Abstract
This paper discusses a youth program offered at the University of St. Thomas that promotes interest and confidence in the fundamentals of circuitry and computer programming for girls 13-18 years old. The Code + Chords: Teen Tech program aimed to increase knowledge, awareness, and interest in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, math) concepts by exposing students to principles of engineering and programming in combination with aspects of music. This program emphasizes the creativity and design aspects of engineering which are often excluded from STEM outreach programs. Data was collected in multiple ways - participants were asked to complete pre-program and post-program surveys that inquired about their individual attitudes, knowledge, and experiences in STEAM. These questions were a combination of Likert-scale ranking assessments (answered on a scale of strongly agree to strongly disagree) and short answer questions. Students also completed informal journal entries after every session, documenting their thoughts on what they accomplished that day and how it could be improved.