The academy, created by GRAMMY®-winning R&B/pop singer/songwriter James Fauntleroy and GRAMMY-winning producer/musician Larrance “Rance” Dopson from 1500 or Nothin’, serves as a bridge between school and a potential career in the music business teaching kids the necessary knowledge and tools they need to succeed in the modern-day. Starting on June 10th, the academy will begin another iteration of its 6-month certificate program accepting 32 students. The program will feature elements of the partnership with Roland.

In addition to Fauntleroy and Dopson who will be guest lecturing, The Avila Brothers (Usher, Janet Jackson, Mary J Blige, Gwen Stefani) will also participate in the program with IZ Avila serving as the academy’s general manager. In speaking about the partnership he noted, “This close partnership with Roland will allow a manufacturer component to be integrated into 1500 Sound Academy’s educational experience at its core. Our students will have access to the high-level knowledge and lineage that Roland can directly provide.

” Roland’s participation in the program will include supplying its products (including drum machines, DJ instruments, MIDI controllers, synths, and more), the Roland Cloud that students will receive a subscription to accordingly, Roland Pro AV products, and more. Furthermore a Roland Room will also be built to include different products for demo use. Roland’s V-MODA headphones will be apart of the room and is the official headphones from the academy. After completion of the program students will have the opportunity to expand its reach with Roland touring the facility and/or participating in an internship.

Concluding on the excitement and impact of the partnership, Fauntleroy offers his thoughts. “We’re so excited to be partnering with Roland at the 1500 Sound Academy, especially considering their perfect alignment with our focus on both innovation in technology and classic music dynamics! The quintessential 808 and other staple sounds included in Roland’s gear repertoire and in their cloud-based creative suite, Roland Cloud, serve not only the musical ambitions of our students but also our other goal, which is to improve and encourage computer literacy through our program.”