At 6:30 on a Thursday evening, the noise inside Cincinnati’s Music Resource Center is anything but polished: guitarists strum through the same four chords of a new original tune, a bassline plucks along and a drummer in waiting fidgets his sticks.
Amid the chaos, Nick Burke, director of operations at the Music Resource Center, keeps time, pointing to a whiteboard with chord changes and yelling out cues. Here, the point isn’t perfection. It’s giving teenagers a place to be loud, to figure it out together and to learn how to listen.
The Music Resource Center (MRC), located in East Walnut Hills, aims to inspire teenagers in a culturally diverse and musically focused setting, elevating lifetime and academic achievement.
“Even if they don’t go and pursue music as a career, they’re still learning valuable skills that you can use in life,” Burke said.
Each week, the MRC hosts open studio hours from 2 to 7 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Here, members can use the studio to play, practice or record music or podcasts. As of February, adults are also able to use the studio services.
Programs, like the MRC band, and lessons are offered Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.
MRC alumnus Bryce Moorman, a 20-year-old multi-instrumentalist, has been playing music with the MRC since 2022. He said the friends he’s made are what set the organization apart.
“I’ve put a band together here,” he said. “We’ve played shows beyond the (Interstate) 275 belt loop, which is crazy.”
The band program meets each Thursday, but Moorman said he has gotten much more out of his time at the MRC.
“I learned a lot about the capabilities of recording and production technology,” he said, adding that his time at MRC has helped both the music and business side of his band, Mainstay.
Zoe Romanos, who played guitar with Moorman in the band program, is pursuing a solo career.
She said MRC has helped her with singing and performing.
“I’ve taken a few lessons before they started doing the official programs here,” she said, packing her electric guitar into its case. “I was receiving some help just kind of figuring things out. I’ve been working with Bryce for a very long time, and the advisors here have really helped me.”
Both Moorman and Romanos are aware of how difficult it is to be a professional, full-time musician.
“It’s really hard. That’s why I have another job,” said Moorman.
Romanos echoed that sentiment and said she has other interests.
The MRC isn’t about producing stars; it’s about growth. For Burke, the development of these teenagers, in any capacity, is one of the most rewarding parts of his job.
“That’s the most rewarding part,” Burke said. “You see your hard work and mentorship blossoming. I can think of kids who’ve gone on to study music in college, but even the ones who don’t … you can tell they’ve built quality life skills just by being here. We can’t take all the credit, but we provide the space and resources, and they’re going to accomplish great things. It’s a matter of providing time.”
In 2007, the MRC became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. It was founded by Karen D’Agostino, who noticed young students hanging out in the streets with nowhere to go.
In 2021, following D’Agostino’s retirement, the YMCA entered into a relationship with the Music Resource Center.
Claire Miller, executive director of community services at the YMCA, said the merger was a no-brainer.
“It continues to be one of our premier teen programs. We know that teens don’t have enough safe third spaces to thrive and to land,” Miller said. “When I say safe, I not only mean physically, but psychologically. That there’s a safety — a mental safety here — where kids can be creative and be themselves.
Miller said 90% of MRC’s students report that they feel a sense of belonging in the program. The organization continues to see growth, she added.
Average daily visits have increased, with 8.2 visits per day in 2025 and 10.8 in the first quarter of 2026.
“If this marker trends north,” Miller said, “it means our programs are desirable and usage is growing.”
In another sound-treated room down the hall, JoJo Hatfield is banging on drums ahead of his heavy metal band’s next gig. An alumnus of the MRC, he regularly returns to tune drums and practice.
He joined MRC after a friend told him about it.
“I was in show choir,” Hatfield said. “[A friend] told me to come here because I was looking for bands to play with, and I was only in like, trashy little garage bands and stuff.”
Hatfield, 18, said he found much more than he expected.
“It taught me how to perform,” he said.
Each quarter, the MRC hosts a showcase allowing students to perform. Hatfield said this opportunity helped him get comfortable on stage.
“Parents are there, but they are wanting to see you do well, you know,” he said.
His band, Washington Is Next, has a record deal, but when the band began, that seemed impossible.
“We sucked,” he said, with a smirk.
The band began practicing at the MRC, playing its first shows there and finding a place to grow together. Now, Hatfield’s band recently signed with Jester Records, a record label in Milford that helped him book an upcoming show in Indianapolis.
“If you’re thinking about sending your kids here, it’s a perfect place. That’s all I can really say,” the drummer said. “If you want them to get out and experience music and learn an instrument and meet new people, this is the best place in Cincinnati for that.”
Miller said the MRC is about more than music, it helps students learn to be creative and take on new experiences and challenges.
“We find that our kids are set up for leadership success here. Their ability to stand on their soft skills that they’re coming out of this program with helps them to stand in front of a room of 75 people and do literally anything, let alone play an original piece in front of them,” Miller said. “It builds confidence.”