Charting a career in the music industry can be tough if you don’t know where to start.
But Angelique Ceron, a sophomore at Lawndale High School, got a leg up Wednesday, April 26 when she attended Music Forward Foundation‘s free career fair at The Wiltern theater in Los Angeles.
“All Access Fest” featured panel discussions, hands-on technical learning stations and access to industry professionals from a variety of major entertainment companies, including Meta, Interscope Records, Dolby, Disney and the Recording Academy.
“I mainly came for the networking and to see the kinds of programs are open to students my age,” Ceron said. “You get to see all of the different branches you can work in, whether it’s up front or in the background.”
The event, which was sidelined by the pandemic for three years, targets students ages 16 to 24 in underserved communities who are looking to network and make their way into the music industry. And there are lots of opportunities — some of which students are likely unaware of.
Nurit Smith, Music Forward’s executive director, said industry panels offered students a look at the “spectrum” of music and live entertainment.
“We’re getting people to understand that venue careers are a pathway, for example,” she said. “There are opportunities with music labels, publishing, artist management, touring, brand marketing and audio engineering.”
Students and teachers traveled from a variety of Southern California high schools, community colleges and universities, including Lawndale High School, Long Beach City College, Cal State Long Beach, Cal State Fullerton and UCLA, among others.
They got to rub shoulders with a variety of industry professionals, including Rickey Minor, a past musical director for the Oscars, Grammys and Kennedy Center Honors along with the “Tonight Show.”
Smith said the music industry, like many others, is struggling to fill job openings.
“Between the impacts from COVID-19…
Read the full article here