On the Record: Debut EP From Helen Kahn ’26 Features MCLA Music, Industry & Production Cohort

September 18, 2026

As one of the first graduates of MCLA’s new Music, Industry, and Production major, Helen Kahn ’26 (@helen.kahn_music) has set the bar high for future MUIP students.

For her senior capstone project, Kahn wrote, recorded, and produced her debut EP, “I'll remember you gently.” Recorded and mixed in the MCLA studio, the EP includes collaborations with classmates, faculty members, and recent alumni including Carter Scott, Daniel Izyk, Evie Ross, Bryan Newman, Hazel Broderik, Rozene Sabeti-Seidel, Casey Vieira, Joshua Santway, and music professors Michael Dilthey and Brian Cook. 

Kahn started writing the EP’s songs in high school, but doubted it would be possible to add all the instruments she dreamed of—guitar, horns, piano—to create the finished project she imagined. But, after taking the introductory class Home Studio Recording, she recorded a demo and brought it in to share. “At MCLA, I got to connect with all these super talented musicians that helped it come to life,” she said.

Student collaborators created and then played their own parts on the songs. Through a mini-grant, students who performed on the album were paid a stipend, in part to reinforce the idea that musicians should be paid for their work.

Professor Dilthey played piano on two of the songs, and Professor Cook contributed creatively and helped Kahn record and produce. “Brian helped keep the project on track, taught me so much, and inspired me to pursue music,” Kahn said. “MCLA and the MUIP program gave me a place where I felt seen and valued by my friends, faculty, and community. I think those feelings of belonging shine through in my EP.” 

“I am infinitely impressed with her hard work and talent,” Cook said. “She had such a creative vision; we talked about it and she would run away with these ideas. I would make suggestions, in the early days, and she'd come back with something incredible and fully fleshed out. She created something very beautiful here, and it was a privilege to be a part of it.”

Beyond her recording project, Kahn was able to join her classmates in the Music Collective club to host the on-campus Bellflower Festival this past May, where she was able to perform on stage. Starting in her last semester and continuing into the summer, an internship at North Adams’ Studio 9 allowed Kahn to learn on the job, as well as perform at the studio’s open mic nights. “That’s been a good way to share my music and also get to do live sound,” she said.

“I’ve had these songs for a long time and wanted to make it into something I could put into the world,” Kahn said. “I couldn’t have done it without Brian, the MUIP faculty, and all my friends who helped. I am so grateful for this program and its faculty that provided me with the inspiration and resources to make it happen. It was really a collaborative project, and that’s what made it meaningful.”