For seven years, music producer Ryan Burvick has given people incarcerated on Rikers Island and in other correctional facilities around New York City the chance to learn the art of hip-hop through a program called the Free Studio.

The students range from people awaiting trial, to teens held in juvenile facilities. Burvick spoke to Gothamist about what it has been like to bring music production classes into the jail system and what it means to his students.

Listen to Burvick's interview and his students' music or read a lightly edited transcript below:

Tell us about this program. What do classes look like when you're in these correctional facilities?

Well, the students, it looks like basically urban America. It looks like urban New York City and it looks like the youth, it looks like the teenagers that are New York. Some of them smile, some of them have long faces and some of them [are] just quiet and just waiting to be inspired by what date, what the day has to bring.

What does this do for them behind bars? Does this change their behavior? Does this change their thinking? What does it do?

From my perspective, it seems as if it gives them space, mindfulness, similar to like what morning meditation or practice might do to someone just, you know, trying to clear their mind throughout their day. It seems as if this is a break from the monotony. They seem to be in a room 24/7, either in a cell locked in, or in housing units for 24/7 with 15-to-20 other young adults. And the program seems to just give them a breath of fresh air and make them feel weightless in a creative space, they feel weightless in an environment where tons of things are weighing on their shoulders.

Let's talk a little bit about the song we just heard, “At My Door” by Bampton. Can you tell us a bit about him and what was it like working with him on it?

That song was recorded back in like 2015 and it was one of the first sessions of the program. This particular artist, Bampton, was brought to the program by the correction officers and people in the building. They were really championing him to be a part of the program. He had been writing and creating music prior to being incarcerated, but it seems as if inside the jail he really took it serious and he had this heartfelt story about possibly finding out how much time he could be facing. He didn't know what his sentence was going to be. And I got word that he was in there for protecting his sister and some things went left. The song, once it was recorded, it felt like a surge of energy. I just knew that capturing this, I felt blessed. You go in there thinking that you're going to help the students, you're helping, you're helping, but really it felt like when I heard the song, I was being helped and healed through music, you know? Just by being able to capture it. And I ended up moving to Rosie's, the women's correctional facility inside Rikers Island. I was doing a program there a year and a half later and actually was introduced to his sister and played her the song. And this song became like a local hit inside the jails.

How much experience do your students usually have with making music?

It varies. Some of them actually have ambitions to be in the studio before they got involved with the law and this is the first time they actually had the time to relax and actually get creative. Some of them were actually aspiring hip-hop artists and rap artists that were actually making music and making some noise or buzz for themselves in the town. And then there's those that are rappers that actually never got to experience the concept of audio engineering or got to learn how to make beats or tracks or stuff like that. Some of them are aspiring musicians that are just touching the keyboard. So it varies.

Let's check out another track made by one of your students. This is "Phone Time" by Remy Cartel. It sounds like Remy is singing about her real life, real world experience.

Absolutely. I met Remi a couple of years ago at the Rosie's jail that I mentioned earlier. I met her during a hip-hop rap battle and she was the champion MC inside the building. She's a mother, a wife, and a powerful creator. And this is her after 31 months on Rikers Island and calling just to share some bars, just some words, from a phone.

Why record this over the phone?

During that particular moment, my program had shifted to another facility. When we're not in Rosie’s or we're not in facilities, some of the students keep in contact with us through our business line and we allow them to record music over the phone so they can just have the moment captured for themselves.

I'm curious, in all that you have done in the seven years with this program and as it's growing, what have you learned from teaching these classes?

I learned that doing my best to keep my word and my actions as close as I can to each other is important for communication. In these areas where people only have access to you for a certain amount of time, your word and your actions and use just showing up is of supreme importance.