In the midst of one of the bloodiest years Boston has seen in decades, 24 troubled teens from the area have found a new way to cope with life on the streets with the help of Berklee College of Music professor Jerome Kyles, star of The Learning Channel’s six-episode documentary Trial by Choir, which premiered last night.

During the production period, cameras followed the teens as they worked to form a choir under Kyles’s leadership in hopes they could leave their difficult pasts behind.

“This is not a talent show,” said Kyles, a Berklee graduate and current director of Morning Star Baptist Church, in last night’s episode. “This is not about being a superstar. This is a chorus. We’re not going to change the world — I’d like to change 24 people.”

Trial by Choir follows the teens during rehearsals three times a week, confrontations and emotional battles.

On one of the most celebrated musical campuses in the country, Berklee students recognize the teens were given a big opportunity.

“The effect that [music] can have on an individual is really dependent on how one is willing to let it affect them,” said Jim Wilbourne, a music production and engineering freshman at Berklee, who is currently taking a class with Kyles. “As for these kids, the same applies. If they are willing to embrace change, then it will have a positive and maybe even a life-changing effect.

“If you’re passionate enough about something, you can and will succeed in it,” he continued. “When you become passionate about something, it fails to be about money or fame. It becomes something that completes you, whether you have to work two day jobs and perform on the side or you’re a full-time, well-paid performer.”

While some of the teens joined the chorus as a positive diversion, others have made it their last means of escape.

“Singing is my life, and if I lose this, I don’t have anything,” said 17-year-old Colleen, a Charlestown native, in the episode.

Kaitlin, known as “Duckie” on the show, also echoed this sentiment.

“I don’t want to be one of those stereotypical urban teenagers,” she said. “I want to be different.”

Each teen had suffered hardships throughout their lives. Fourteen-year-old Larry lived in an abusive household, 18-year-old Johnathan never had a home and 16-year-old Vanessa watched her sister struggle through a near-fatal gunshot wound. Sixteen-year-old Tanja is nearly blind but is gifted with a powerful voice.

Seventeen-year-old Tony said music helps him remain optimistic even as he approaches the age at which his father was shot and killed.

“Music is in our minds, music is in our lives, music is in our veins,” he said in the show.

Berklee freshman Crystal Mata said anyone with the will can overcome adversity to be successful.

“I think that it takes lots of patience and the heart to stick it out and fight for what you want,” she said.

Berklee vocal performance freshman Liz Turner, who said she has seen Kyles perform, agrees that music will benefit the teenagers.

“I believe that music [is] healing for people, especially in times of trouble and need,” she said.