OAK PARK, Mich. (WXYZ) — A new pilot program in Oak Park is using music production to incentivize high school students to attend class regularly. The "Makin' It Sound Good" program offers students free access to a professional recording studio as a reward for consistent school attendance.
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The community partnership between the city of Oak Park, Oak Park Youth Assistance and the school district aims to address declining attendance rates by connecting students with local music studio Dalion Nation Studios.
Through the door of Dalion Nation Studios have walked the likes of Detroit rappers like Boldy James and Ice Wear Vezzo. Now, high school students from Oak Park public schools are making their own waves.
For 11th grader Devin Mark, Tuesdays and Thursdays have become his favorite school days.
"I'm ready to just get into it," Mark said as he prepared to record his rap. "Once I saw that it was in the studio and it had to do with music, I had to do it. I had to sign up."
Mark hopes to one day pursue a career in engineering.
Fellow 11th grader Jalen Amos says he never jumped at anything school-related so quickly.
"I saw this opportunity, I had to take it," Amos said. "I love music heavily, so when I seen that, I knew I had to immediately get it done, get my form turned in, so I could get into it."
Studio owner Dilano Dalion helped create the opportunity after reflecting on his own limited access to music education as a teenager.
"I remember when I was a teenager, I actually looked into music programs and they cost a lot of money and there was none of them in Detroit, Michigan. Like you had to pay $20,000 and go out to like California for like three to six months just to learn that, these programs and stuff," Dilano said.
Dilano always dreamed of opening doors for youth in his community.
"I see how the music industry is and I just feel like now that we have the platform to give them the opportunity, why not?" Dilano said. "I've had dreams of like hey, maybe one day we can actually turn this into a school and teach students, but I never had the how is it gonna happen."
Carla Allen, director of human resources and operations for the city of Oak Park and board member for Oak Park Youth Assistance, says the program was created to address a significant attendance problem in Oak Park public schools.
"They were having a major issue. They didn't give me specifics, but they did say that it was something that they've been tackling for a while and it just kept getting progressively worse," Allen said.
The collaborative effort is aiming to reduce truancy.
"It is a huge problem and it is affecting all of Oakland County and Michigan, and the youth are struggling with disengagement, disinterest in school. And so I do believe that we need to come up with alternative ideas and creative ways of getting them interested again and excited about attending school and education overall," case worker Karen Beeler said.
Oak Park Youth Assistance's goal is to "to strengthen youth and families and to prevent and reduce incidents of juvenile delinquency, neglect and abuse through volunteer involvement."
Youth Assistance is a community-based program whose mission is to strengthen youth and families and to prevent and reduce delinquency, neglect and abuse through community involvement. Youth Assistance initiatives are supported by a unique tri-sponsorship agreement between the circuit court, local school districts and local municipalities.
Early results suggest the pilot program is working.
"I know it be days I'd miss school or wouldn't come to school and when I heard about this, I was oh yeah, it really motivated me to want to come to school more, get my work done, stay educated, get my stuff turned in on time, so I could really come here and really learn about something I'm really interested in. So I thank the studio heavily for that, for motivating me, giving me the confidence I need for this," Amos said.
The program is helping teenagers pursue their dreams while motivating them to achieve immediate educational goals.
"To make an impact on the youth for their future. And that's what I wanna do," Dilano said.
Beeler says the goal is to look at the data and expand the program in the fall so more students can participate.
The nonprofit operates off grants and relies on community donations.
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