In 2019, I had the honor of attending Middle Tennessee State University’s Grammy Week program in Los Angeles, California. Before we left the state on this grand adventure, the group of six students was invited to events with producer Tay Keith and songwriter Luke Laird, both of whom are MTSU Alumni and Grammy Award winners. We were also highlighted in Kate Snow’s segment “Sounds of Success” that aired on NBC Nightly News for our involvement in MTSU’s prestigious Recording Industry Management Program. It was such an exhilarating experience to speak highly of the university that truly prepared me for the best and brightest future.

The week was full of stimulating conversations and unique experiences as we got to meet with some of the music industry’s key players. Thanks to Dean Beverly Keel of MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment, MTSU’s Vice President of Marketing Andrew Oppman, and Professor and entertainment lawyer Matthew O’Brien, we were able to meet several industry representatives. Melinda Newman, Billboard’s Executive Editor, West Coast and Nashville, taught us about the music industry from a journalistic perspective. An intimate lunch with Jay Landers led to one of the most fun conversations of the week as he recounted his time as a producer for Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, and Barbara Streisand. Stage Manager for the Grammy Awards televised production, Garry Hood,  gave our group a backstage - and under-stage - tour of the Staples Center mere days before music’s biggest night of the year. We sat in on rehearsals, toured the live production trucks, and met some of the minds behind the masterpiece - including the infamous Ken Ehrlich. 

As my peers and I attended various alumni dinners and helped host the MTSU Alumni Lunch in honor of Street Symphony, we mingled and interacted with MTSU alumni from all parts of the music industry - from the marketing office at Spotify to independent composers to public relations managers at firms across the nation. To see how far an MTSU degree can take me in the industry was truly inspiring and unforgettable.