Music certainly has the power to inspire, to allow us to better communicate, and to be the catalyst for change. In 2008, Phoenix House Academy in Los Angeles was able to take advantage of this power to leverage a golden opportunity and build a fully-functional music studio for teens enrolled in its residential substance abuse treatment program.
Kara DioGuardi, a Grammy winning singer-songwriter and a former judge on American Idol, initiated the groundbreaking program that allows Phoenix House clients to compose, perform and record their very own songs in our studio. DioGuardi spent many hours advising and architecturally perfecting the construction of the facility. In this way, she shared her melodic world with hundreds of teens in treatment.
These days, the Phoenix Rising Music Program continues to be a significant asset in our clients’ lives. Creating music plays a major role in helping troubled teens explore, unravel and communicate the sources of their deep-hidden problems while they also reduce anxiety and build self-esteem.
It should be noted that the Phoenix Rising Music Program wouldn’t be the amazing asset it is today without the help and support of Big Fish Audio, DJ AM Foundation, Don Griffin, Jason Flom, Mark Spiwak, Michael Gorfaine, Michael Laskow of Taxi, and Samuel Schwartz. Their financial donations allowed the studio to expand and remain the state-of-the-art institution that it is today.
The youth who participate in the program are not just creating music. They’re creating memories of positive experiences with friends. Memories that will motivate them through the tough times. Memories that will certainly last a lifetime.
The Music Director of the Phoenix Rising Music Program, John Morabito, reflected: “When I began working at Phoenix House, the studio was already built. I just had to bring my own touch to it.” Morabito loves working with the teens. It brings him immense satisfaction knowing he can assist the counselors’ work by acting as a mediator between them and the participants. The efforts of Mr. Morabito have also helped the studio gather a wide-ranging group of supporters.
A plethora of these supporters donated software and equipment to expand the functionality of the studio, allowing over a hundred teens in treatment to use it each week. We are thus immensely grateful for the support of the following musicians, engineers, and companies:
- APPLIED ACOUSTIC SYSTEMS – soft synths and other software
- ANTARES – voice altering and editing software
- AUDIO TECHNICA – headphones
- AURALEX ACOUSTICS – acoustical sound treatment
- BIG FISH AUDIO – quality loops and sounds
- BKE-Beat Thang – software
- COREL – graphic design software
- DAISY ROCK GUITARS – acoustic guitars
- DEAN MARKLEY – acoustic strings
- EASTWEST SOUND – soft synth software
- EVENTIDE – audio plugins
- FOCUSRITE/NOVATION – keyboards, software
- GARRITAN STRINGS – software
- ILLFORMED – recording software
- IK MULTIMEDIA – audio plugins
- KEN LEWIS-MIX ENGINEER – sound tutorials
- LEWITT MICROPHONES – microphones
- LYNDA.COM – tutorials
- MAC PRO VIDEO – tutorials
- MONSTER – headphones and power conditioners
- NATIVE INSTRUMENTS – software
- PLAYGROUND SESSIONS – keyboard tutorials
- QSC – powered sound system
- ROB PAGEN – audio plugins
- ROCKTRON – vocoder
- RONAN CHRIS MURPHY – supporter
- SKULL CANDY – headphones
- SLATE DIGITAL – audio plugins
- SOFTUBE – audio plugins
- SWAR SYSTEMS – audio plugins
- TOM SWEENEY – installation
- UEBERSCHALL – audio plugins
- UNIVERSAL AUDIO – audio plugins
- WACOM – tablets for graphic design
- WESTLAKE PRO – audio hardware
- XLN AUDIO – drum software
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