ArtsQuest Hosts Successful Second Annual Music Industry Day, Empowering Students with Career Insights and Hands-On Learning
Bethlehem, Lehigh Valley, PA., April 8, 2025 – Yesterday, ArtsQuest hosted the second Music Industry Day at the Musikfest Café in the ArtsQuest Center, offering students from across Eastern Pennsylvania a unique educational opportunity. The event, which was made possible by a grant from The Les Paul Foundation, aimed to introduce participants to various aspects of the music industry and provided valuable insights into potential careers.
“Music Industry Day is a wonderful opportunity for students to experience and learn about the vast job options in the music industry and arts non-profit organizations like ArtsQuest,” said Grace Obert, Music Programming Administrator at ArtsQuest. “The day provides students with valuable insight into their own careers and what it’s like to book bands, run sound and lights and ultimately make a concert happen from start to finish. It is something I would have loved to experience for myself as a high schooler and I’m excited to be able to provide that opportunity to Lehigh Valley and Greater Philadelphia students.”
This year’s Music Industry Day expanded its reach, with ten schools from both local and distant areas taking part, showcasing the event’s growing regional impact. Participating schools included:
- Liberty High School
- Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts
- Nazareth High School
- Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School
- Warren Hills High School
- Pennridge High School
- Central Bucks West High School
- Notre Dame High School
- LaSalle College High School
- Northern Lehigh High School
ArtsQuest employees provided the students with a behind-the-scenes experience of what it’s like to book, promote and put on a show in the Musikfest Café, a prominent entertainment venue in the Lehigh Valley, for over ten years. Through one-on-one opportunities to connect with a diverse group of ArtsQuest employees, the students learned about potential careers in the music industry, marketing and arts nonprofits.
This event not only emphasized the importance of artistic and career development but also highlighted the educational value of hands-on learning experiences in a dynamic industry. For students traveling from farther away, it was a chance to gain insight into a field that might not be easily accessible in their local communities. Students left with a greater understanding of the diverse opportunities the music industry offers, further enhancing their academic and professional aspirations.
By connecting students with professionals in the field, ArtsQuest is fostering a new generation of talent, ready to explore the limitless possibilities within the world of music and entertainment.
About ArtsQuest
ArtsQuest’s mission is to provide access to exceptional artistic, cultural and educational experiences using arts and culture as key elements of economic development for our urban communities. ArtsQuest™ supports this mission via the presentation of performing and visual arts, film, arts education classes and outreach, youth programming and cultural events. Through festivals such as its flagship event, Musikfest; the ArtsQuest Creative Factory powered by PPL; and the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks arts and cultural campus, ArtsQuest’s programming reaches more than 1.9 million people annually. The organization’s programs and events, of which nearly 40 percent are free to attend, have a combined economic impact of more than $136 million annually in the region.
