Grammy winners, nominees and other music industry professionals visited Miami Northwestern Senior High School in northwest Miami-Dade to give students practical guidance on building careers in music.
The visit was part of the Grammy Museum's "Grammy in the Schools" program, which gathered students from several area high schools. The event is meant to guide young people as they work toward becoming the next generation of industry talent.
Among the songwriters on hand was Poo Bear, who wrote "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi, "Caught Up" by Usher and "What Do You Mean" by Justin Bieber.
Students said the chance to hear from working professionals mattered to them. "Kids like us don't really get to see what's out there for us, what's in store," said Ethen Pierre-Louis, a student at Miami Central High School. He added that seeing someone like Poo Bear visit the school shows students they can get an early start.
Briana Naylor, a student at Miami Northwestern Senior High School, said many people never get an opportunity like this. She found it interesting to hear where Poo Bear came from, how he is doing now and the journey he took to get there.
Arin Cambolat of the Grammy Museum said the museum's work centers on music industry education. Beyond notes and performance, she said, songwriting, production and the business side of music are the backbone of what young people are learning in workshops.
The museum partnered with Young Musicians United, a Miami-Dade organization that works with schools to provide free music education. Julian Bermudez of YMU said the group can bring instruments and teaching artists to students, but also wants them to understand what lies beyond the instrument in their hands. In his words, there is "a whole world of careers that exist in the music industry."
Over the course of the day, students from different schools and bands worked through ideas, completed songwriting exercises and mixed beats with a music producer. Pierre-Louis said writing lyrics was fun and may have opened up a new hobby. Naylor said she learned that there are different types of beats and that musicians can use different keys to make the music they want.
Cambolat said the event shows the Grammys are about more than an awards ceremony. They are also about using music to create opportunities for others. She called the work a privileged way to earn a living, noting that the program reaches young people from many backgrounds and cultures who get to experience the power of music.
The organization holds the event at different schools across the country throughout the academic year. The Grammy Awards show is scheduled to air on ABC Miami in February 2027.
