Several Grammy winners, nominees and industry insiders shared helpful tips with students in Miami to help them become the next generation of musical talent.
The Grammy Museum’s “Grammy in the Schools” program brought major award-winning music professionals and students from several high schools to Miami Northwestern Senior High School.
The event helps students grow and be guided to become the next generation of talent in the music industry.
One of the songwriters attending the program was Poo Bear, who wrote hit songs “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi, “Caught Up” by Usher and “What Do You Mean” by Justin Bieber.
The students shared their feedback about the event and what they learned from music professionals.
“Kids like us don’t really get to see what’s out there for us, what’s in store. And it’s nice to see people like Poo Bear come out to the school and speak to us about the industry so that we know that we can get an early start,” said Ethen Pierre-Louis, a student at Miami Central High School.
“Because a lot of people don’t get this opportunity, and it was very cool for me to listen to where he came from and how he’s doing now and the journey he took to get here. It was very interesting to me,” said Briana Naylor, a student at Miami Northwestern Senior High School.
Officials from the Grammy Museum also shared their goals for the program.
“At the museum, we focus on music industry education, and what that means is while we focus on the notes and performance, we also focus on everything that surrounds it. So songwriting, production and music business are the backbone, and that’s what young people today are doing workshops in,” said Arin Cambolat from the Grammy Museum.
The organization partnered with Young Musicians United, a Miami-Dade organization that works with schools to provide free music education.
“We can bring instruments, we can bring teaching artists to them, but we want them to see what the possibilities are beyond that, beyond just the instrument in their hand, and see that there is a whole world of careers that exist in the music industry,” said Julian Bermudez from YMU.
Students from different high schools and bands spent the day workshopping ideas, doing songwriting exercises and mixing beats with a music producer.
“It’s inspirational, not knowing that you’re sitting there and writing lyrics; it’s very fun to do, so maybe this has opened up a new hobby for me,” said Pierre-Louis.
“There’s different types of beats; you can use different keys, everything to make the music you want to make,” said Naylor.
The event showed that the Grammys are more than a music awards ceremony; they’re about using music to create opportunities for others.
“One of the best responses I’ve had is always that what we get to do is a privileged way to earn a living; it’s still true to this day because we work with young people from all different backgrounds, all different cultures, and they get to experience that power of music,” said Cambolat.
The organization hosts the event at different schools across the country throughout the academic year. The Grammy Awards show airs on ABC Miami in Feb. 2027.
