Students — and College Founder — will meet and honor Legendary Pop Duo Ashford & Simpson in the Big Apple March 10-14

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Students — and College Founder — will meet and honor Legendary Pop Duo Ashford & Simpson in the Big Apple March 10-14



SPRING BREAK IN NEW YORK FOR THESE COLLEGE KIDS MEANS GOING INSIDE THE MUSIC INDUSTRY AS PART OF THEIR STUDIES; TRIP INCLUDES SONGWRITING SEMINAR AT BILLBOARD, DEF MIX WORKSHOP, BROADWAY, LINCOLN CENTER AND THE SUGAR BAR



WHO: 20 students from Minneapolis-St Paul’s McNally Smith College of Music will forgo the typical Spring Break madness on warm, sunny beaches and travel to New York for 4 days to get inside the Music Industry first-hand — including meeting and presenting an award to the legendary pop duo, Ashford & Simpson.



WHAT: Students like Mora McGovern (majoring in the Music Business) and Kansas native Tyson Williams (a Keyboard Performance major) will sweep through a jam-packed schedule.



WHERE/

WHEN: Activities include:

· Thursday, March 11 — DEF MIX PRODUCTIONS 11:00AM – 2:00PM

DJ Remix, management, workshop: Featured guests: Hector Romero (DJ, A&R Saw Records) Judy Weinstien – Founder CEO

Def Mix Productions



· Ashford & Simpson Meeting 2:00 p.m. — 5:00 p.m. during which McNally Smith co-founder Jack McNally and the students will get their original music critiqued and discussed and the husband-and-wife hit makers will be presented an Honorary Degree from one of the nation’s leading music schools.



· The Sugar Bar (242 West 72 Street) 9:00 p.m. on…for the bar’s famous Open Mic Night



· Friday, March 12 — Billboard Songwriters’ Seminar 11:-00AM – 3:00PM

(1 Penn Plaza, Suite 4010)

Billboard Magazine - Business Development with SESAC and EMI Music Publishing, including two 2 guests writers



· Saturday, March 13, — Attending “FELA” at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre (230 W. 49th St.)

· At other times, other special interest groups will visit: Backstage Broadway; Platinum Sound Recording; Lincoln Center



WHY: “I could have never imagined that a kid from as suburb of Kansas would have the unique, and rare opportunity to travel to New York and meet with some of the most legendary, iconic, and creative people in the music industry! Only my music college, McNally Smith can take an unknown musician and put them in front of people like Ashford and Simpson, or grant them exclusive access to Lincoln Center in New York. This trip will help create my own path in music and it’s a great way to spend Spring Break — getting a first-hand experience in different facets of the industry.”

— Student Tyson Williams



“This excursion provides an opportunity to not only experience the fast pace life style of New York City, but to interact and network on an intimate level with the powerful people who run the entertainment business in the most competitive city in the world. The advantages of this trip are once in a lifetime, from the songwriting workshops with legendary songwriters, to the face time with A&R and creative directors of music publishing — and a great way to end my senior year at McNally Smith College of Music.”

—Student Mora McGovern



“Our schedule of events is designed to complement classroom training with interactions with professionals in the worlds of dance music, theatrical music, music technology, music business, and music business administration. It’s a rare opportunity for these students to actually interact with professionals in a major music market — and get a firsthand look into the New York City Music Scene, which continues to strongly influence musical trends on a worldwide basis. I hope this excursion is the first of many annual Spring Break Events for the college. ”

—Debbie Sandrige, Senior Director, Industry Relations, McNally Smith College of Music



CONTACT: To arrange interviews with the college kids on break — or to attend the Ashford & Simpson presentation of the Honorary Degree — please contact:



· In New York — Debbie Sandrige, 651-331-6359(cell)

· In Twin Cities —Martin Keller, Media Savant Communications Co.

612-729-8585 (mkeller@mediasavantcom.com)








Martin Keller
Media Savant Communications Co.
612-729-8585 (office)
612-220-6515 (cell)
mkeller@mediasavantcom.com (business email)
kelmart@aol.com (personal and business email) -- STS