Meet Randy Drake, our very own Grammy-nominated professor! 

Drake teaches the History of Rock and Roll here at Mt SAC Early College Academy (MECA). Students get insight into the roots of rock music and how it may have been shaped by other genres, like country and pop. 

However, Drake understands that students may not like all the genres that he teaches in his class. 

“I’m not the biggest fan of country music, but it was interesting to see what goes behind it, and it made me appreciate it more,” junior Kayla Iniguez shared

Even if they can’t enjoy the music, he said his true goal for students is to “understand its history, what people were doing with it at the time, and therefore, to gain a better understanding of what was actually happening in the world.” 

Iniguez gained exactly this from Drake’s class.  

“It was cool to learn about different music and what makes it up past the surface level,” she said

Drake tries to make his class as accessible as possible for his students, allowing them to write about types of music that they enjoy.

 “I also try to bring it forward for students to write about their own favorite artists or their favorite genre. Look at it from an academic perspective, things might be happening around that artist that they didn’t think about, and that’s what I enjoyed doing,” he explained.

Past History of Rock and Roll student, senior Angelique Peralta, shares that this assignment was one of her favorite parts of the class. 

She wrote about artist Billie Eilish and enjoyed learning more about one of her favorite artists, about whom she did not have background information. 

“Other people were able to share their information on what they wrote about,” she stated, “which was pretty cool because those artists came from different backgrounds, and it’s cool knowing where these people came from and how they built up to that point.”

For Drake, teaching does not even feel like a job for him. 

“That’s my passion,” he articulated. “I get to play it and perform it, but I also like the academic side, which is why I’m teaching it. Being able to pass it along to other young people and students, I satisfy from it.”

This is evident in the environment of his classroom. 

“The way he talked about music and how he was so enthusiastic,” Peralta reminisced. “The passion that he had towards it motivated me to learn more.” 

The excitement he has in this subject is evident. 

“It keeps me connected to music, but also brings students a different approach to learning the history of the United States through rock music,” Drake shares.

Students are in good hands, as Drake was nominated for a Grammy in 2021 for Best Global Music Album with artist Daniel Ho. Ho has been nominated for a Grammy 13 times and won six of those times. He did a recording in Little Tokyo at the East West Players Theater in 2020, which Randy Drake got to be a part of. 

Being nominated for a Grammy is a high honor. 

“All the members of the academy vote, and so out of 120, maybe entries, it comes down to five. And that’s how you get nominated,” he explained.

Being part of the award ceremony was a fun experience that Drake brought his family to. 

“I just would say that the Grammy was a blessing to be able to be part of that process,” he reflected, “because that’s the only time that’s going to happen in my life.”

Not everyone can say that they know someone who has been Grammy nominated, but every student at MECA can! 

If you ever get the chance, be sure to take Randy Drake’s class, or stop by to say hi, and learn to play the drums!