Pictured, from left, Delta State DMI students Mason Honnoll of Columbus, Miss., Christina Alford of Greenwood, Miss. and Clayton Moulder of Wesson, Miss. have been teaching guitar lesson to local kids through the Follow Your Heart Arts Program. CLEVELAND, Miss.—Three students at Delta State University’s Delta Music Institute (DMI) have been busy this year passing on their love for music through the Follow Your Heart Arts Program.
Christina Alford of Greenwood, Miss., Clayton Moulder of Wesson, Miss., and Mason Honnoll of Columbus, Miss.—all Entertainment Industry Studies majors at DSU—have been teaching guitar lessons at the Follow Your Heart Arts Program. The music education program teaches the basics of guitar or songwriting to kids in North Mississippi free of charge.
“Teaching the kids at the Follow Your Heart program has been one of the most fulfilling and rewarding experiences I have ever had,” said Alford, a DSU senior who is a singer and songwriter, as well as an avid painter.
Moulder, a DSU junior who serves as the lead singer and guitarist for a local band called “Saylor,” agreed.
“The Follow Your Heart Program is an amazing program due to its ability to give students a sense of family while learning their craft,” he said. “I would suggest any student who is thinking about learning how to play the guitar to join this program.”
Honnoll, a senior at Delta State who is known by his stage name “Mississippi Mason,” is known for writing and performing Country/Americana music.
The Follow Your Heart Arts Program is a music education and advocacy program located in north Mississippi and available to elementary and high school students at no cost.
The program enlists students from local universities to teach students the basics of instrumental performance on the guitar and ukulele. They also provide participants with a deeper understanding of Mississippi’s rich musical heritage and invite them to explore the many careers available within today’s music industry.
To learn more about the Follow Your Heart Arts Program, visit www.followyourheartarts.org
The Delta Music Institute is an independent center of study under the College of Arts and Sciences at Delta State, offering a bachelor’s in Entertainment Industry Studies. The focus of the DMI is to provide students with a broad and thorough education in the technological, creative and business areas of the music and entertainment industry.
For more information, contact (662) 846-4579 or visit www.deltastate.edu/dmi.
