JAMES JORDAN CLUB, CHICAGO
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UNIQUE YOUTH
EENIE MEENIE VISUALIZER
This month, our Big 3 (Baby Virgo, Brookie Cookie, and Hannah Banana) had an unforgettable opportunity to collaborate with the youth of Free Spirit Media’s Screen Savors film program. Together, the two groups created a visualizer for “Eenie Meenie,” one of the standouttracksfromoursummerEP.OuryoungartistsvisitedFree Spirit Media’s headquarters, where they stepped into a true production environment: lights, cameras, green screens, and a full youth-led film crew ready to bring their song to life. The collaboration was inspiring on both sides — our musicians experiencedanewlayerofcreativeexpression,whiletheFSMyouth applied their filmmaking skills to amplify the work of fellow young artists. The final product turned out incredible, but even more powerful was watching two groups of talented Chicago youth come togethertocreatesomethingbiggerthanthemselves.
OurcollaborationwithFreeSpiritMediaactuallybegantheweek beforethe“EenieMeenie”visualizershoot,whentheirScreen SavorsfilmcrewvisitedourNotesforNotesstudio.Together,we createdanoriginalsongfortheirdocumentaryaboutMacArthur’s, theiconicWestSidesoul-foodrestaurant.OurBig3ledthe writingandrecordingprocess,andthreeFSMyouthevenhopped intheboothfortheirfirst-evervocalsession.Itwasanincredible, cross-creativeexperiencethatgavebothgroupsthechanceto learnfromeachotherandcontributetoatrulyChicagostory.
MAC ARTHUR'S THEME SONG
JAMES JORDAN CLUB, CHICAGO
A SONG ABOUT PICKLES
TEENS, AT LAST
Another highlight of November was our 3-day workshop with Chicago comedian Lexi Constantini, who helped our youth write and record their very first “comedy song.” The youth decided to create a playful track about buying a pickle; a fun, quirky break from the serious songwriting they’re used to. The project was perfect for newer members just getting comfortable recording, giving them a low-stakes, upbeat way to step into the booth. By the end, they had a catchy, funny song they were proudof,andawholenewcreativeexperienceunder theirbelt.
This quarter’s push to bring more teens into the studio has truly paid off, and nothing showed that more than this beautiful moment of four teens jamming together during programming. One on piano, one on drums, one on guitar, and another on the cajón, all locked in and building a groove from nothing. No plan, no pressure, just teens getting to know each other through sound. After months of intentional outreach and keeping the studio doors open, it’s moments like this that show what happens when teens feel welcome, safe, and inspiredtocreatetogether.
TEENGINEERING
Another sign of how strong our teen momentum has become is the progress of Valeria, one of our newest members. During a Teengineering session, we spent a full hour building a beat in Ableton from scratch. Valeria came in with clear examples of the sound they wanted, and together we dove deep into production techniques, arranging, and sound design. What impressed me most was how quickly they picked it up. By the very next session, Valeria was already navigating the DAW independently and experimenting with their own ideas. Moments like this remind me why investing in teen programmingmatters:theyrisetothechallengeeverytime.
