Sound Thinking NYC

Sound Thinking NYC is a free program especially designed to open doors for young women and men to explore careers in the music industry.

Sound Thinking NYC is a program of the CUNY Creative Arts Team and the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, in partnership with NY is Music. STNYC includes multiple levels of student engagement focused on increasing opportunities in the music industry for underrepresented groups, particularly women. All students who are interested in supporting gender equity in music are encouraged to apply. Summer Intensive graduates will be invited to Sound Thinking NYC school year events and will be offered opportunities for paid internships and credited College Now Courses in their 11th and 12th grade year.

Sound Thinking NYC empowers young people as they explore how to turn their passion for music into a possible profession in New York City's thriving music industry. Addressing gender equity and building leadership skills in the music industry is a core part of this summer program that includes hands-on activities in music production and field trips to venues and sound production studios.

Launched in 2018, the program begins with a three-week Sound Thinking NYC Summer Intensive (for details or to apply, see the Summer Intensive tab). All graduates of the Summer Intensive will be invited to:

participate in a series of events during their 10th, 11th or 12th grade school year;
apply for paid summer internships for the following summer; and
apply to take free college credit courses at CUNY during their junior and/or senior year of high school

Sound Thinking NYC is open to all academically eligible students, without regard to race, gender, national origin or other characteristics protected by law.

Read about STNYC on Billboard.com

Join our STNYC email list - click here!

Sound Thinking NYC is a free program offered by the CUNY Creative Arts Team (CAT) and the Mayor's Office for Media and Entertainment (MOME), in partnership with NY Is Music, a coalition of music industry leaders.

Read about STNYC on Billboard.com

Sound Thinking NYC Summer Intensive is a free three-week long program that especially opens doors for students in high school to explore careers in the music industry.

Addressing gender equity in the music industry is a core part of this summer program that includes hands-on activities in music production and workshops that develop leadership skills. All students who are interested in supporting gender equity in music are encouraged to apply. Summer Intensive graduates will be invited to Sound Thinking NYC school year events and will be offered opportunities for paid internships and credited College Now Courses in their 11th and 12th grade year.

The Sound Thinking NYC Summer Intensive is for current 9th, 10th & 11th grade students in NYC who will be entering 10th, 11th or 12th grade in the fall.

During the Sound Thinking NYC Summer Intensive, participants:

go behind the scenes to learn about the tools, technologies, and career paths that power songs, concerts, theatres and film;
visit recording studios to learn about what audio engineers and producers do and be introduced to the science and physics of sound;
learn about the design of sound for Broadway theatres and live concerts - from wires to microphones to computer programs and mixing boards;
learn about the new technologies, businesses and platforms that are distributing music over the internet and beyond; and
build leadership skills and explore strategies for fulfilling goals in life, including career exploration and college readiness.

Sound Thinking NYC leverages your passion for music as you explore how to turn that passion into a possible career. You'll be introduced to the varied opportunities and career paths available in NYC's thriving music industry - such as audio engineering, music production, sound design, and audio technology - directly from professionals in the business, all with a cohort of carefully selected, motivated fellow students.

Sign up here to receive updates about the program!

About the After-School Program:

Cohort-members participate in workshops focusing on sound engineering and production, music business and management, as well as leadership and communication skill-building using CAT's applied theatre strategies for engaging in topics around equity, critical thinking, self-efficacy, community-building, and professional growth. Cohort-members will also receive opportunities to engage with music industry professionals through mentorship and panels.

Accepted students will attend free of charge. STNYC Spring After-School graduates will be invited to enroll in the next school year's STNYC programming, including weekend workshops, music performances, and opportunities to enroll in free college courses for credit, while still in high school. STNYC Spring After-School graduates will also be offered opportunities to apply for paid internships in the music industry the following summer.

STNYC is open to all academically eligible NYC public school students, without regard to race, gender, national origin, or other characteristics protected by law.

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Sound Thinking NYC ~ School Year Program

Sound Thinking NYC includes nine workshops and events across the school year, designed to support young people in exploring how a passion for music can lead to a profession in New York City's music industry.

