Minneapolis DJ school Slam Academy to shutter following misconduct concerns

Slam Academy, a Minneapolis-based DJ and music production school, is set to close at the end of autumn following resurfaced allegations of misconduct.

In a statement shared on Monday, October 26, the school said it learned of reports concerning "inappropriate behaviour by a member of management" last year.

"That conduct fell short of the professional boundaries we expect from our leadership. We are deeply sorry for that failure," they said, adding that they have responded to the "concerns raised" in the time since.

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"Everyone who learns, teaches, or works at Slam Academy deserves a respectful environment where they feel safe, valued, and able to express themselves freely."

Slam Academy claims that it has held company-wide meetings to address the behaviour, adopted a third-party human resources team and engaged legal counsel to "review and refine our code of conduct".

In the statement, the DJ school said it has now decided to close after the autumn semester due to those allegations resurfacing, with "new light shed on those reports and concerns".

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"We take these concerns seriously, and as a result have made the difficult decision to close our Minneapolis studio at the end of the current semester,” they said.

"We recognise the significance of this transition for the students, staff, and community members who contributed to its history and to the role it has played in bringing people together through music."

Slam Academy has been running for almost 15 years in Minneapolis, first opened in 2012 by J. Anthony Allen, Josh Clausen, and James Patrick. Patrick recently denied allegations of sexual misconduct in an Instagram video , calling the accusations against him "heinous".

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