Jonathan, a Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago (BGCC) member, had never used the software GarageBand on an iPad before. After only an hour, he created his own song. 

He learned this skill during a Today at Apple Session at his local Apple Store – Apple Michigan Avenue. This summer, Apple hosted Creative Community Sessions, inviting local learners from nonprofit organizations across the U.S., including James R. Jordan Club teens, to participate in special Today at Apple Group Reservations focused on a topic of their choosing. These sessions for local organizations build on the company's existing relationships through its Community Education Initiative and the free Today at Apple program it offers in stores worldwide.

“We learned how to use GarageBand, at first I knew about it but I didn’t understand it and now I know how to use it,” Jonathan said. “I like listening to music, so being able to make a beat was pretty cool.”

The teens participating in the Creative Community Sessions will use the skills they learned in a film class this fall. During that class, teens will create a documentary film later this year. 

In four days, James R. Jordan Club teens participated in six sessions learning video recording and editing with Recording Techniques with iPhone and iPad and Getting Started with iMovie; embarking on photo and video tours with Taking Portraits on Location and Capturing Cinematic Shots; and delving into audio recording and music with Getting Started with GarageBand and Getting Started with Podcasting.

“I learned how to use camera qualities right and different settings on the camera on the phone. I look forward to using that in my project,” Club member Rhianna said. “My favorite thing that we did was we used iPhones and took pictures and edited our favorite pictures that we took – mine was a picture of flowers.” 

Watch the video below, which includes photos, video footage and music the teens created during their sessions!

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