Five school-year workshops specifically designed for Summer Intensive graduates will support cohort building, mentoring and skill building related to exploring how a young person’s passion for music can lead to opportunities for careers in the music industry.

Four school year events will be designed for families and any student interested in learning more about opportunities in the music industry.

Launched in 2018, Sound Thinking NYC is expanding its programming. Through a new 10-week Mentorship Program, STNYC connects music industry professionals and Sound Thinkers. The mentors and mentees meet once a week, during which time the mentors support the young people with personalized guidance on achieving their career goals.

Download the mentoring flyer here.

Additionally, the Sound Thinking staff facilitates bi-weekly leadership workshops focusing on networking, resume building, self promotion, and other career skills.

This program is specifically for Sound Thinkers who have completed a minimum level of requirements. To learn more or get involved, please contact Summer Parks, Program Coordinator, at summer@creativeartsteam.org.

Sound Thinking NYC leverages teenagers’ passion for popular music to introduce them to viable career paths in New York City’s thriving media, entertainment, and technology industries by,

Exposing them to key players at the intersections of media, entertainment, and technology industries
Sparking excitement and interest in related college and career tracks
Supporting participants with learning opportunities that provide pathways to success and the development of leadership skills

Over the last six years, Sound Thinking NYC has delivered a multi-faceted program, providing opportunities to over 300 New York City public school students.

Established as part of a series of initiatives targeting the under-representation of women in entertainment, Sound Thinking NYC is a free program offered by the Creative Arts Team (CAT) at the City University of New York (CUNY) and the The Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME), in partnership with NY Is Music, a coalition of music industry leaders. Sound Thinking NYC includes the Advisory Council listed below. If you or your organization is interested in becoming involved by offering event sites, volunteer mentors, presenters, networking opportunities, internship placement, or other opportunties, please contact CAT Executive Director at jeanne.houck@cuny.edu.

Sound Thinking NYC Advisors include:

Binta Nambi Brown, Founder, omalilly projects; Co-Founder, Black Music Action Coalition
Shira J. Gans, Senior Executive Director, Policy + Programs, M ayor's Office of Media & Entertainment
Carletta Higginson, Director, Global Head of Music Publishing at YouTube
Colleen McDonough, Executive Director, The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Foundation
Jessica Sobhraj, CEO of Cosynd
Justin Kalifowitz, CEO, Downtown Music Holdings, Co-Founder, NY Is Music
Molly Neuman, President, Songtrust
William Harvey, Co-Founder NY Is Music

Sound Thinking NYC Partnerships

The Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME)

The Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment encompasses the key economic and creative sectors of film, TV, theater, music, advertising, publishing, digital content and real estate as it relates to these industries. In total, these sectors account for over 305,000 jobs, and an economic output of $104 billion. Under the leadership of Commissioner Anne del Castillo, MOME promotes New York City as a thriving center of creativity, issuing permits for productions filming on public property, and facilitating production throughout the five boroughs. It also oversees NYC Media, the largest municipal broadcasting entity in the country including five TV Stations and a radio station with a reach of 18 million households and a 50-mile radius.

NY Is Music

Co-founded in 2014 by Justin Kalifowitz, of Downtown Music Publishing, and musician William Harvey, NY Is Music is a coalition of more than 200 music industry stakeholders whose mission is to advance and promote awareness of the importance of music in economic development, culture, and education in New York.

CUNY-CAT

The Creative Arts Team (CAT) at the City University of New York (CUNY) provides drama-based workshops and programs in pre-K-12 schools, colleges and community centers in all five NYC boroughs. CAT has served more than a million youth, and thousands of educators and parents in NYC, throughout the US and around the world, since its founding in 1974. CAT is part of CUNY’s K-16 Initiative under the Office of Academic Affairs.

Sound Thinking NYC extends our thanks to the following organizations for their contributions to our mission:

SOUND THINKING NYC INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS AND COMPANY PARTNERS