2. Listen, Watch and Observe with Purpose

When you go about your assigned tasks, pay attention and remain alert. Don’t just “go through the motions.” Be hyper-aware of your surroundings. Take in what goes on in the studio, what “systems” are in place, and for what purpose. Observe the different roles and what people do. Why are things done a certain way? Is there a reason why certain procedures are emphasized over others? How do the tasks that I perform affect the clients?

3. Ask Questions

Ask your supervisors regularly how you are doing and how you can improve. It is a good way to gauge your performance. Asking for feedback (and being open to criticism) is a great way to keep yourself engaged and show others that you care. Of course, you have to heed the feedback you receive.

When you’ve gotten a sense of the daily rhythms of the studio, start asking questions that may have started forming in your mind. You’ll be surprised to know that, in general, the staff likes it when you ask questions. In fact, if you don’t ask questions, we tend to get the impression that you are not interested. Remember to ask questions tactfully, and choose the right time to ask them, e.g. not in front of clients, not when things are hectic, and not during a session.

If you think you need a block of time to find out more in-depth information about a particular subject, ask to make an appointment and take the opportunity to ask them. Be well prepared when you do.

4. Hang Around

When your shift is over or your scheduled hours have been completed, don’t just take off (unless you absolutely have to get to a job). Ask if you could hang around and help out with additional tasks, help another member of the staff (e.g. maintenance, resident engineers, etc.), sit in on practice sessions, go through manuals of a particular piece of equipment or just spend time in an empty room and see if you can identify all the gear and what it does. Ask if you could come in on an off day. The point is you want to take advantage of the limited time you have been given to learn as much as you can while you have access.

5. Review Your Experience

At the end of your internship, there will be an exit interview with your supervisor. This meeting is very important because 1) you can ask for an overall impression of how you performed; and 2) this is your last opportunity to get additional information and/or advice on your career, including getting references for the next step. You need to have given some thought to where you want to go from here, to ask the questions that could really help you down the road.

It is important to do an honest personal post-internship assessment, and take time to reflect on your overall experience. Were you able to fulfill the objectives you set for yourself at the start of the internship? Can you see yourself working in this environment? Would you enjoy it? Is this job right for you? What adjustments do you think you will need to make for continued success?

6. Stay in Touch

Your internship ending does not mean ending your association with the people you had the good fortune to work with, however briefly. Ours is a small industry, and every meeting / introduction is a blessing. You never know which contact might bring your next break or gig. Send word as to how you are doing, and ask how the studio is doing. You professional net worth is directly proportional to the size of your relationship network. To be honest, we’ve had so many interns over the years, many of the names and faces have blurred together. The ones we do remember are those with whom we have kept in touch.

(Source: Avatar Studios’ Blog)

The students also enjoyed a second visit to SPARS Member, Masterdisk, hosted by Masterdisc owner, Scott Hull.

Clink, who will oversee the recording and production of the original song from the winning band, has a celebrated reputation in the music industry, having produced chart topping albums for such legendary bands as Aerosmith, Guns N Roses, and Metallica. Apart from developing new talent for his own label, No Relief Records, Clink is the founder of A Song of My Own, which pairs songwriters with patients at Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles.

The Recording Academy, internationally recognized for the GRAMMY Awards®, created GRAMMY U to help prepare college students for careers in the music industry through networking events, educational programs, and performance opportunities. GRAMMY U: Amplified offers current student members an opportunity to perform in front of their peers in a concert setting as they compete for various prizes. Past winners have gone on to record with GRAMMY Award-winning Los Angeles Chapter board members and even compete in the nationwide College Battle of the Bands competition.

In an effort to promote music education, share its world class recording facility and to discover and launch deserving new artists, Firehouse Recording Studios and DMI are working with The Recording Academy® Los Angeles Chapter and GRAMMY U to host this recording session as well as future projects.

DMI is an award-winning, full service agency that offers a comprehensive range of expertise and innovative marketing solutions that enable brands to leverage the power of music and entertainment.

For more information, please visit www.dmimusic.com. For further information regarding the recording session and GRAMMY U, please contact Erin Hanson at (310) 581-8778. For more information regarding DMI and Firehouse Recording Studios, please contact Katrinka Suydam (DMI) at (626) 795-0432 or Jason Upright (Firehouse Recording Studios) at (626) 405-0411.