Steve and Alan talk with musician, producer, educator, and founder of Hip Hop DNA Kiran Vedula about integrating hip-hop into the music classroom. Kiran shares practical strategies for teaching foundational hip-hop concepts like rhythm, layering, and improvisation, as well as tips for fostering creativity and collaboration with students. They discuss the cultural significance of hip-hop, sampling, and using technology like Soundtrap to make beats. Kiran also plugs his nonprofit Flutes at Dawn and his new album “Good News” aimed at uplifting people’s spirits through participatory world music traditions.
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Kiran Vedula
Kiran Vedula is an Indian-American musician, producer, and educator who combines hip-hop and experimental electronic music with traditional folk influences from around the world. He creates compositions, performances, and youth programs that are entertaining, vulnerable, and culturally relevant, with a focus on studying history and building community.
As a composer and producer, his work has been featured on cultural outlets including NPR, Pitchfork, Afropunk, Vice, and Complex, as well as in commercials for Coca-Cola, Jameson, and Sally Beauty. As a performer, his work has been showcased by performing arts venues and theaters including The Kennedy Center, Pabst Theater, Marcus Performing Arts Center, and John Michael Kohler Arts Center. After receiving a BA in Music Composition and an MLS in American History from UW-Milwaukee, he became Artist in Residence at COA Youth and Family Centers and created the Cue the Sun media production program. Over the past 10 years, Kiran has continued to work with preteens and teens making beats, songs, music videos, short films, and live performances at COA as well as several other youth serving organizations including Milwaukee Public Schools, Black Arts MKE, True Skool, H20, and Milwaukee Art Museum.