Sophomore Dominique Stoner has always had music in his life. When he was five, he remembers a night when he led his four-year-old sister to their room. Dominique hopped on his Superman bed sheets and laid back as he watched his favorite PBS Kids shows.
That night, their father, Carlos Goodspeed, instructed the children to stay in their rooms while they had guests in their house.
Later, Dominique went downstairs to get a bite to eat. As he headed to the kitchen, he forgot his father’s orders and peered into the living room. On the couch sat his father and a man he had previously seen at a concert with his dad. What Dominique didn’t realize at that time was that this man, under the stage name Lil Wayne, would become one of the most prominent hip-hop figures in just a few years.
Dominique observed his father interacting with Lil Wayne, noticing that Goodspeed led the conversation, rather than the artist. Dominique’s dad was helping Lil Wayne book a venue and rather than letting Lil Wayne pick everything he wanted, most of it was already set out for him by Goodspeed.
Already at his young age, Dominique was witnessing the music industry in his daily life, whether it be him experimenting with writing when he was bored, or his father inviting artists to his house. As he saw his father build a career in this industry, Dominique decided that he wanted to be able to follow in the footsteps of his father and other family members. Creating his club, Empire, helped Dominique do just that.
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Dominique created Empire as a place for him and other students to dive deeper into the music industry and experiment with aspects beyond just singing. In the club, he helps the members practice their performances with music and acting. He even ventures into the political arena when he can. Dominique says that watching the current presidential campaign has made him more
aware of the level of entertainment that can come with the race.
“When you think entertainment, people usually don’t think politics or politicians,” Dominique said. “I believe politics are pretty interesting on an entertainment level.”
For Dominique, Empire’s many elements are what set the club apart from others in the school. Titles for a typical group’s officers include president, vice president and secretary. But for Dominique, this didn’t fit the atmosphere he was trying to present. Dominique calls himself High Emperor, his vice president Emperor, and the lower officers King/Queen and Prince/Princess. He hopes to reflect his group as a kingdom, so rather than positions in the group, everyone is ranked by their dedication.
“There is no distinctive demographic that is not accepted in the Empire,” Dominique said. “When you think of a kingdom, you think everything [it] has is different elements. So we are combining those elements that make us.”
Although Dominique’s sister, freshman Dejah Stoner, isn’t an officer in the club, she is a performer. She also helps with the other club members that may be struggling or have to find their voice.
“I help make sure people have their stuff together,” Dejah said. “I make sure they have the music ready and they know what song they’re singing. I help people by constructive criticism.”
At the beginning of a meeting, Dominique addresses all of the singers, making sure they have a song prepared and are ready to perform. He then meets with his Emperor and together they set up a screen for the singers to perform in front of. When a female artist sings, the screen shows the words “Golden Girls,” and when a male artist sings, the screen shows “Golden Guys.” The golden glow of the screen frames the artists as they sing at the front of the room, facing the rest of the group.
After each performance, the club together critiques each individual on their strong points and what they need to work on for the next meeting. Dominique believes that this critiquing allows the artists to get a much better grasp on how to develop their individual style.
“I do believe in working together, but one of the things I feel people forget is their own personal capabilities,” Dominique said. “If you work with someone else you don’t always get that chance to express your potential because you have to learn to collaborate. I’m trying to help these people individually, not all together.”
The sponsor of the group, MHS9 Biology teacher Jennifer Wind, has never sponsored a group before, and she has enjoyed her experience with Empire so far. She hopes that everyone in this group can go further after they graduate, with Empire as a good starting point.
“I think everybody needs a place where they can belong,” Wind said. “Hopefully some of them develop their talent and go on and have careers in this area.”
Dominique hopes this club can help him with his future goals. He believes that being used to a leadership position will help him in whatever career he can go into.
“People were listening to my music, people were listening to my teachings,” Dominique said. “I’m helping people come out of their shells. It’s nice to see a team build based off of me.”
Dominique hopes the members of his club will continue in the music industry path, whether as singers or producers. He hopes they will be able to become more recognized and begin having their own songs and venues.
“Even if that doesn’t happen for them, I don’t want them to walk away from here and forget about this,” Dominique said. “I want them to know and walk away and say ‘I started from Empire.’ ”
Dominique has many future career paths planned out for himself. He is adamant on going into the political field, even having the future goal of running for the presidential election in 2040.
But he also would like to leave high school and keep with his music career, hoping Empire will help get him there. And while Dominique has an ambitious outlook for his future, he also knows to stay realistic in his goals.
“Even though that route might be fun now, I feel like when I get older it’s not going to be as fun as it is now,” he said. “I’m not going to be looked at the same way. If I’m 50 years old teaching and talking and rapping the same way I am now that means I didn’t learn anything in between.”
