Carnegie Hall

The B-Side workshops are led by experienced teaching artists. We offer a comprehensive curriculum covering essential topics such as artist management, sync licensing, music distribution, streaming, marketing, and additional topics. Participants gain practical knowledge and industry insights to spark their learning and launch a career in the music business.

Throughout the program, field trips provide participants with valuable real-world experiences. Participants visit a range of music industry spaces, including professional recording studios, record labels, concerts, and historic art and cultural institutions. Field trip opportunities allow participants to gain firsthand insights into a variety of career paths while developing a network with industry professionals. In past field trips, participants visited The Clive Davis Institute, Power Station, and Verve Records.

The B-Side allows participants to engage directly with music professionals from various sectors of the industry, including production, performance, management, and education, during weekly panel discussions at Carnegie Hall. A key feature of the program is a lunch-and-learn series, where participants meet Carnegie Hall staff and learn about their professional and personal journeys.

In addition to industry connections, The B-Side fosters a strong peer network, bringing together students who share similar interests and aspirations. This supportive community helps young people navigate their career paths with confidence and inspiration.

Throughout the program, participants build relationships with a core group of guest faculty—music professionals who return regularly to share their wisdom, experience, and insights.

Rob Lewis

With a career that spans more than 25 years, Rob Lewis is a premier name in the music industry for music direction and music show production, producing and arranging the music for world tours, television performances, and several Grammy Award–winning singles and albums with superstars like Christina Aguilera, New Kids On The Block, Babyface, Toni Braxton, and many more. Lewis’s production, songs, and arrangements have been featured on The GRAMMYS, American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, The Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve, The People’s Choice Awards, television theme songs, #1 albums, gold and platinum singles, films, and in theaters and arenas across the globe. Most recently, Lewis performed with global icon Shakira at the 2023 MTV VMAs, and on stages with eight-time Grammy Award winner Alicia Keys. Lewis’s television experience includes several seasons on camera for VH1’s Big Morning Buzz Live with Nick Lachey, as a vocal coach and judge on two seasons of MTV’s Making the Band, as music supervisor for Steve Harvey’s daytime talk show STEVE, and as music supervisor and on-camera music director for Nickelodeon’s America’s Most Musical Family.

Naydeen Rodriguez

Naydeen Rodriguez is a global music-marketing and brand-strategy leader from the Bronx currently sitting as the director of artist marketing and brand strategy at Roc Nation Distribution. She leads cross-genre campaigns across hip-hop, R&B, rock, and international markets, translating culture, narrative, and creative identity into scalable global growth for artists. Rodriguez is a Recording Academy member, a board director for The Private Plug Foundation, and a mentor and teaching artist guided by the philosophy: “I don’t gatekeep; I greenhouse.” She is committed to equipping emerging creatives with real-world marketing strategy, career literacy, and industry insight.

Corey Williams

Corey Williams is a music-industry executive with more than 25 years of experience in the music business. Having gotten his start at Sony Music Studios and now working with business and legal affairs for UMG, he has knowledge of both the recording process as well as the label side (including marketing, production, clearances, and other aspects of artists’ releases). He has worked with artists like Whitney Houston, Santana, OutKast, and Usher, and is currently working with artists including Drake, The Weeknd, Nicki Minaj, DJ Khaled, and Benny the Butcher to name a few. In his current role as vice president of business and legal affairs for Republic Corps., which supports Republic Records, Island Records, and Def Jam Recordings, he is a key stake holder in the clearance process for side artists and third-party licenses as well as performing other duties. Mr. Williams is a husband of 25 years, a father of three (grandfather of 4), a proud member of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. and a Prince Hall mason.

Alum Engagement

Alums of The B-Side continue their journey through a range of professional development opportunities designed to support their growth as emerging leaders in music and the arts. Alums represent The B-Side at public events, receive coaching in public speaking and storytelling, and support outreach efforts by connecting with new participants. They also gain access to career readiness resources and participate in intimate conversations with music-industry professionals who share insights, experiences, and advice to inspire the next generation.