Breaking Barriers in the Music Industry with Profession-Based Learning: Gangstagrass

Gangstagrass is a bluegrass and hip-hop band, a unique fusion of genres that embodies creativity, innovation and a willingness to break traditional boundaries. This forward-thinking approach aligns seamlessly with the goals of profession-based learning, offering students an inspiring example of how diverse talents and perspectives can come together to create something truly original.

An International Music Industry Opportunity

Imagine getting to work with an internationally touring band – while in high school. That’s the opportunity profession-based learning provided to students working with Gangstagrass, a creative music project born in Brooklyn, NY, in 2006. The band, comprising Rench, R-SON, Dolio the Sleuth, Dan Whitener, Brian Farrow and manager Sleevs, has received acclaim in Forbes and The New York Times for blending bluegrass and hip-hop. Their engagement with profession-based learning makes them unique in the music industry.

“Profession-based learning has benefited Gangstagrass enormously so far, and we’re excited to see how it grows as well,” said manager Sleevs. “We have a team of students who, in addition to all of the work that they’re doing in school already, are having this amazing professional experience with us, working on our marketing and TikTok content and partnerships with local businesses that they know well.” This unique collaboration has enabled students to work on real projects and see their work widely shared, contributing significantly to the band’s marketing efforts.

Young Innovators Influencing Industry

The band is working with a group of students in Texas, after first meeting with several student groups from across various profession-based learning programs to hear their marketing and social media plan pitches. Vocalist and member Dolio the Sleuth shared, “All the presentations had a certain level of polish to it, to where you could really appreciate the amount of professional development that they’ve been undergoing.”

Fellow vocalist R-SON echoed this sentiment, remarking, “Nothing felt like, ‘We can’t do that.’ It was like, ‘Well, let’s figure out how to do it.’ And that definitely helps, because as you’re going on in any profession, you get sort of numb.”

“But it was beyond just the optimism,” Dolio the Sleuth added. “They were also taking action and making the plan to execute.”

The group originally expected to hear various ideas and then implement the plan themselves, but Gangstagrass was so impressed with one group’s presentation that they decided to work with them long-term to implement the marketing plan. Sleevs highlighted the impact of students on the band’s marketing, stating, “They had a perspective that the music industry does not have.  They’re doing work for us around the country, to bring our marketing to the next level. It’s amazing that high school students can do that. We have regular meetings and we’ve been impressed with their skills, from putting together presentations and their articulation of their vision for how the marketing plan would develop. Also, their dance skills – they’re putting together TikTok dances for us to our music.”

Profession-Based Learning: A Catalyst for Innovation

Gangstagrass sees profession-based learning as a catalyst for innovation in the music industry. “I would honestly recommend it as a chance to really bring in a fresh perspective,” Rench shared. “[Profession-based learning] is an injection of new thoughts and ideas and a chance to work with young people that are going to bring a whole new energy to your work.” R-SON added, “If you’re not getting that from the youth and bringing it all together and creating that cycle, then you get stagnant and stuck. You get American radio where everything sounds the same.”

Sleevs highlighted the collaborative nature of profession-based learning, contrasting it with traditional internships. “What I found interesting about profession-based learning, at least in the form that we’ve been working with, is that with a traditional internship it’s very much [about] an individual. You’re thrown into this world and you kind of sink or swim – maybe you have good mentors and maybe you don’t. With the groups we’ve been working with, it’s almost like a group internship.”

The group setting allows students to leverage their strengths and support one another while they’re exploring, ideating and creating. “Different students have different strengths,” Sleevs explained. “You can see some are better at public speaking than others. Some are better at the tech side than others. And maybe that one student isn’t speaking so much, but they’re making sure that the PowerPoint is running. There’s great benefit of profession-based learning in this format, where strengths are highlighted and the weaknesses are made up for because other people in the group are strong in those weaknesses.”

A Vision for the Future

By moving beyond the confines of traditional classroom learning, profession-based learning creates opportunities for students to gain practical experience, develop new skills and explore potential career paths – all while contributing right now to the success of industry partners. As Rench reflected, “I would have loved to have an opportunity like this. As a student, it would have been the highlight of my schooling.”

To learn more about Gangstagrass and how they are transforming their industry, visit their website and listen to their music wherever you stream music.