HMA: Where Careers. Music. Mentors. Hope.

Access to tech and creative industry employment

San Fernando Valley

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

Los Angeles is a global hub for music, but too many young people in the San Fernando Valley are shut out of the industry before they even get a chance. Free youth programs often teach creative skill, but almost never the business side, and rarely offer real access to industry icons. That means talented teens from low-income, BIPOC, or higher crime-affected communities are often left without the tools, knowledge, or mentorship they need to see music as a viable career--they have the passion, but not the pathway. This kind of exclusion keeps power and opportunity in the hands of a few, and shuts out the voices that could powerfully shape the future of music, in all departments. Hopeless Music Academy is changing that by giving youth ages 12-18 hands-on training in both music and business, led by people who actually work in the industry; because the talent is already here. What’s missing is the access, and we're here to change that.

Hopeless Music Academy (HMA) is a free music education and mentorship program that gives under-resourced youth in the San Fernando Valley real access to the music industry. In partnership with New Directions for Youth, we work out of a professional-level recording studio and offer hands-on training in both music creation and the business behind it.
In our Spring pilot, students ages 12-18 met weekly for three-hour sessions, split evenly between creative and business. They learned the full music-making process step by step—starting with rhythm and percussion, then melody production, songwriting and recording, and finally releasing their track along with custom cover art. On the business side, students explored budgeting, marketing, branding, distribution, and contracts. The program ended with a community listening party for families and staff.
Sessions are led by our multilingual Program Director who has produced over 200 creative projects. Students learn directly from guest mentors including artists, producers, managers, and execs currently working in the industry. Our board is filled with impact-driven & humble industry change-makers. This is not a casual afterschool club; it’s direct career prep for young people who rarely get access to this world.
This summer, we’re expanding with two week-long intensives in a summer camp format. This grant will help us grow enrollment, improve equipment, deepen partnerships, and build long-term pathways into music careers.

When Hopeless Music Academy succeeds, the music industry in Los Angeles will start to honestly reflect the real voices of the city. Right now, there is too much gatekeeping, and most youth in under-resourced communities don’t even know they COULD have a career in music. This program changes that. In the short term, we will continue to build strong relationships, media documentation, and curriculum expansion, including field trips. In future: open additional sites across LA, providing even more students with access, jobs, and internship opportunities. Students will leave with real skills, industry relationships, and a positive way to express themselves; helping reduce the pull toward gangs, drugs, and other destructive paths. One of the most special parts of the program is the connection between students, interns, and working professionals. Long term, we’re helping opening up an entire industry to kids who were never invited, and shifting the future of Los Angeles income & voice.