CTK Community Music Lab: An Arts Incubator For Young Creators

We would like to create the CTK Community Music Lab—an accessible, interdisciplinary music recording and podcasting studio at Christ the King High School in Leduc, Alberta. The Lab will give Grade 9–12 students a place to create, record, produce, experiment and share original music, audio and podcast projects.

Designed as an open-access Arts Incubator, the Lab will remove financial and technical barriers to music and audio production. Students will not need to own expensive equipment, software or have a recording space at home to participate.

At its heart, the Community Music Lab will be a place where a student can walk in with an idea and turn it into something real experimenting with sound, learning new skills, finding collaborators, creating original work and sharing it with others.

Key features include:

ACCESS: A unique space with high-quality recording equipment and professional software that students may not otherwise have access to.

CREATE: An “always-connected” studio where students can walk in, plug in a guitar or sit at a microphone and begin recording without complex setup.

SHARE: An interdisciplinary ecosystem where student-created music, soundscapes and recordings connect with visual art students for album artwork and marketing students for promotion, culminating in a student-curated semester showcase.

LEARN: Students develop skills in recording, production, songwriting, podcasting, microphone technique, digital audio, music technology and sound design by actually creating.

COLLABORATE: Students can work across disciplines with songwriters, producers, vocalists, instrumentalists, visual artists, graphic designers and marketing students to take ideas from concept to finished projects.

MENTOR: Experienced students can help beginners learn the equipment and software, creating a peer-to-peer learning environment where students eventually help the next generation of creators.

EQUITY: Approximately 10% of CTK students live in poverty, and the school serves Indigenous, marginalized and at-risk students who may face additional barriers to enrichment opportunities. The Lab removes the requirement to own expensive instruments, equipment, software or technology in order to participate.

The primary beneficiaries are the 470+ Grade 9-12 students at Christ The King High School:

• At-Risk Students: Students with complex needs, and marginalized youth. Students in these categories benefit greatly having a creative space to create and express their ideas and experiences using music and soundscapes as the medium.
• Creative Students Interested Music Recording: Songwriters, beatmakers, and instrumentalists who practice at home but lack studio gear or rehearsal space.
• Podcast & Digital Media Creators: Students creating voiceovers, spoken-word projects, or interviews requiring broadcast-quality audio.
• Interdisciplinary Collaborators: Fine arts, graphic design, and business/marketing students who gain hands-on experience branding, promoting, and executing live cultural showcases.
• Musicians and Music Students: From the general student population and music program seeking to explore the recording arts as a career or hobby interest.

Phase 1 (Jan 2027): Equipment procurement, cabling installation, and room acoustic panel mounting.

Phase 2 (Feb 2027): Official lab opening, open-access scheduling begins, and student engineer training starts.

Phase 3 (June 2027): Inaugural Student Interdisciplinary Showcase.