{"id":407064,"date":"2026-07-21T21:29:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T21:29:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/407064\/"},"modified":"2026-07-21T21:29:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T21:29:28","slug":"uc-theatre-prepares-young-people-for-careers-in-the-live-music-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/407064\/","title":{"rendered":"UC Theatre prepares young people for careers in the live music industry"},"content":{"rendered":"

The stage was set at the UC Theatre Taube Family Music Hall, but not for a concert. On Friday, June 26, the 10th cohort of Concert Career Pathways (CCP) graduated with Berkeley Mayor Adena Ishii\u2019s Proclamation honoring both the 10th Anniversary of the UC Theatre and the program.<\/p>\n

With 77% of graduates being BIPOC, and 80% finding career-track employment within 3-6 months of graduating, the CCP is one of a kind. In the span of nine months, the CCP offers students who would otherwise face barriers entering the entertainment and concert industry the experience necessary to excel within it.<\/p>\n

David Mayeri, founder of the nonprofit, was instrumental in turning the space into a concert venue 10 years ago. Since then, the theater has hosted Green Day, Kehlani, Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan, among hundreds of other acts.<\/p>\n

His motivation to run a nonprofit that turns a concert space into a classroom stems from his start in the industry. As a teenager, Mayeri was at the right place at the right time, while also being the \u201cright\u201d demographic. Being a white man, Mayeri did not face the same obstacles he saw others facing, so he wanted to give back.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to create a level playing field like I had when I was in high school,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Mayeri said that in the industry it\u2019s often about who you know, so a big part of the program involves introducing students, who range from 17 to 25, to those working in the business. Hands-on experience is also at the forefront as students learn by doing, from talent scouting to lighting and sound design. Other aspects of the industry that the program teaches include marketing, venue production, front of house, back of house and fundraising.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all based on the nuanced insights of one of the best practices of doing any job: that you learn by doing,\u201d Mayeri said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This is done through workshops, as well as a paid internship in the latter half of the program that students either complete at the venue or at community partners like Ninth Street Opus, an independent record label based in Berkeley.<\/p>\n

Marcello Maga\u00f1a, director of education and community development, emphasized that a lot of the work to break down barriers to entry happens after a student is admitted. It\u2019s not enough to just give students from marginalized communities the opportunity; they must be supported throughout it. Maga\u00f1a called it an ecosystem.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just the job they need,\u201d Maga\u00f1a said. \u201cThey need stability, they need, oftentimes, mental health services. Sometimes they need childcare services. What are the factors that limit people from getting a job and holding a job?\u201d<\/p>\n

They accomplish this through a vast network of partners which include industry connections in addition to services that reduce factors that can get in the way of people pursuing their passions.<\/p>\n

Sharleen Jove Esico, an educational program manager at the CCP, was previously a part of cohort six. She says the program helped her find her professional identity due to its balance of leading students with love while also creating a realistic environment where they learn what it takes to make it in the industry.<\/p>\n

Jayden Davis sat with his mom and sisters as they celebrated his graduation at one of the many tables set in the large, chandelier-filled space. He wouldn\u2019t say he was fully prepared for the future, but he expressed excitement for what it would bring and how he\u2019d integrate what he learned during his time at the CCP.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was very eye-opening,\u201d Jayden said. \u201cIt opened me up to how the music industry works and how many different jobs there are.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>CCP GRADUATE Jayden Davis is excited for a future in the music industry. (Photo by Nicolle Delgado)<\/p>\n

The graduation ceremony included remarks from Councilmember Igor Tregub, as well as from former Berkeley mayor and current California State Sen. Jesse Arregu\u00edn. Throughout the night, alumni also had the chance to give speeches of their experiences in the program, and what they had accomplished since.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFour days ago I mixed audio in the arena at the Chase Center for the first time,\u201d Nicholas Soriano Smith said during his alumni speech. \u201cA few days before that, I was running sound for a documentary on Cleve Jones, surviving activist and founder of the AIDS Memorial Quilt. Today, I\u2019m working for you, helping capture this moment with my own equipment.\u201d<\/p>\n

BMG Presents, one of the latest additions to the program, focuses on promoting small artists. Glenna Harris has learned a lot about how to find talent on the rise and the strategies to keep them on that track.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI can bring all of the knowledge that I gained from here forward in whatever I do next,\u201d Harris said. \u201cIf you talk about how excited you are, and you\u2019re willing to give it everything you\u2019ve got, I think these people only want to see us succeed.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

For more info visit theuctheatre.org\/concert-career-pathways<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>MUSIC FUTURES On Friday, June 26, the 10th cohort of Concert Career Pathways graduated with Berkeley Mayor Adena Ishii\u2019s Proclamation honoring both the 10th Anniversary of the UC Theatre and the program. (Photo by Nicolle Delgado)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The stage was set at the UC Theatre Taube Family Music Hall, but not for a concert. On…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":407065,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[163219,19619,143,145,144,45147],"class_list":["post-407064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-berkeley-nonprofit","tag-music-industry","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news","tag-workforce-development"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=407064"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407064\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/407065"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=407064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=407064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=407064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}