Media Arts within primary and secondary education is a relatively new avenue of research. Within the context of the arts classroom, rarely is learning to program emphasized despite its importance for creative expression in a digital medium. We present outcomes from an extensive field study at a digital studio where youth accessed programming environments emphasizing graphic, music and video. Learning the language of creative coding is essential to expression in a digital medium - one with increasing importance for youth and society at large. Here, we argue that it’s not just in the viewing or playing of digital media but also in the constructive - or coding - experience through which connections to art can be established.