At ADAPT Community Network, we pride ourselves on providing a vast array of Adult Learning classes for the individuals we support. One of these classes is DJ Whutever’s “Whutever It Takes DJ Academy.”
Cornell Yarbrough, also known as DJ Whutever, has a wealth of experience DJing for radio shows and high-profile events. He has been featured at iHeartMedia’s Z100 Jingle Ball and MTV’s Spring Break in Las Vegas as well as his shows on New York’s Power 105.1 and Boston’s Jam’n 94.5. A Bronx native, DJ Whutever founded “Whutever It Takes DJ Academy” in 2015 as an after-school program meant to expand students’ knowledge of music, technology, and communication. Though it is centered around DJing, “Whutever It Takes” uses music education to encourage students to become well-rounded individuals.
DJ Whutever’s connection to the intellectual and developmental disability community started long before he began teaching his class. As a longtime family friend of Ms. Willie Mae Goodman, a prominent disability rights advocate and supporter of ADAPT. As a teenager, Ms. Goodman helped him get a job at the OPWDD (Office for People with Developmental Disabilities) residence where her daughter lives. At an ADAPT event in 2022 celebrating Ms. Goodman’s 50 years of advocacy, DJ Whutever was introduced to members of our Community Outreach team, and the rest is history. He expanded his classes to ADAPT with the help of Music Specialist Jesse Kral, and they became an instant hit.
“Whutever It Takes” caters to a variety of experience levels. Whether students want to mix songs, curate music, or sing along, they find a community in their classmates and instructors
One of the students that has seen her confidence and passion for music grow is Markia Carter. She joined the class just last year when DJ Whutever paid a visit to Club Disco (a weekly recreational activity offered by ADAPT) and Markia introduced herself to him.
“That night changed my life,” Markia said. “I wasn’t comfortable at first talking but DJ Whutever broke me out of my shell.”
Markia has had a passion for music since she was a teenager and listened to groups like NSYNC. She enjoys the class’s activities, like describing the “Best Part of Your Day” and doing karaoke, with her classmates and teachers, who she says have become her “family.”
“When my grandmother passed away, DJ Whutever was the first person I talked to,” she recalled. “He changed my life in a musical way but also a personal way. He said when I first joined the class, ‘Once you’re a part of the family, you’re part of the family for life.’”
DJ Whutever also coaches students on interviewing skills, which some students use to record their own podcasts at the Brooklyn Day Hab 5 studio.
Last month, the “Whutever It Takes” students had the opportunity to visit “The Pod by Coca-Cola,” a fully functioning podcast recording studio located in the American Dream Mall in New Jersey. DJ Whutever, ADAPT Music Specialist Jesse Kral and his students spent their recording session discussing DJ names, goals and accomplishments, and how the class evolved into what it is today. This podcast was aired live at the Coca-Cola Social Bubble’s lounge, and representatives of the studio enjoyed it so much that they invited the class back to record every other month.
Throughout the years, DJ Whutever has seen incredible changes and growth in his students.
“I have seen a drastic change in their confidence, communication and verbal skills along with improved memorization,” he said. “We have also been able to increase community connections. They constantly tell me that the class continues to have a positive impact in all areas of their lives.”
The students of “Whutever It Takes” are proud of how far they have come and excited for more opportunities to share their stories.
