Junior music industry major Isabella Policarpo has been chosen as Grammy U’s ambassador for their Philadelphia chapter. The Recording Academy is the same organization that runs the Grammy Awards and is the premier society of music professionals in the United States. 

“Grammy U is the recording academy’s membership program for aspiring music industry individuals in college. It sets people up to network and go to events, and get the tools they need to go out into the industry since it can be so competitive,” Policarpo said when asked about the nature of the program. 

Policarpo has a concentration in music business and a minor in entrepreneurship, so she’s laser-focused on that side of the industry, with little interest in performing or production. 

“No, it’s more the business side,” Policarpo said when asked if she has any musical ability or background. “I’ve always loved music and my dad’s a DJ, which was fun to grow up with, so I’ve always been interested in the industry. Going to concerts is my favorite thing, last year I went to around thirty, I know that sounds bad.” 

One of the key parts of her internship is attending “mixers” where she’s able to network with industry professionals.

“They do things like mixers, where you meet people in your city. It’s broken up by city, there’s twelve chapters, and technically Rowan’s a Philly school,” Policarpo said. “Most of the events are in Philly, and they have ‘sound check events.’ Big artists will come– say they’re doing a show at TLA [Theatre of Living Arts] or something– they’ll bring Grammy U members, and you can meet your favorite artists and ask them questions.” 

Policarpo was familiar with the program before being chosen to be an ambassador. 

“I actually was a Grammy U member last year, I found it during the summer going into last school year, and I really loved going to the events. I saw they wanted an ambassador, and I thought ‘Oh, this is perfect.’ So I applied. There’s only one ambassador per school, and I was picked by the Grammy U team. I guess they saw that I’ve been to stuff before, and I’m very active in this community.” 

The program is mostly an opportunity for networking and real-world experience, but the internship still comes with specific responsibilities. 

“My goal is to get more outreach on campus, and get more people to become Grammy U members and come to events,” Policarpo said. “I’ll be at a table at a career fair, or in a class giving presentations.”

Like everything else, there’s bound to be a learning curve, but Policarpo is up to the task. 

“I feel like I’m naturally prepared, especially because I’ve been a member for a bit. And music is the one thing I can always keep talking about. I’ve met so many people through it. It’s affected me a lot, because I really loved being a member, and I wanted to get involved more on campus.” 

She’s open to anything that comes her way but gravitates towards a specific aspect of the music industry. 

“I’m really into marketing strategies for artists and labels. One of the main things is A&R– Artist and Repertoire– finding up-and-coming artists,” Policarpo said. “I do that all the time in my room, and I’d love to do that as a job.” 

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