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The Music Industry Program (MIND) at the Frost School of Music doesn\u2019t just prepare its students for jobs after graduation. The elite program also works diligently to ensure that its students secure internships with companies that offer invaluable experience and connections in this competitive industry.<\/p>\n
MIND is one of the\u00a0<\/span>top-rated<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>programs of its kind. This is in part because of additional advantages it provides students, such as work experience with student-run enterprises \u2018Cane Records and Cat 5 Music, and in member-based organizations like the Music Industry Association and GRAMMY U (whose managing director is MIND alumna\u00a0<\/span>Jessie Allen<\/a>, B.M. \u201910). MIND frequently hosts\u00a0<\/span>panels with successful alumni<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>and events with industry groups, and shares internship opportunities in a weekly newsletter. Students are required to complete at least one internship to graduate, and most will do\u00a0<\/span>several<\/a>.<\/p>\n All of this gives\u00a0<\/span>MIND<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>students a crucial edge in a process where hundreds may apply for internships at top companies. \u201cIt is absolutely as competitive as getting a job,\u201d said Professor\u00a0<\/span>Serona Elton<\/a>, director of the music industry program.<\/p>\n \u201cOur students\u2019 resumes show that they are studying music industry with us and participating in these extra-curricular activities, which makes them impressive enough to get an interview. In the interview, they shine by showing they know the vocabulary and they understand what that employer\u2019s role is in the music business ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n Studying within a music industry program that is based within a school of music also adds to MIND students\u2019 appeal. \u201cThey have a musical sensibility and fundamental understanding of music, that combined with their music industry knowledge makes them more valuable to these companies,\u201d Elton said.<\/p>\n Among the MIND students who interned at leading companies this summer were\u00a0<\/span>Hannah Avery<\/a>, at The\u00a0<\/span>Mechanical Licensing Collective<\/a>, which collects royalties for some types of streaming and downloads; Jaxson Fogel, at\u00a0<\/span>United Talent Agency<\/a>; Analexis Foss, at\u00a0<\/span>Interscope Records<\/a>; Sameer Kumar, at\u00a0<\/span>Live Nation<\/a>, the country\u2019s largest concert promotor; Sofia DiMarco, who interned at the\u00a0<\/span>Universal Attractions Agency<\/a>; and Madison Serletic, at Sony Music Publishing Latin (led by\u00a0<\/span>Frost School alum Jorge Mejia<\/a>, B.M. \u201996.)<\/p>\n This summer, Max Levy, a MIND senior, completed his second internship (his third overall) at\u00a0<\/span>Red Light Management<\/a>, a top independent artist agency that represents acts such as the Dave Matthews Band and The Strokes. As co-president of the Student Music Industry Association, Levy had also worked with the club to help other students secure internships, bringing in guest speakers, and organizing networking events and workshops on specific skills such as resume formatting and interview preparation.<\/p>\n \u201cThe MIND program occupies a small niche, and it definitely gives us a leg up,\u201d said Levy. The wide range of subjects he\u2019d studied, which included copyright, music publishing, contract law, and a host of industry topics, gave him an advantage in his interview, he said.<\/p>\n At Red Light Levy shadowed agent Griffin Schwab, commuting to the company\u2019s Manhattan offices from his family home in New Jersey several days a week, and joining him for concerts and events on weekends. He worked with Schwab\u2019s clients, Stolen Gin<\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>The Los Angeles League of Musicians<\/a>, and famed jazz artist Christian McBride, artistic director of the Frost School and Jazz Aspen Snowmass\u2019s JAS Academy\u00a0<\/span>summer jazz program<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe coolest part of my job was that every day was different,\u201d Levy said. \u201cI saw so many things I never thought about managers doing, from pitching clients to open for bigger artists on tour, or running their social media page, or booking studio sessions.\u201d He worked backstage at the massive\u00a0<\/span>Governor\u2019s Ball<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>festival, where he saw artists he admired like Role Model and MK.gee up close, and experienced the casual, fast-moving mix of industry players.<\/p>\n Red Light also offered virtual seminars with team members from across the country, enabling Levy to learn about areas like radio, tour marketing, and brand partnerships, and make valuable professional connections as he prepares to graduate. He learned things he would not have discovered otherwise.<\/p>\n \u201cManagers are mediators between record labels, artists, and booking agencies,\u201d Levy said. \u201cIt\u2019s a very high-risk, high-reward field. I gained valuable insight into the rewarding and challenging areas of that.\u201d<\/p>\n Levy\u2019s experience illustrates what makes internships so important, said Elton. \u201cInternships expose students to what a day in the life doing a certain job in the industry is like,\u201d said Elton. \u201cThat helps them learn what they like and what they\u2019re good at, and what they don\u2019t like and what they struggle with. And it helps them start to build a network of professional relationships and mentors who can help them when it comes time to get a job.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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