Professional tools
Students learn on the same kinds of DAWs, microphones, and production workflows used in real creative work.
A music production program for Chicago youth
Make something worth hearing.
Studio U gives high school students access to professional tools, working creatives, and the room to finish an original song they can call their own.
Real studio time. Real collaboration. Students leave with hands-on experience and a finished piece of music they can be proud of.
10Weeks of hands-on making
12Students maximum per cohort
01Professional studio experience
01Original song completed
Why Studio U
01 / ACCESSTalent is everywhere. Access to the tools is not.
A young person can have a melody in their head and still hit a wall before they ever reach a microphone. Professional software, equipment, studio time, and experienced guidance all cost money.
Studio U opens the door. Over ten weeks, students learn how music is actually made: from the first idea and the first beat to recording, mixing, release, and the careers surrounding the work.
The goal is simple: give young people the tools, context, and confidence to make something real without asking them to choose between their creative life and their education.
Real ownership
The program ends with an original song students helped create, not a practice exercise that disappears when class ends.
A wider map
Students see the full ecosystem around music: production, engineering, management, A&R, sync, DJing, and more.
The 10-week program
02 / CURRICULUMFrom the first beat to a finished track.
Hands-on, in person, and capped at twelve students so everyone gets time with the tools and direct guidance. The finish line is an original track they own—built step by step through a real creative process.
Introduction to music
Personal music discovery, creative identity, and how artists get started.
Hands-on with DAWs
Get comfortable inside tools like GarageBand, FL Studio, Logic, Ableton, and BandLab.
Ways to make music
Sampling, music theory basics, drum programming, and different ways to build an idea.
Studio session
Experience the recording process in a professional environment: microphones, levels, and the room itself.
Songwriting & structure
Study how songs move, write together, and shape an idea into something listeners can follow.
Engineering & mixing
Work with EQ, levels, effects, and the decisions that help a record translate.
Release & distribution
Learn how music travels from a finished session to streaming platforms and listeners.
Careers in music
Explore the people behind the record: managers, DJs, A&Rs, promoters, sync, publishing, and more.
Final song completion
Finish the recording, mix, and final production decisions for the cohort's original work.
Showcase & release
Share the finished work with family and community and reflect on what comes next.
What students leave with
They don't just take a class. They leave with a track.
By the showcase, students have made something concrete—and they understand more clearly where their creativity can take them next.
An original song they own
Written, produced, recorded, and mixed through the program.
Real studio fluency
More comfort with DAWs, microphones, recording, and collaborative production.
A map of music careers
A wider view of the creative, technical, and business paths surrounding music.
Confidence & community
A finished piece of work and a cohort that made it together.
Make the beat. Find your sound. Own your work.
Studio U is built around the idea that access changes what a young person can imagine for themselves. Give them the room, the tools, and people who take their creativity seriously—and let them build.
The founding team
03 / PEOPLEPeople who know what it takes to make the track.
Three founders bring music production, creative direction, design, communications, and operations into the room.
Zak Levy
Founder / Executive Director / Program Lead
I started producing and DJing in high school and developed a passion for production and sound design. I have had success on the production side with placements through major labels like Universal and Geffen, and have DJed at Chicago venues including Lincoln Hall and Thalia Hall. I am currently a student at Berklee College of Music through its music composition program.
Tyrone Jordan
Founder / Chief Creative Officer
I got my start in music at 15, and my hobby quickly turned into a real business. I went on to create my own independent record label with 11 artists, including myself. Studio U is a way to share my love of music and give young people a sustainable, tangible experience where they can pursue their craft without missing the most important part of their teenage experience: their education.
Jess Sciabica
Chief Operating Officer
I am a professional designer, visual storyteller, and lifelong vocalist, bringing both creative and operational experience to Studio U. My marketing career includes managing complex, deadline-driven projects across teams and executive stakeholders, and my background in executive support taught me the systems thinking I use to run day-to-day operations. I lead our brand, communications, and operational infrastructure.
Zak: 10 years in music, 10M+ streams, and credits including Russ, Boldy James, and Lexa Gates. Tyrone: 9 years in music, 3.5M streams, and CEO of 2DB Co. Jess: 5+ years in design, communications, and creative project management, with a BA and a minor in Studio Art.
Support the first cohort
Help put the tools in the room.
Early support helps cover laptops, headphones, MIDI controllers, instruction, transportation, meals, and professional studio time. The goal is to make access real—not theoretical.
Estimated first-cohort need
$25,000–$40,000Every level of support helps build the first complete Studio U learning experience.
- $80Headphones for one student
- $100A MIDI controller for one student
- $300Transportation and meals for the cohort
- $1,500+A full seat in the program for one student