Determined to turn his fledging idea into a reality he hopes will change the face of education, Drew Speckman ’20 walked into the ILR School Alumni Affairs & Development office four years ago for a meeting.
Speckman explained his plan to fly to Los Angeles, sneak into a Grammy Awards party and find someone to help propel his vision – which, at the time, was little more than a kernel of an idea –into reality. So, he asked whether ILR had any alumni in the entertainment industry whom he could contact before his trip.
Little did he know what awaited him: an unexpected introduction to Ken Sunshine ’70, founder of the legendary public relations consulting firm Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis.
That relationship with Sunshine, pictured above, would help shape Speckman’s entrepreneurial journey, which began at a local professional hockey game in Connecticut.
He was supporting some of his friends when he realized the power of music to help people remember information.
“I realized how incredible it was that every person in attendance, regardless of who they were or where they were from, could all sing along in perfect unison to the anthem,” Speckman said in an interview.
“But, if you were to ask those people to recite the lyrics from scratch, on the street, most people would not be able to do it. That is because when the underlying music – the instrumental – is introduced, it prompts people to remember all the words associated with it.”
Speckman grew up in a family that valued both education and music. Sandra Kennedy, Speckman’s maternal grandmother, was a teacher in Cameron, West Virginia, for over 20 years, leaving a legacy as the founder of a statewide program for gifted students, which continues to transform students’ lives to this day, while his paternal grandmother worked for the New York Philharmonic as the assistant to the music director from 1962 to 1990. Speckman’s father, Stu Speckman, A&S ’86, carried on her legacy by educating Speckman on the importance of music.
“Through my dad, I learned an appreciation for lyrical depth and substance and the potential for music to move the world,” Speckman wrote in an email. “[He] educated me on the meanings behind the world’s most influential songs from iconic bands like Pink Floyd to Led Zeppelin, to the Grateful Dead, whom he followed around the country during his time at Cornell – often quizzing me with: ‘Who’s singing?’ as a Jerry Garcia doll hung over our kitchen sink.” (Speckman and his dad even attended Cornell’s 2023 Dead & Company show – a “truly special” experience, Speckman said.)
Speckman said that music is the most powerful mnemonic device in the world, explaining that children learn foundational concepts like the alphabet and the periodic table through jingles.
Speckman founded rapStudy as an ILR junior. The first-of-its-kind startup recreates popular songs, but with educational lyrics so that kids can enjoy learning the same way they enjoy listening to their favorite music, he said.
The startup already has songs and lessons for numerous subjects across grades K-8 that are in the styles of the original artists. The startup also provides customizable review tools for students and standards-aligned instructional resources for teachers.
Speckman won a Beck Fellowship for his idea, developed out of his Collegetown Plaza apartment, which infused the company with its first outside funding. RapStudy now operates out of a Beverly Hills, California, office with an in-house recording studio.
After winning the fellowship, Speckman needed guidance to scale his business. That is when he contacted the ILR School Alumni Affairs & Development office. Speckman met with Associate Director Harlan Work ’07, who introduced him via email to Sunshine.
Sunshine has represented and advised U.S. presidents; Hollywood A-listers Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Affleck; renowned recording artists Barbra Streisand, Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake and Bon Jovi; and storied playwright and songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda; as well as legendary athletes, iconic brands, and heralded institutions.
Sunshine offered to speak with Speckman over the phone. While listening to Speckman’s pitch, Sunshine immediately saw the vision and offered his trust and support, Speckman said, recalling what Sunshine said to him:
“I sat a row from President Obama and the First Lady when Lin-Manuel performed Alexander Hamilton at the White House. Everyone held their breath because they thought that teaching American history to rap music, in front of the president of the United States, nonetheless, would not be taken seriously.
“But as soon as the president and first lady broke out in huge smiles, everyone thought it was the most brilliant thing ever. Hamilton changed American history by making it cool. You are doing that for every subject and through modern music. RapStudy could revolutionize education – whatever I can do to help, I will.”
Since then, Sunshine has taken on an active role as a trusted adviser, Speckman said, by opening doors and making introductions to leaders in entertainment and business, including Grammy Award-winning hip-hop executive Ron Gillyard, who has also become a rapStudy adviser. Gillyard served as general manager for Bad Boy Entertainment, head of Urban Music at J Records under Clive Davis and president of Urban Music at Interscope Records, and worked with Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige, and Eminem. “When asked by Ken to meet Drew, I thought, ‘He’s just a college kid who will abandon his cool idea when a corporation buys his dream.’ But he never let it go,” remarked Gillyard.
Sunshine also facilitated Speckman’s first meeting with a major music company at Sunshine’s office in New York City. He later introduced Speckman to his son, Jason Sunshine, who has since become one of rapStudy’s lawyers.
“Ken has opened the world to me,” Speckman said. “Still, far more meaningful than any of the introductions has simply been knowing that someone like him believes in me. There have been many tough moments – personally and professionally – throughout this journey, and during the hardest time the business has ever endured, Ken was my first call.”
RapStudy has more songs and features in the works, and Speckman says students and teachers already love the product.
Katie Stewart, a teacher and technology integration specialist at Fairfield Public Schools in Drew’s hometown of Fairfield, Connecticut, said, “My students absolutely love using rapStudy – we use it to review material or introduce material in a new way. RapStudy has helped me to diversify the way I teach. This is a great new way to engage students like we have never been able to do before; this way of learning excites the kids – they actually clap and laugh and sing along while listening.”
Kaitlyn Zold, a special education teacher in Fairfield, said, “Our staff thinks the songs are brilliant. We have students with emotional and behavioral disorders, so this is such an ideal way to learn and retain information.”
Through rapStudy, Speckman hopes to improve student engagement and performance in additional schools and communities worldwide.
“My vision is to build the world’s coolest education company and forever transform the relationship people have with learning.”
And for the full circle part: Three years after being introduced, Sunshine and Speckman recently hung out at a Grammy Week party that Speckman did not have to sneak into.
“Drew reminds me of myself when I was breaking into entertainment,” said Sunshine.