On March 21, the New York Chapter partnered with the GRAMMY Foundation and the Gibson Foundation to present GRAMMY Career Day. More than 750 students from 25 high schools throughout the tri-state area attended the event, which was hosted at Pace University in New York City.
During a mock exercise called "The Playaz — Walk Through Your Career," a creative and interactive segment revealing the depth and versatility of the music industry, a pre-selected student artist (David Ramos from Independence High School) was called onstage to participate as a recently "discovered" recording artist.
"The Playaz" included music industry professionals such as managers (Cheryl Flowers and Elizabeth Healy); legal representative (Marc Robinson of Warner Music Group); A&R rep (Pete Ganbarg, president of Pure Tone Music and formerly with SBK/EMI, Arista and Epic Records); publisher (Jennifer Blakeman, N.Y. Chapter Governor and vice president of creative for Zomba Music); and media/marketing representative (Jonathan Hull, director of marketing & business development for cordless recordings, Warner Music Group's eLabel).
Ray Chew (N.Y. Chapter Governor, pianist, arranger, producer and musical director for the Apollo Theatre Foundation and "It's Showtime at the Apollo") acted as host/moderator for the panel.
"The Playaz" revealed the tools of their trade and demonstrated the versatility required to succeed in an ever-changing business. The goal was to introduce and bring to life the many key roles in the music industry, giving a sense of the wide range of opportunities available along with the skill sets they require.
The day continued with students attending workshops about specific careers in the industry such as "The Song's The Thing," "My (Own) Space," "Music Makers Speak Their Mind," "In The Studio," "GRAMMY SoundCheck," "Songwriting Like A Pro," "Image & Design: GRAMMY Recording Packaging," "Evolution vs. Revolution: How Technology Has Changed The Way Music Is Marketed In The Modern Music Business" and "GRAMMY Pro Sessions: DJ/Remixing." In the various panels, students witnessed a song being born, deconstructed, recorded, rehearsed, remixed and presented, as well as how to make a living from music and much more.
The interactive discussions were driven by questions from the students, and panelists shared their perspectives on the future of the music industry and strategies for sustaining a career in music. The program concluded with inspiring performances by diverse artists such as Def Jam’s teen breakout artist Karina Pasian, "MY GRAMMY Moment" finalists Jillian Gaudious and Brenda Radney, and R&B/soul recording artist Ryan Shaw (in addition to performing, all artists participated in the GRAMMY SoundChecks workshop).
A very special thank you to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg for declaring March 21, 2007, GRAMMY Career Day in New York City.