From Advanced Performance Workshop (APW) performances to Spotify releases, Redwood junior Jake Cooperberg is turning years of musical exploration into original work.
Having played guitar since age seven, he recently released his debut songs, “Heartbeat” and “Coming Down.” Earlier this month, Cooperberg released his single “9am”.
Through APW, Cooperberg has spent this past school year performing at the Winter Concert, local middle schools, and at Night of Blues.
After performing his original songs at the Winter Concert, Cooperberg decided to take the next step with his music.
“People knew I made original music, why not let them listen to it on their own time?” Cooperberg said.
Arne Frager, a recording engineer and studio owner who works with Redwood students on Thursdays and Thursdays to record their music said,
“I think Jake is very excited and enthusiastic about his music and that is one of the things I look for when I work with somebody because some people are in music classes just to take a class of music and sort of expose themselves.”
Frager described his role in the process, adding, “My job is to try and translate what they want to hear into reality.”
Cooperberg expressed how helpful the Redwood recording program was during the process of releasing his music.
“I wouldn’t be able to record the vocals without the studio,” Cooperberg said. “I did the vocals for both the songs on Spotify in the studio here. The access to all the stuff here is incredible, we go to a public school that has 25 guitars and basses, and this amazing space.”
Frager similarly stated that, “If you really know how to use the studio, it’s a kind of musical instrument all by itself.”
Ultimately, Cooperberg’s releases highlight how Redwood’s APW program gives students the tools to take their music beyond the classroom.
Inspired by artists such as Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, and Jose Gonzalez, Cooperberg’s music features an acoustic touch that blends a classic rock influence with a more stripped-down, melodic style.
While Cooperberg sings vocals on both released songs, he said “I wouldn’t consider myself a singer, you know, like I’m a guitarist who also sings.”
“Finding the right harmony or writing my own lyrics is the hardest part for some people, but for me that’s by far the easiest,” said Cooperberg, “I had all these really cool instrumental tracks that would be so much better with vocals. I didn’t know anybody else who sang because this was before I joined APW, so I just did it myself.”
Frager said that this initiative would go far in the world of music, “because there are no jobs in music. You have to sort of create the music and then you have to go out and try and find people that love it.”
Reflecting on the process of creating “Coming Down” and “Heartbeat”, Cooperberg said that collaborating with fellow APW students was helpful.
“We worked on it together, tweaked it, and it was great,” he said.
Looking ahead, Cooperberg hopes to continue developing his music beyond high school. He plans to pursue music in college and eventually hopes to turn it into a career. His dream venue is Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, though he added that, “The dream is to play at Chase Center.”
Interested students could find Cooperberg’s music by searching the handle Jake Coop on both Spotify and Apple Music.
