone has a handful of go-to restaurants they count on for consistently delicious dining experiences.

time-read
3 mins  |
February 2020