Life is Valuable; not only an introspective motto to live and work by, but the meaning behind the uplifting mentorship program, LIV, founded by Peter Rango & Gabriel Williams in the Tri-Cities area. LIV’s undeniable momentum has brought their hands-on “Dream Labs” to Petersburg schools, such as Lakemont Elementary, pairing mentors with young students to teach early skills in audio engineering, music creation, and most importantly, that the doors to creativity are open for everyone.

Read ahead for Pete & Gabe’s words:

CultureWorks: Who are you and what's your story?

Pete Rango: I've been a music producer for over ten years. I've kind of run the gamut of doing engineering, production, and live events. I'm originally from Colombia, Bogota, South America, and I moved to the States when I was 12. When I got to the States, I just started learning all kinds of instruments. When I was in high school, I got into tech theater, and then I also got into a metal band. So, in the process of doing that, I was just learning all kinds of aspects of recording, programming, or how to do live audio design.

I went to school for Child Developmental Psychology in Florida, and I started finding a passion for developing artists. Because I was studying child developmental psychology, artist development kind of made a lot of sense for me and why I'm so passionate about it.

I moved back to Richmond, Virginia, and I was just trying to figure out what I wanted to do. I wanted to create some sort of mentorship program with schools. I had a friend that worked at Lakemont Elementary School in Petersburg, VA and she introduced me to some people and encouraged me to start something. In my head, I thought, once a month I'm just going to show up with my speakers and equipment and make music with kids. That quickly evolved into receiving a small grant to create four different "Dream Labs” through our mentorship program, LIV. We also worked with ART 180 to develop the pilot program, though that was, unfortunately, during COVID. Now we have four elementary schools with the Dream Labs, and about seven or eight mentors.

It's been really cool. I met Gabe because I was working at a studio he used to work at. He found out that I was involved with this kind-of nonprofit effort that I wanted to build, and he was like, "Yeah, that's exactly what I want to do."

Gabriel Williams: I’m Gabriel Williams and I’m a career coach for musicians and creative entrepreneurs. I’ve been audio engineering for over 15 years and I’m one of the founders of LIV. For me it started while I was interviewing Peter to engineer at a studio I co-founded in Richmond, VA called Defiant Studios. Once he mentioned his desire to teach production in public schools I was all in!

CW: Your mentorship program is called, LIV. It's an acronym, right?

PR: Yeah, it stands for "Life is Valuable."

GW: “Life Is Valuable,” it’s our way of expressing the idea that there’s more to life than work, there’s more to people than skills and abilities and there’s more to our individual journeys than just the accomplishments and advances we make. To exist is valuable, to grow is miraculous and to be able to express your innermost thoughts and feelings is a real blessing, no matter what medium you use to do so. 

CW: What's your experience been creating those mentorship programs, and working with kids and schools in Petersburg?

PR: Last year was the first year that things started to normalize a little bit more. We were able to go more into the schools. This first program we've been working on hasn't been much more than a mentor telling me they're available to go to the schools. Usually, it's during school hours, but we're working on maybe moving it to after school. We're also working on moving into high schools. So, the mentors and I show up to these schools and we do about three sessions. During these sessions we do different exercises with the kids, teaching them basic things about recording, and trying to get them to be comfortable on the mic in front of people.

The grand idea where everything came from was expanding those skills we typically learn in school. What if we can develop a program where we're teaching the kids how to create content in general, whether it is making a song or a music video, and then also teaching them how to monetize that?

Right now, we're focused on becoming a 501(c)(3) and each of the mentors creating their own program or workshop. It wasn't until recently, especially after getting the CultureWorks grant and quitting my full-time job that we're now transitioning into more structure. I'm super excited about where everything's been going and the support has been really good. Everybody understands what we're trying to do and they believe it's really good for the kids.

CultureWorks: I think it's special that it's based out of Petersburg because there's such a space there for those kinds of resources to grow and be offered to students.

GW: Our goal is to provide for underserved communities and offer mentorship in areas that have the most economic challenges. Petersburg school system felt like a great start to me and we already had help from inside saying what we were offering was much needed.

PR: Because I'm Colombian and I've moved everywhere, when I moved to Richmond I was in a place in my life where I wanted to lay down roots somewhere and then also explore what community means to me. I could have started the program in Richmond and it would have been closer to me, but because I got the opportunity in Petersburg I wanted to go there. I personally didn't know anything about Petersburg at the time. The more I went down there, the more I was finding out that there are schools that just aren't even accredited, and that was blowing my mind. So, one of our thoughts with our program was if we can get the kids' grades up or at least motivate them to come to school, maybe we can get them accredited, and maybe we can get them more funding. That's why I've been so passionate about it.

CW: You set up a mobile Dream Lab at Petersburg's Artoberfest during artoberVA this year. Had you done something like that before, and what was your experience?

PR: I have done a lot of writing camps, and usually, if they're not in a studio, it's going to be an Airbnb or somebody's house. So, I have been very used to creating makeshift studios everywhere. In the past we worked with a local nonprofit called, Story, at one of Petersburg's community centers, and we brought our studio there, for four weeks every day, setting it up, and working with the kids. That was a little bit of a mobile studio.

