Volunteer in Sydney: Finding our beat - ARV’s music production session at JMC Academy

If you ever want to see a group of teens transform in real time, put them in a room with notebooks, instruments, and a beat pulsing in the background. That’s exactly what happened at our Music workshop at JMC Academy, talented local artist Nadia Abo Khadour and ARV’s very own MJ (a JMC student) helped our Teens step into the world of songwriting, music production and creative expression.

From the very first activity, it was clear: …we weren’t just spending an afternoon making music…

…we were watching a room full of emerging poets, producers, and performers come alive.

The session kicked off with a dive into different styles of songwriting - how artists take feelings, memories, or random ideas and turn them into something meaningful. It didn’t take long before the pens hit the paper and the magic started.

Workshop on how to get started in music

Some teens wrote punchy, clever lines.Some poured out personal lyrics that felt straight from the heart.Some filled an entire page before Nadia even finished explaining the task.And even the shy ones - the classic “no, no, I’ll just listen” teens - started scribbling ideas and sharing them out loud or started composing beats using the music production software.

One of the best parts?The support in the room.

Teens read out their lines and the others hyped them up, helped tweak a rhyme, offered a new idea, or said, “Nah, keep that - it’s good.” It wasn’t competitive. It wasn’t awkward. It was collaborative like a mini writing room where everyone wanted everyone else to shine.

And they didn’t just write - they listened to feedback, too.Real, constructive, honest feedback.And they embraced it.Instead of shrinking back, they leaned in, re-wrote lines, experimented with rhythm, and shared again. 

Next came the music production part - learning how to build tracks using computer software, layering sounds, trying instruments, and mixing their ideas into something that kind of sounded like a song… sometimes unexpectedly so.

Local artist and JMC student facilitator Nadia didn’t just teach them the technical stuff, she shared stories of her own journey, and opened a window into the world behind music. Branding. Promoting your profiles. Sharing your art. What it really feels like to create something and put your name on it. It wasn’t scary or overwhelming, just honest, encouraging, and full of possibility.

Then: recording time.

Some teens sang, some spoke their lyrics, some built background harmonies.

For us volunteers, we got to see sides of our teens that don’t always come out in day-to-day life - the boldness, the softness, the creativity, the leadership, the humour. Some kids who are usually reserved stepped up like seasoned performers. Others who are always lively became thoughtful, careful lyricists.

And it wasn’t just longtime volunteers who witnessed this.We had new volunteers join us for the workshop too and what an introduction to ARV it was. They got to see our teens not just participate, but lift each other up, collaborate, laugh together, and create something they were genuinely proud of.

Nadia and one of our teens in the recording studio

Practicing their beats on the drums at JMC Academy

A huge thank you to JMC Academy and the amazing Nadia and MJ for creating such an inspiring, welcoming space. You didn’t just run a workshop, you helped unlock voices, ideas, and creativity we can’t wait to see more of.

And to our volunteers (old and new) thank you for showing up and cheering our young people on. It makes all the difference.

Want to be part of workshops like this? Our next music workshop will be held on March 28th! Volunteer in Sydney with ARV and you might just help more young creatives find their voice.