Public Charter School:
Concord Academy
Public Charter School Location:
Petoskey
Authorizer:
Lake Superior State University
Sophie Dupin is a 2004 graduate of Concord Academy, a public charter school in Petoskey, Michigan – and a rising star in the music industry.
Dupin’s latest EP, “Broken Vessels,” garnered the attention of the Walt Disney Company, and her work received global recognition when one of Dupin’s singles was selected for use in a major motion picture’s television advertising campaign.
“I knew the song was powerful, but I don’t think I realized the magnitude of it until Disney placed my version of “Just A Girl” in their trailer of “The Nutcracker and The Four Realms,” said Dupin. “It was so exciting to see people respond to Disney’s choice to use this song to empower Clara, their female lead.”
Sophie Dupin has been chasing her dreams for as long as she can remember, and she credits Concord Academy with bringing out her best.
“When people ask me, "So what was so special about Concord Academy?” I say something like… " Well, for starters, I graduated with 14 people, I spent the bulk of my years learning in a trailer, I ate lunch with my teachers (it was the cool thing to do), I shared the stage with 6 year olds when I was 18 and sang the school rules instead of reading them,” said Dupin.
“I realize what I take most from the school is not my lessons in History, or Math or English but what it taught me about life. Looking back, none of us were exactly "shining stars", we were all stars in our own way but not quite shining… yet.”
She’s shining now.
After graduation, Dupin moved to New York City and studied graphic design and art direction, earning a degree from Pratt Institute of Art & Design. She spent her early 20’s playing shows in what she calls “the typical Lower East Side spots of New York City.”
“I signed a horrible record deal, made a lot of mistakes, but ultimately realized my true passion was as a writer. When I finally gave up the notion of being an artist was when my first real opportunity as an artist happened.”
Dupin co-wrote a song, sang the demo, and pitched it to Hollywood Records artist Cole Plante. He ended up cutting it on his record and instead of replacing her vocals with another singer, featured Dupin – under her stage name, Brix – on the track. She’s performed with Passion Pit on Saturday Night Live.
“I spent later years developing and writing for other young artists, releasing other artist’s records, writing songs for film and commercials and writing a musical called POPSTAR.”
Concord Academy helped prepare her to live her dreams.
“It was all about being a part of the arts, no matter your talent,” Dupin said. “We all had to take dance, even if we had two left feet. We all had to take choir, even if we were tone deaf. We all participated in theatre even if we suffered from incredible stage fright. With this sort of learning curriculum, it nurtured things inside of us that may not have been so obvious. In doing so we all made discoveries about ourselves we may never have realized if we weren't given that chance to explore.
“Just like life, you are never going to be good at everything, you are going to have to do things you don't want to do and you are going to be put in awkward situations. Concord taught us how to take these challenges head on, gave us the encouragement to step out of our comfort zone and believed we could do it. Even if we thought we couldn't, Concord knew we could.”
She says Concord fostered a sense of responsibility for her own choices, which empowered her to take pride in what she was learning.
“My experience at Concord Academy is something I could never forget because it has undoubtedly made me so much of who I am today and what I do. I think one of the biggest things it taught me was to believe. To believe, anything I want to do is possible. I have every right and power to make a difference. To change the world, big or small. I learned that education is more than text books, and essay questions, I learned the value of education.”
You can learn more about Sophie, and hear her music at www.musicbybrix.com.