When Daniel asked us to do something for Artoberfest, we didn't want to just show up with a booth to tell people what we do. We thought, maybe we could create this experience. I had done something for NFT NYC this past year where I created a similar studio, and all the work made was minted as an NFT and then sent to everybody as a memory. Through that idea, we thought we could just make a mobile Dream Lab and facilitate creation for anybody that comes by, even if they don't know how to sing or play an instrument. That was the whole purpose, facilitating these experiences for people. It's just fun to be able to get people to understand art can be for everybody.

GW: As producers and engineers, we get used to create something from nothing day-in and day-out. It’s always great to have a new presence and fresh ideas come in and join the fun!

CW: Since you've been in Petersburg, have you felt LIV form new connections with the community? Have you had a favorite moment in memory?

PR: Lakemont alone, which is where we started; they have been very supportive and just very excited about it. Mama C., Which is one of the music teachers there, she loves us and loves when we come in and work with the kids.

We've had a lot of moments. We made this one song; it was just an ABC song with the kids and they were so much fun. We made a beat, and we asked if they wanted to get on the mic and this one kid was very animated. He got on the mic, he did his thing, and then another girl got a little braver after he did it, so she got on the mic. I was trying to get other kids to come in and record, but everybody kind of shied away after the second or third time. So, I was like, well, we have a hook for this song, how about we all chant it at the same time? I just opened up the mic and had everybody chant at the same time and it was just such a cool experience. These are the things that I'm trying to aim for.

GW: Within the schools it’s been incredible getting to know the students as well as the staff. I’ve seen students start off as introverted or sort of skeptical, and then before the day is done, they’ve completely opened up and show a more playful outgoing personality. The teachers and staff give us feedback that let us know we have an impact beyond what we’re able to see, sometimes it shows even long after we’ve left the building, sometimes a day later whenever the students ask about the next lab!

CW: How could someone get involved with LIV or seek out mentorship?

PR: Right now, the easiest way would be just to go to our website, and go to the "Contact Us" section and just shoot us a message. That's probably the easiest way. I don't think we've spent too much time yet on having people reach out to us to find a mentor. It's mostly been us wanting to find more people that want to help build the program or that have other opportunities for us to come and organize programs.

GW: We are in the process of developing more programs and partnerships that increase our reach…such as high schools, colleges, local communities, jails/prisons, etc.

CW: Personally, do you have creative processes that you rely on or turn to for inspiration?

PR: For sure. Earlier this year, I put out a song called "IOI," which stands for "Intuition Over Intellect." It was really cool because it taught me how to flow and not get in my own way. Any time I sit down to do anything, make music or write an article, I try to get in a state of flow. There have been many times when I've been in sessions where people are conscious of building momentum within a session; we may spend 30 minutes or an hour looking for a certain sound. People can get bored or tired by then, right? My whole goal, when I'm creating with people, is trying to find that flow of momentum.

It's been hard for me to be my own music artist because I make so many different types of music. I excel more when I'm producing for other people because I get to see into their world and figure out where their boxes are, and then figure out how we can break out of that box. There are times when I may not be inspired to make a song one day, but I'll spend an hour or two just doing sound design, learning a new technique, or tweaking a song for hours instead.

GW: My everyday life feeds my creativity. Personal struggles help me relate to others. My celebrations allow me to serve as an inspiration to others and whenever I’m feeling a way about something I try to take note of the conversations I’m having about it and the words I use to express myself. When all else fails, I just tune in and listen to what’s going on around me, especially with people within my circle; usually, their stories and messages spark creativity within me. Music is my medium, and I view every song like a conversation.

CW: What do arts and culture mean to you and why does it matter?

PR: Arts and culture to me are almost like history and identity. It's a huge reflection tool. If we were to treat it more like that, it'd be more therapeutic for others. Art and culture are very much documenting history, documenting what's happening in your life, and what's happening around us. It can be a good tool to be able to reflect and understand yourself more. I think it's very necessary. We've gone to this weird place in culture where art is almost a bit devalued. That's why I love artist development and being in the studio because I can help a person just through the process of making a song. During that process, we're reflecting.

GW: To me arts and culture mean connection, they are the most basic means by which individuals can communicate with the world. Anybody looking to make a difference can do so by means of artistic expression and cultural impact.

CW: Any last thoughts or shout-outs?

PR: I’d love to shout-out my friend , Vicky Becker, teacher at Lakemont Elementary;  Irving Jennings, CIS Site Coordinator; Anna belle Permenter, Governance, Research and Economic Development at LIV; Dr. Jackson, Petersburg Schools STEAM Director; and, ART 180 for letting us run our pilot program.

To learn more about LIV: https://www.lifeisvaluable.xyz/
To stay updated with LIV: https://www.instagram.com/dreamlabs.liv/

To stay updated with Pete: https://www.instagram.com/p3t3rango/
To stay updated with Gabe: https://www.instagram.com/gmajorsound/