Music and Media Lab Pilot Program
At L.I.V. Corp, we believe that true education goes beyond textbooks and classrooms—it's about immersing students in experiences that shape not only their skills but also their identities and visions for the future. Our recent Music and Media Lab pilot program is a testament to this philosophy.
Sponsored by the Metropolitan Business League in partnership with Shockoe Records and In Your Ear Studios, the program offered students the unique opportunity to engage directly with industry professionals, diving deep into the creative processes that drive the music and media industries. But beyond the technical knowledge and hands-on learning, this program served as a powerful catalyst for personal growth, helping each participant refine their sense of self and articulate their creative visions. This transformative experience is exactly what our mission at L.I.V. Corp is all about—helping the next generation to navigate their personal and professional journeys with confidence, authenticity, and purpose.
Throughout the week, our students engaged in various activities designed to inspire and enhance their musical and media skills. Here’s a recap of our incredible week together:
Day 1: Setting Intentions and Creative Vision
We began our journey with a powerful breathwork meditation led by Sage Rader, helping us set our intentions for the week. Sage, who has worked with artists like Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes, guided us through a session that grounded and focused us. You can revisit the intention breathwork session here.
Creative designer Hector Patricio Quintanill from Archived Dreams introduced us to his "Universal Guide To Creating." We explored a framework for bringing creative visions to life through Vision, Communication, Unification, Implementation, and Creation. Parents, please reflect with your children on the visions they wrote in their notebooks. The "Universal Guide To Creating" PDF here and a recording of Hector's presentation can be found here.
Graphic by Archived Dreams
IYE audio engineer Thomas Preston teaching students how to create captivating song structures.
Day 2: Refining Visions, AI tools, & Musical Exploration
We started with a reflection session on our visions, followed by an icebreaker called Mindmeld, led by Shockoe Records artist REIN. This fun activity helped us understand our collective tastes and vocabulary. We also explored different AI tools such as music generator Suno, lyric tool by Lupe Fiasco/Google "TextFX", and image generator Dalle-3 powered by Bing.
Tom guided our students through song arrangement, helping them grasp different song structures and the language of arranging tracks. Inspired by Kenya's guitar melody, Amidah and the team created another demo! Listen to that demo here and the updated demo of "Please Don't" here.
Amidah Jones, Rein, Kenya Sarai, Christian Plummer, Kabiou Claiborne
Day 3: Bringing Visions to Life
We focused on communicating our visions and providing constructive feedback to each other. Students collaborated on creating cover art ideas and selected the final cover art for our track, "Please Don't."
Also, check out the recap video showcasing the highlights of our week.
Students visit Studio A @ In Your Ear Studios
Day 4: Showcase Day!
On our last day we focused on finishing our demo for “Please Don’t”. Parents and loved ones were invited to Studio A at In Your Ear Studios for our student showcase. Students were asked to share their vision and we shared the final song we created with accompanying cover art. You can listen to the demo below.
Cover art by Christian Plummer
Video shot and edited by Will Royé
Artists and Mentors: Kenya Serei | Amidah Jones | REIN | Pharaoh Sistare | Mavi Taylor | Elle Symone | Tien | Pete Rango | Thomas Preston
Stay Connected with Us
We are excited to announce the launch of our Discord server, providing ongoing support and a place for our L.I.V. community to stay connected. Join us on Discord here.
In our commitment to continue engaging with program participants, we are planning ongoing monthly events. These events will offer opportunities for further learning, collaboration, and growth. Stay tuned for more details.
Thank you to all the students, parents, and volunteers,for your passion, participation, and support throughout this program. We look forward to continuing this journey with you and celebrating the amazing work our students have accomplished. Special thanks to the MBL, Shockoe Records, and In Your Ear Studios for believing in our mission.
With love,
Peter Arango
President and Co-Founder
L.I.V. - Life is Valuable
