Vol. 68 - ISPro Academy
90 Days of Grants + Cohort Spotlight: ISPro Academy!
Today’s Collective Catalyst Cohort Spotlight - Meet Marlon King and Brian Sykes of ISPro Academy!
Beginning today, we’ll be shining a spotlight on each of our cohort members as they move through the year. We’re proud to be sharing each of their stories, giving our readers a window into the amazing work that they’re doing and how to support their efforts.
Marlon King (R) (aka Solitaire) is a Chicago producer, audio engineer, and educator with 10+ years at the intersection of music production, music business, and creative workforce development. He leads ISPro Academy’s curriculum, instruction, and program deployment, teaching hands-on across classrooms and community sites citywide.
Brian Sykes (L) is a Chicago-based music producer, educator, creative entrepreneur, and workforce development professional committed to transforming talent into opportunity. As co-founder of ISPro Academy, he has helped create accessible pathways in audio engineering, music production, music business, branding, and professional development for emerging artists and young adults.
Performing and producing as 7 METRIX, Brian also leads multidisciplinary projects such as I Heard the City Breathe, which blends music, film, visual art, mentorship, and Chicago storytelling.
Together, Marlon and Brian have built an innovative, hands-on training and mentorship model through their nonprofit ISPro Academy , empowering and educating youth alongside industry professionals.
Founded in 2023, ISPro Academy delivers music production, audio engineering, and music business education to youth and adults ages 14-24, with a mission to demystify the music industry for Chicago's next generation and give them real tools to create, protect, and monetize their work.
Often times, creative young people may not see themselves as “artists” - or if they do, they can’t see a real path towards being able to create art and also sustain themselves financially. As working music professionals themselves, Marlon & Brian have crafted the ISPro Academy curriculum to treat audio engineering and music production as viable trades, providing the necessary guidance and opportunities to make that case. They focus on small, interactive classes and advanced curriculum to ensure their students are industry-ready, pairing practical skills with essential music business education and preparing artists to maximize their potential and protect their work.
To make their program accessible and meet young people where they are, ISPro operates a mobile curriculum model across partner sites on the South and West Sides including Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago West Community Music Center, Navy Pier, and the Museum of Science and Industry. To date, they've served 230+ participants across 24+ programs with 15+ community partners.
See them in action in their video spotlight by the Breakout Foundation on their site, and check them out at yesterday’s Future Ready Summit & Opportunity Expo , raising awareness about opportunities in the music industry for Chicago’s youth.
Find out more about ISPro Academy at isproacademy.org, follow them at @isproacademy and find ways to register for programs, partner and supporttheir work!
