“One important thing to understand about the work that we do is we work with some of the hardest to reach young people in the U.S.,” says Michael Lipset, co-director and co-founder of 4 Learning – the sister organization to the High School for Recording Arts (HSRA).

He continues, “We view them as some of the most talented, some of the hardest working, some of the most creative, as well.”

Lipset joined WorkingNation’s editor-in-chief Ramona Schindelheim for WorkingNation Overheard at SXSW EDU 2024 in Austin.

“Honestly, we don’t aspire necessarily to put people into the entertainment industry or the music industry. We aspire to provide a high-quality liberal arts education,” says Lipset. “And in so far as young people aren’t able to access that in traditional spaces, for whatever reason –whether it be a curriculum that is not representative of who they are, or teachers who don’t see their strengths for what they could be, or a system that is overly punitive, or a standardized test that doesn’t make any sense to you because it’s written for a particular audience that is not you.

“What we’re seeing is that young people really flock to the studio as a space where they can develop all the skills necessary for 21st century success.”

Learn more about 4 Learning.
Learn more about the High School of Recording Arts.