PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Vancouver non-profit iUrban Teen is giving local teenagers of color the opportunity to explore careers in sound engineering with the launch of its new iMusic program this summer.
The iMusic program, which will focus on sound technology and music production, joins the non-profit’s list of career pathway programs from engineering and computer science to creative writing to help students explore careers after high school.
Under the new music program, “students will learn how to implement math into music using music theory. They’ll also learn how sound production works and the software needed to create their own sound and record it,” said iUrban Teen Vancouver Program Manager Simone Thomas.
Thomas also noted the importance of creating a space for teens of color to explore career opportunities.
“If you take a look at all the jobs that are stimulated, it’s prominently white. So, we want to give the opportunity for Black and brown youth to get in there and make that good money and have these awesome careers that they worked hard for. It’s very important to give them the opportunity to get up there too,” Thomas said.
The organization will also be part of Washington’s statewide non-profit fundraiser Give Big Washington, which runs Tuesday through Wednesday.