The MTSU Department of Recording Industry’s trip to Los Angeles for Grammy week is a yearly highlight for the few students selected to attend each year. Backstage tours, networking and, of course, the Grammy Awards await the six attendees each February. 

This year, though, the trip was shrouded in uncertainty and doubt following the destruction and chaos of the recent California wildfires.

Despite rising concern, the Grammys continued as planned — and so did MTSU. 

Rather than cancelling the trip, the university took note of the Recording Academy’s dedication to host the ceremony, while also turning the event into a week of fundraising for a good cause. 

On Jan. 29, six MTSU students traveled from Murfreesboro, Tennessee to Los Angeles for a week of learning, while also helping to raise awareness.

The week’s activities began shortly after the MTSU crew touched down on the tarmac, starting at Disney Television Animation in Glendale, California. 

The students chatted with the company’s Vice President of Music, Jay Stutler, for hours on end. The group put their skills to the test after they were asked to choose the next best theme song for a fake Disney Junior show, and students took a tour of the in-house recording studios, where movies including “Toy Story 4” and “Frozen 2” were voiced.

On day two, students started the day with an in-depth behind the scenes tour of the historic Village Studios. The Masonic Temple-turned-recording-studio boasted hundreds of platinum records on the rustic walls, and students pointed to their favorite albums as they traversed the hallways. The group fixated on the state-of-the-art mixing consoles in each studio, probing the tour guide with audio technical questions. 

The students were able to view the legendary Studio D — the entirety of which was constructed for Fleetwood Mac to record their twelfth studio album, “Tusk.” The studio came complete with an echo chamber and Stevie Nicks’ personal purple-tiled bathroom. The students were instructed to be mindful during the studio tour, as a Neil Young album was being re-record on analog.

Shortly after the tour, the group loaded into the van to meet Edwina Travis-Chin, Vice President of Music Strategy and Content at APM Music. Travis-Chin educated the students in a business-style meeting on the science behind sync licensing — the process of connecting music with digital media, including movies, TV shows, commercials and video games.

Students then headed to Burbank, California, to visit fellow Blue Raider Tyler Bacon, who now lives in California and owns the all-in-one publisher, record label and management firm, Position Music. The group learned about Bacon’s story and discovered that his successful journey from Murfreesboro to LA is achievable in their own futures, as well. Students toured the company buildings and were even invited to stay and mingle during company happy hour after the tour.

After a long day of learning and networking, the students were treated with a trip to the legendary Amoeba music, the world’s largest independent record store. They ended the night with margaritas and laughs at LA staple El Coyote.   

Day three began with a little extra time for sleep before the group loaded up the van at noon to head to the Los Angeles Convention Center. Students gathered for a photo op with MTSU President Sidney McPhee and Dean of the College of Media and Entertainment Beverly Keel. 

After the photo, the group walked to pick up their volunteer passes for the night’s MusiCares Person of the Year event. Following a three-hour training session, the students aided in the fundraising event by leading guests to their seats and collecting information for donations during the fire relief paddle raise. After their volunteer duties were finished, students were invited to stick around for the remainder of the event to watch the keynote speeches and performances. 

They witnessed legendary performances from artists including Wynona Judd, John Mayer, Noah Kahan and Sierra Ferrell. At the end of the night, none of the students could agree on which performance was the best — though everyone was elated to be in the presence of this years’ gala honorees: Bob Weir and Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead.

As day four rolled around, the excitement of the upcoming Grammy Awards was palpable. The students kicked off the day with a private backstage tour of Crypto.com Arena, the home of the Grammys ceremony. As they walked underneath the arena, students spotted artist props that would be used for the show, like Chappell Roan’s drum kit and the stairs Sabrina Carpenter walked down during her “Espresso” performance.

The rest of the day was packed with MTSU activities, including a rooftop mixer with faculty, friends and alumni of MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment — which included speeches from two of this year’s Grammy-nominated alum. 

Afterwards, the group drove to alum Matt Guiler’s studios, where he masters audio for 90% of movie trailers that hit the big screen. He displayed an array of his recent work for the students on his personal movie theater screen, gave a tour of his studios and set up a Zoom call with friend, collaborator and fellow MTSU alum Daniel Rowland, who offered advice and emphasized the importance of LinkedIn to students.

After the last activity of the day was cancelled, the group was left with a few free hours that they decided to fill by giving back. The crew collaborated with Musically Fed to pick up extra food from a local event and drop it off at The Midnight Mission, an agency that provides support, housing and food for the homeless population in LA.

On day five, the students scrambled around their hotel rooms to primp for the most anticipated day of the trip — the Grammy Awards. 

After a short drive to the arena, high heels clicked on concrete as the students hopped out of the van to enter the Peacock Theater for the Grammys Premiere Ceremony. The students sat among nominees like Sierra Ferrell and Shaboozey as the Recording Academy handed out the 85 non-televised awards. 

After the ceremony, the group migrated over to the Crypto.com Arena for the main event. 

The students spent the rest of the night in a room with the music industry’s top talents. They witnessed once-in-a-lifetime moments, speeches and performances, many of which were dedicated to raising awareness and garnering remembrance for the LA wildfires.

Following the ceremony, the students chatted about their fondest trip memories over one final dinner in the city.

The next day, the MTSU crew boarded a flight back to Nashville and said goodbye to LA until next year.

Though the six students that attended the trip this year won’t be able to come along next time, they negotiated powerful career connections in LA and developed lasting bonds with each other.

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