Macklemore and Ryan Lewis partner with MoPOP for youth arts program

Seattle duo Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are teaming up for another collab -- only this time, it's a music fund.

In a partnership with the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle Center and the nonprofit Arts Corps, the pair have created "The Residency," which is designed to help teach teens song writing and structure, beat-making, and more.

Using professional equipment, the students will mix and record their own music. They'll even get paid at least $600 -- as well as bus tokens and a daily lunch -- so they can focus on learning the skills.

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The program is geared at underprivileged youths, with MoPOP aiming to "directly address the access barriers many underserved youth and families face when asked to choose between paying for an experiential learning opportunity beyond their means and getting a summer job."

And Macklemore says it's the sort of program he would've wanted as a kid growing up in Seattle.

"Ever since I first got, you know, a little bit of money and a platform, it was like, 'Okay, how can we do something in Seattle, locally, that we didn't have when we were kids?'" Macklemore told CBS News, adding that he hopes that music can help kids stay away from drugs just like it has helped him.

"I want to give them that magic that is hearing yourself on headphones for the first time. Like, that is a spiritual experience. If you are an artist, if you are a rapper, a singer and you hear your voice on headphones for the first time, that's God right there."

The program will admit up to 45 teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19, and each participant will record an EP of their music in a professional studio. At the end of the four-week, fully-funded program, they'll get a chance to perform it live in the MoPOP Sky Church.

Applications for the program are now closed for the year. You can find more about the program here.