The Florida Chapter, in conjunction with the GRAMMY Foundation, presented GRAMMY Career Day to 600 Miami-Dade County high school students at the University of Miami. Students had access to professionals in the music industry and gained firsthand knowledge of the music world through panels featuring top industry professionals.
The Miami Beach Rock Ensemble set the morning in motion with non-stop tunes as students filed into the Gusman Hall of UM to await the commencement of the program. William Hipp, dean of UM's School of Music, formally welcomed students and introduced the Miami Heat's DJ Irie, who hosted the event and served on a panel as well.
The main panel included Leila Cobo (Billboard's executive director of content and programming for Latin music and entertainment), Roger Nichols (multi-GRAMMY-winning engineer/producer), Pitbull (artist), Rey Sanchez (professor of music at the University of Miami), Jose Tillan (senior vice president of music and talent for MTV/Nickelodeon Latin America), Néstor Torres (Latin GRAMMY-winning artist), and Marcello "Cool" Valenzano (producer).
Following the main panel, students broke into sessions of panels and workshops, previously chosen by them. "Creative Careers: The Creative Spark," "Recording Arts Careers: A Look Inside The Studio," "Business Of Music: Show Me The Money," and "Radio, Music Video, Internet & Other Careers: A Kaleidoscope Of New Careers" were among the topics of discussion featuring a range of panelists who shared their experiences and challenges in the business.
After lunch, students reconvened in the Gusman Hall for closing remarks by DJ Irie and Florida Chapter Senior Executive Director Neil Crilly, followed by a performance by Rayito, a recent graduate of Miami-area New World School of the Arts who performed at the 7th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards after party in New York. Students not only left the program each with a GRAMMY Career Day sportspack, but with new-found motivation and inspiration for pursuing their dreams of life in the music business.