Two aspiring young music industry professionals, a scruffy young man wearing a baseball cap and a stocky young woman with braided dreadlocks, wandered into the Vatterott College ex'treme Institute by Nelly on a cold afternoon this month to see what the hubbub was all about.

They, like many others, heard about the St. Louis rapper's new school and studio in Laclede's Landing and wanted a peek.

The first-look reaction from visitors is always the same, says ex'treme Institute's campus director Blu Bolden.

"The kids who come through here are shell-shocked," Bolden says. "They walk around here like zombies."

When they enter the 9,000-square-foot building, visitors are greeted by an orange-illuminated reception desk under a bank of dangling microphones. At the school, students of all ages can learn the ins and outs of recording, engineering and even designing an album cover.

Nelly says with the ex'treme Institute, they're "building something in St. Louis that's perhaps a one-stop if you want to learn production, if you want to learn how to perform or if you want to learn how to record."

The students learn from producers, engineers and artists in the music industry, such as Carl Nappa, ex'treme Institute's executive director, who has worked with Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, 'N Sync, Jodeci, Wu-Tang Clan and, of course, Nelly.

"The best way to do this is to let people touch something," Nappa says. "I learned sitting behind the greatest engineers of all time in New York."

Student Rachel Adams, enrolled in How to Make a Beat (Beatology 101), knew she'd found her new home the first time she saw the school.

"I like the colors, the microphones, just everything. I'm so blessed to be here in these rooms where everyone is walking, speaking and breathing music," says Adams, 25, of St. Louis.

She'll also enroll in recording, producing and design courses as part of her goal to be a hip-hop, rock and R&B artist and producer. "I want to be able to do it all. I'm making a plan. I want to be the best I can be," she says.

Marvin Smith, a 45-year-old local minister enrolled in the institute's Recording Console course, says his first glimpse of the facility elicited an instant "wow" reaction from him.

"I believe I've finally come in contact with individuals who are genuinely concerned with giving back. They're putting so many things at my disposal that can help me reach my goal," says Smith, a former music scorer for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra who wants to break into the gospel and classical music worlds as an artist, producer and engineer.

"Reaction has been overwhelming," says Nappa, who is overseeing recording courses. "People are shocked. They think of classrooms with a bunch of desks and a stale environment, then they come here and see studio after studio and see that we're around so much music."

Classes in areas such as dance, songwriting, vocal coaching and video production are upcoming, as are additional teachers. Courses range from two hours to 80 hours for a full session, and students receive certificates of completion.

Music lovers 16 and up can participate, and a Kids Camp is coming early next year for those as young as 10.

Though Nelly's name is the most high-profile connected to the institute and he has made his name as a best-selling rapper, the institute isn't exclusive to hip-hop music.

"Hip-hop is what I do, but music is what I am. I've been fortunate. People who've followed my story the past 12 years can see I appreciate all genres of music. Even when I reach out to collaborate, it's not just with hip-hop artists," says Nelly, who paired up with country star Tim McGraw for "Over & Over."

"I'm teaching kids to bring whatever passion they have. I want to help bring that out, help them manufacture that."

Pam Bell, CEO and president of Vatterott Educational Centers, approached Nelly about his possible involvement in a music school.

"This is totally outside of our scope," Bell says, adding Nelly was perfect for it.

"I'm a 52-year-old and I think he's fantastic, so if I can love him, others can. We appreciate his love for the city. He could have went anywhere, but he wants to stay and help the city grow," she says.

"I think what Nelly sometimes struggles with is the expectations he thinks people have on him," says Arika Parr, promotions director at KMJM (Majic 104.9 FM), who was among the invited VIP guests who previewed the institute recently. "He feels the burden to lift our city is on him, and time after time he accepts that challenge. Ex'treme is another ode to St. Louis, and I hope people recognize him for that."

Nelly agreed the school was a great idea that would benefit not only St. Louis but music in general. It's the kind of project he has wanted to do in the past, but "it's hard when you're only one person and so many different people are coming to you and the majority of them want you to give them something."

Once the idea was agreed upon, logistics had to be worked out, including hiring teachers. Bell and Nelly brought in Nappa, who relocated from Miami to help run the institute. Nelly will not teach any classes. He prefers to look at himself as the dean.

Adam "Wyshmaster" Cherrington, director of production and program for the institute, moved from Los Angeles to St. Louis to work at the institute, after having worked with T-Pain, Tech Nine and Nelly.

"I had mixed feelings about going back to St. Louis," says Cherrington, who previously lived here while working with Nelly. "But I was told you can do music from anywhere. And I always wanted to teach beats."

Where to put the institute was another issue. The ex'treme Institute is on the same grounds that once housed Planet Hollywood and then the Skybox, the upscale sports bar Nelly opened in 2008 with Larry Hughes, Marshall Faulk and Darius Miles. It closed in 2009.

"The building was the challenge," Bell says. "We wanted to keep the original architecture and feel of the fantastic building. That's what we continually kept in mind while making it functional for a school, studio, and making it state of the art."

Nelly says the dedication behind ex'treme is far greater than what it was with the Skybox. Skybox was about "building something strictly for the purposes of economic gain, trying to make money. The school is built and won't work if we don't make money, but it's not the sole purpose. It's not the first purpose," he says.

"This is something completely different about the teaching aspect, and something that people can come to love."

That's the hope of 24-year-old Alonzo Townsend of St. Charles.

As the son of the late blues legend Henry Townsend, he has already received an invaluable music education all his own. But the hip-hop blues artist will take it a step further by enrolling in the institute.

"My number one thing is continuing my father's legacy. I'm the torchbearer of what he laid down, so I have to be in the loop as far as producing, mixing, mastering and recording," Townsend says.

"I looked into schools in Dallas and Miami, and formulating a plan on how to brush up, and lo and behold Nelly comes into the picture."

Vatterott College ex'treme Institute by Nelly

Where • 800 North Third Street

More info • Classes start at $25. 314-657-4400; eibynelly.com