Seven seniors of Pacific’s music industry studies program got a glimpse of their futures during an exciting eight-day trip to Los Angeles in February. The trip was timed to coincide with Grammy awards weekend, which allowed the students to witness the Los Angeles music scene during the excitement of the industry’s most prestigious event of the year. Two lucky MIS students attended the event, a rare experience few college students can claim.
“I think [the trip] is going to be something I’m going to remember forever,” Kaelin Anamizu ‘24 said. “It really opened up my eyes, and I think a lot of the seniors on the trip can say the same… We’ve never experienced anything like this.”
Throughout the week, the group of students met with music and entertainment industry professionals, toured studios and visited premiere companies including Warner Music and NBC Universal. The students even received a private tour of the new downtown L.A. live music venue, The Bellwether.
The music industry studies program is the first collegiate program of its kind in Northern California. This immersive program is led by Professor Benom Plumb whose broad music business experience spans nearly 20 years.
The excursion supplemented the senior-level class Music Industry Career Development, in which students prepare for their professional lives by fine-tuning their portfolios and developing networking and interpersonal skills.
For senior Dylan Bliss, meeting the day-to-day artist manager for Glass Animals, Maddie Casey, was a standout moment.
“She was incredible. She literally stayed at our Airbnb until like 1:30 a.m.,” Bliss said. “She used to do touring, which is what I want to do… She was so joyous to talk about what she does. She answered all my questions––because I asked her a lot of questions––so she was just so incredible and really solidified my love of live [music].”
Bliss was one of two students on the trip, with Kaelin Anamizu, who joined Professor Plumb in attending the Grammy Awards. Having just two extra tickets to the event, Plumb drew names out of a hat to decide which students would attend.
While most attention falls on the televised portion of the Grammy Awards, Anamizu was struck most by the untelevised Grammy Premiere Ceremony. This time is packed with energetic performances and awards covering a broad range of musical genres.
“I think I really love it because for me, as a producer and songwriter, I can’t wait in like five or 10 years to be at that stage and be able to look back at the first time I was at the Grammys,” Anamizu said.
Bliss seconded the sentiment, noting the electric feeling of being among thousands of fellow music lovers in the crowd.
“The premiere ceremony was really awesome,” she said. “You can really tell how much they love what they do just based off of their acceptance speeches or just the way that they react when they won a Grammy. And so just being in that room, just the aura was insane.”
Bliss and Anamizu reflected on lessons they learned during their week, both noting a key piece of advice they learned from many professionals they met: Growth in the music industry is non-linear, and it’s best to stay open to potential opportunities.
“Every single person [we met] started in one place and ended up in another, there is a lot of hopping around. That’s what the music industry is,” Bliss said. “Expect the unexpected. You can take a job you have no interest in, but they could refer you to your dream job. Do what you can.”
