Young performers and aspiring music-industry executives are finding a forum and expert assistance.

By Frank Visco
Inquirer Staff Writer

With the Internet and sites like MySpace revolutionizing the business, young people with music talent are on the edge of unprecedented opportunities to break into the industry, local music executives say.”You guys are spoiled and you don’t even know it,” said “Grouchy” Greg Watkins, cofounder of allhiphop.com. “The music industry is at ground zero. There’s an opportunity to break in like never before.”

To make things even easier for young students interested in careers in the music industry, the Jr Music Executive organization started a speakers series in association with the Friends Neighborhood Guild.

Two coming events will allow interaction between youths and professionals: On Sunday, students will work as volunteers for the 100.3 The Beat (WPHI-FM) Music and Entertainment Conference and on Wednesday they can participate in Jr Music Executive’s “Music Execs Speak.”

The first “Music Execs Speak” was held Feb. 20, with a panel of seven noteworthy industry professionals. Among them were Watkins and Sherman Byers, co-owner of Rockstar Entertainment, which manages both Beanie Sigel and Grammy-winning producers Dre & Vidal. In addition to stressing how fortunate young people are today, the panel unanimously emphasized the importance of hustle and hard work.

“This is the business of the tables that turn,” Byers added. “One year you could be an intern, and then if you educated yourself and work hard, five years later: Puffy [P. Diddy].”

The panel went on to commend about 25 young people in attendance for coming out to the event and starting in the right place.

“I wish to God when I was 18 I’d been at something like this,” said panel member Christopher J. Cabott, an entertainment attorney at Zane Management.

Formed in May 2004 by Aisha Winfield, Jr Music Executive has mentored more than 45 students, while creating a network of more than 400 others interested in the business. In addition to the “Music Execs Speak” series, the organization offers scholarships and hosts a 15-student internship program that provides hands-on experience in promoting artists and events.

After hosting events at various locations over the years, Jr Music Executive has secured the Friends Neighborhood Guild as the home for most of its activities. Although the guild has existed for 125 years, it has recently adopted an initiative to function as an incubator for young people by providing youth programming in the areas of arts and entertainment. Programs include a student-run record label, a student-run T-shirt business, and a DJ school.

“I’ve worked in music for quite a while and I’ve always found that students would call and ask if they could send demos or come work at the studio,” Winfield said. “Truancy is a nationwide issue, so in order to keep students interested and in school we’re attempting to motivate them with these experiences by showing them the importance of education and where it can lead.”

Among the students who already have received help from the organization is Jilbere Forte, a 20-year-old junior entrepreneurship major with a minor in informal music at Temple University. Forte has used contacts made through both organizations to obtain an internship at Rockstar Entertainment, where he’s getting firsthand knowledge from producers such as Dre & Vidal.

“[These programs are] very important, mainly because a lot of people who want to get in the industry don’t know the knowledge,” he said. “This allows you to get it firsthand and to also make some contacts in the industry.”

Article Source:
http://www.philly.com

For more education on careers in the music industry, check out: www.Music-Career-Guide.com

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To increase your ability to write songs it’s necessary to increase the amount of life experiences you have.

The best way to do that is to get out of your comfort zones, break out of your routines and do somethings different. There are so many ways that we, as songwriters can escape our zones of comfort and in turn, enrich our lives.

Just think, the worse that could happen is that you could write a great song about it.

Imagine having the confidence to experience life to the fullest with the knowledge that there could be a song awaiting as a result of that risk.

Your life can be one big songwriting idea. That’s an empowering way of looking at it.

A prime example of a situation that can benefit from this way of thinking is the topic of intimate relationships. So many people don’t take the necessary risk of falling in love for the fear of getting hurt.

My argument is that if you are committed to songwriting then, as songwriters it is our duty to take any calculated risk and go with it.

If the risk pays off then you have some great songs to write, if it doesnt work then you still have some great songs to write.

With that attitude how can you lose?

Here are some other simple examples of small things you can do to get more out of life and therefore, get more out of your songwriting.

1. Go to a movie by yourself
2. Take a long walk on the beach
3. Go for a drive
4. Call a friend you havent spoken too in ages
5. Strike up a conversation with a complete stranger
6. Catch public transport
7. Go to a cafe and write in your journal
8. Smile at people and watch their reactions
9. Meditate and listen
10. Go skydiving (a little extreme maybe, but not impossible)

It’s really sad that we try so hard to control everything in our lives just so we don’t have to experience anything that we would consider BAD.

If we choose songwriting as life we need to relax a little and let life unfold before our eyes. We need to experience what happens and then write about it.

If everything that you do can be written into a song, what have you really got to lose?

Until next time, happy writing,

Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician

Article Source:
http://songwritingzen.wordpress.com

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For more education on careers in the music industry, check out: www.Music-Career-Guide.com