On May 13 the New York Chapter presented GRAMMY Career Day in conjunction with the GRAMMY Foundation and the Gibson Foundation. More than 600 students from 25 high schools throughout the Tri-State area attended the event, which was hosted at Pace University's Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts.
The day opened with a welcome from Chapter President Steve Sterling and Chapter Executive Director Elizabeth Healy. Sterling presented a mayoral proclamation from Mayor Michael C. Bloomberg, announcing the day as GRAMMY Career Day in New York City.
Next, three workshops were presented, "Songwriting," "Vocal Technique" and "In The Studio." Participants included pre-selected student artists who submitted songs chosen by GRAMMY Career Day Committee members prior to the event. Students Cara Jaques, Ryan Kelley and Conner Smith — members of Raider's Of The Lost Art — were called onstage by moderator and pianist/arranger/producer Ray Chew to participate in the workshops as the recently discovered recording artists. Students learned about songwriting and how a hit record is made in "Songwriting" with panelists Jimmy Bralower, producer/musician/songwriter/A&R executive; Gordon Chambers, recording artist/songwriter/producer; and Barry Eastmond, songwriter/producer. Moving on to the "Vocal Technique" workshop, vocalist and singer/songwriters Gregory Clark and Carolyn Leonhart and vocalist Janice Pendarvis offered aspiring vocalists with the tools needed to sustain their talent, which included a demonstration in proper breathing techniques. The workshops concluded with "In The Studio," where Bralower, Eastmond, GRAMMY winner Scott Jacoby, and recent GRAMMY nominee Maiysha spoke regarding the inner workings of what it takes to create a GRAMMY-winning recording.
Afterward, the event segued into The Playaz panel, which featured music industry professionals Cyndi Goretski, vice president/creative, commercial music licensing for Warner Music Group; Keith Hagan, vice president/general manager at Paul Freundlich Associates; Jacoby; Maiysha; Tim Mandelbaum, partner, Hiscock and Barclay, LLP; Larry Mattera, senior vice president, digital sales & marketing for WEA Corp.; and Ruby Marchand, GRAMMY Career Day Co-Chair, Chapter Board member and head of A&R, Rykodisc. The interactive discussions were driven by questions from the student audience and each panelist shared their perspective on the future of the music industry and strategies for sustaining a career in music.
The program concluded with presentations from Maiysha to students who submitted songs, and those students receiving instruments courtesy of the Chapter's Student Instrument Program. GRAMMY Career Day came to a close with performances by Universal/Motown recording artist Melanie Fiona, Eusonia recording artists Jacoby and Maiysha, and Rykodisc's rock/hip-hop band Notorious MSG.