Guest Blogger Alexis Snyder on GRAMMY Career Day

For the past few years, the San Francisco chapter of GRAMMY has run a student career day for aspiring music industry professionals. I'm curious about the value and impact of this kind of event, during which a diverse range of performers, directors, producers and the like conduct presentations and workshops with a select number of students. I sadly couldn't attend the 2011 GRAMMY Career Day held at San Francisco State University earlier this week, so I asked one of the students who went along to write about the experience.

Here's what student/guest blogger Alexis Snyder had to say about it:

I'm Alexis Snyder. I was chosen to be one of the two featured student artists of the day at GRAMMY Career Day, held in San Francisco, California, at the San Francisco State College. This day was meant for students who are planning on having a career in the musical field to be able to experience it first hand. Everyone went to a workshop of their choice which was lead by a professional, who gave tips, advice, and answered any questions you had for them. As a featured artist, I was chosen out of the many attendees to have one of my personally recorded songs played for an audience of approximately 700 people on an incredible sound system. After they played my song, I was to receive feedback from each one of the panelists sitting next to me, who was Justin Berger, Ned Hearn, Jocelyn Kane, Enrique Gonzalez Müller and Thao Nguyen.

All of the producers, volunteers and panelists were very supportive, friendly and of course, inspiring! I received handshakes and smiles, which made the day a little better than it already was. The sound system they used was outstanding, and being in the audience was also a delight. The theater is very professional, with hundreds of red cushioned seats, like a movie theater and the lighting was just right.

The first thing that happened was Thao Nguyen, a singer/songwriter, performed for all of the students attending the special day, and then the two featured artists went up, had their songs played and received feedback. Then, we all went to the workshop of our choice, ate lunch, then went back to the theater to watch the SF Ballet Orchestra perform as well as a local Band Poplyfe, and student artists who attended also.

The workshops they had available to choose all seemed like they would've been a delight to experience, like: Business Careers in Music, DIY Dos and Don'ts, Engineering: Your Own Opinion Matters, Guitar Tone, Hip-Hop Workshop, Jazz Band & Improvisation, Lyric Writing, Make Your Own Music Video, and plenty more. As you can tell, this day wasn't just for musicians or vocalists but also for people who wanted to work with them as a producer or an engineer, or even working with the music in video games! I ended up going to a workshop called Upgrading Your Songs to 110%: Mastering Song Structure & Musical Content, which was lead by music producer, Enrique Gonzalez Müller. The only thing I wish I could have done, was attend more than one workshop.

Overall, GRAMMY Career Day was a plus and I am very thankful I was allowed to attend it, and share my music with everyone. I am also thankful I was able to talk with Thao Nguyen, Enrique Gonzalez Müller and everyone else who was there. GRAMMY Career Day is a wonderful place to meet other musicians your age, producers, and to learn more about what you are passionate for in the music industry.

Thanks Alexis!