Cooper with his band practicing their original song at the Music Makers! camp.
Recently, Tom Berich, Operations Manager at Luminari, spoke with Cooper Hernishen, a student from Bethel Park High School just outside Pittsburgh. In June 2025, Cooper had the chance to attend the latest Music Makers! camp. As you’ll discover in this interview, his experience with Luminari, and especially the Music Makers! Program, has made a meaningful impact on his future.
TOM: Cooper, tell me a little bit about where you’re from originally.
Cooper: Hello! I am 14 years old and I am from Pittsburgh, Pa
TOM: What school district are you from?
Cooper: I am a freshman at Bethel Park High School
TOM: When were you with Luminari, which camp did you attend?
Cooper: I attended the Music Makers camp.
TOM: HOW did you find out about Music Makers?
Cooper: I saw some social media posts about it online and thought it would be a great experience.
TOM: So tell us about that experience. What were your takeaways from the camp?
What did you really enjoy about it? What kinds of things did you partake in last year?
Cooper: I had a great experience doing it because I got to work with new musicians from different areas and it was really fun! I really enjoyed just the process of putting a song together, recording it and then following the steps to create a full song.
TOM: Tell me a little about the day to day part of the camp. What kinds of projects did Bob McCutcheon (Music Makers director and owner of The Vault recording studio) have you do?…was it what you were expecting? Was there any part of the process throughout the week that really surprised you?
Cooper: The first day and a half we started with some slideshows about things like the music industry and how social media impacts it. Then we broke off into our groups. From there, we brainstormed different ideas then eventually came up with our own song! Our final stage was to make a social media post teasing the song we created.
TOM: So what are your recommendations if there’s students or anybody really that wants to participate in the camps? But they’re a little on the fence about it. They’re not sure if they want to do it.
Cooper: I’d say do it because it really taught me a bunch of new aspects about music I didn’t fully understand.
TOM: Okay, well what’s next for you?
Cooper: I am really focusing on my skills in percussion because that’s what I want to do going into college and beyond. In fact, I am planning on majoring in performance or jazz studies for percussion.
TOM: Cooper, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me today….
For more information on the Music Makers!, or any of the other summer camps that Luminari offers (I Want To Be an Ambassador!, Camp Delicious!) including upcoming dates and registration details for the 2026 season, please visit luminari.org.
