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DHS Students enjoyed a concert from Gooding that mixed in financial tips with head-banging music
By Nick Elliott
When senior Brad Larson thinks of rock and roll, many things come to mind: Stage-crawling fans, smashing guitars, roaring crowds, and radical solos. What happens when you switch out the rush smashing guitars to something dull like balancing a checkbook?
On Friday, April 21, the rock and roll band Gooding came to DHS to answer that question for Larson and the rest of the students.
Mixing finance and rock might come off as a rather unattractive combination. Yet Gooding was able to make something that is inherently boring into an interesting experience for more than 150 students who ventured to the CPA to take in the concert.
Starting out with a brief video introduction, the band quickly jumped into the music. Gooding played several songs that got some students to stand up, clap, and sing along to the beat.
“I went to get out of second and third hour, and I was expecting some knockoff, third-rate local band, but I got a pretty well-traveled and respected group that I hadn’t heard of,” junior Connor Povenski said. “It was a really good concert. For such a big-name band to take the time to come to a local high school, that was really important. It really impacted me.”
After the approximately 45-minute concert ended, the majority of the band receded backstage. The lead singer, Gooding, stayed on stage to talk about important financial issues.
No stranger to financial woes, Gooding reflected on his personal financial troubles before talking about money myths and how many of the “rich” people students see on TV are broke and bankrupt.
Growing up, he had no knowledge of money. He came out of high school knowing more about geometry than how to balance a checkbook, and he only learned about a credit score long after he ruined his.
By looked into mistakes he had made, he wanted to use his passion for music to help others avoid the same mistakes.
“As long as you’re willing to work, everyone should have the same shot,” Gooding said.
When Gooding finished sharing his financial expertise, a Q&A session was held. Students in the crowd asked their own questions about finance, eager to hear the replies.
To conclude the event, the band came out and played one last song. Gooding then took time to sign autographs and talked to several students.
Gooding brought music and learning to DHS, but they were not alone in their efforts. Through the charity Funding the Future, the efforts Andrea Duda with Raymond James, and the Michigan Council on Economic Education (MCEE), the tour was made possible.
Financial management teacher Paige Lumpiesz felt Gooding had a “great message about personal finance” that can help people avoid financial “pitfalls.”
