Hip Hop Institute at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Monmouth

Writing, recording and performing original music

Working with Lakehouse Music Academy and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Monmouth County (BGCM), we have formed a partnership to bring relevant and engaging music and life skills education to at-risk teens in Monmouth County. This program creates after school classes for Audio Engineering, Hip Hop Dance and Record Label 101 (branding, social media and marketing). This program is funded through the generous donation from the Jules L. Plangere, Jr. Family Foundation.

Finding creative and innovative ways to engage the teen population is critical as we seek to provide them with the support structures they need to thrive in life. Leveraging young people’s passion for music and demonstrating that those passions can lead to meaningful life and career opportunities is at the heart of the Hip Hop Institute.

The team at Lakehouse Recording Studios has retrofitted an existing space at the Asbury Park Club at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Monmouth into a Hip-Hop/R&B and EDM (Electronic Dance Music) recording studio. The new, state-of-the-art studio is the latest renovation to the Club which has upgraded all its facilities, including a brand new computer lab. The guiding principles behind the renovations is that people live in ways that reflect their environment. By providing a functional recording studio, we expect the kids to act accordingly.

Being taught by industry professionals and team members of BGCM, classes center around the musical interests of the students and at the same time teach computer literacy and real world application of these concepts.

Audio engineering classes are taught in the new recording studio, dance classes are taught in the gym and Record Label 101 classes are taught on the 15 computers in the learning lab at the Asbury Park facility. Record Label 101 classes focus on how to use the simple technologies available to most of us and include lessons on how to write a bio, take photos, make logos, shoot/edit simple videos and set up simple websites. Students brand their work by networking responsibly using social media.

Dance classes are group ensemble based and focus on contemporary forms of dance. The dance group has an “in service” mission and uses dance as a way to give back to the local community. The dancing is fun and physically challenging. The groups are goal oriented and always work towards live performances which the groups use to promote their message of serving their community.

The students are empowered by having an outlet to express themselves through the music and art that they create and have the ability to record, package, and distribute it.

This program is part of the Music Saved My Life youth music education initiative, which is a partnership between the Asbury Park Music Foundation and Lakehouse Music Academy.