"It was a great experience to see how one of the biggest award ceremonies is put together for live television," said saxophonist Ryan Redden, a second-year jazz student. Redden was one of eight students from Juilliard's Jazz Studies program who attended a rehearsal on February 22 for the 45th annual Grammy Awards, which were broadcast the following evening on CBS. The Juilliard students' attendance (along with 32 students from other schools) was part of the Music Mentoring Program of the Grammy Foundation, the educational arm of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, all part of the monthlong GrammyFest celebration.

Greg Knowles (second from left) with jazz students (left to right) Jennifer Krupa, Erica vonKleist, Dan Kaufman, Adam Birnbaum, Craig Polasko, Diron Holloway, and Ryan Redden at the Grammy Awards rehearsal.

The visit to Madison Square Garden began by attending the rehearsal of the Trustees Award winners, the New York Philharmonic, who performed along with two-time Grammy winners Coldplay. Students received a rare treat when members of Coldplay came off-stage to talk with them. Coldplay front man Chris Martin offered the students tips on staying focused while performing.

Academy president Neil Portnow and board chairman Garth Fundis welcomed the students, who were then given an audio/video technical tour by Grammy broadcast sound designer Murray Allen, followed by an artist's-perspective backstage tour by Greg Knowles, an Academy Los Angeles past president, trustee, and Juilliard faculty member.

The Music Mentoring program, now in its eighth year, is an ongoing program of the foundation. "In giving these Grammy tours for the past several years," said Knowles, "we have been giving students from all backgrounds a realistic look into the production and hard work necessary to be a recording artist, and what it takes to put on a show of this magnitude."

Judging by their comments, the students clearly were impressed with the complexities and demands of such a venture. "I was blown away by the sheer magnitude of the production at the Grammy rehearsal," said Juilliard jazz student, pianist Dan Kaufman. "The head sound engineer told us that there were more than 1,000 separate microphones being used in the show. If I ever need a serious sound man, I'm definitely going to call that guy."

"It was very interesting to watch the engineers set the sound levels for each act's sound checkand then save it digitally," remarked Jen Krupa, a jazz trombonist at Juilliard. "I didn't realize that they had to set three different levels: one for the musicians' monitors on stage, one for the house, and one for the live broadcast." Krupa also said she was impressed by how many acoustic acts were performing: "In my opinion, this year, theGrammys showcased a higher quality of musicians, as opposed to simply having the latest pop act perform. Thanks for the opportunity, Dr. Knowles!"