By Steve Sears

Even though COVID-19 came calling in March of 2020, don’t think activity wasn’t bustling at the 8,200 square foot GRAMMY Museum Experience Prudential Center in Newark.

“We lost a year and a half in the physical museum, but we went digital,” Mark Conklin, Director of Artist Relations and Programming, states. “We did a lot of programming. Our ‘Behind the Song’ series, our ‘Off the Record’ series, our mini masterclass interviews, and we did virtual education programs for lots of kids. We lost the foot traffic in the physical museum, but we kept at it pretty strong.”

Also, as part of the museum’s fifth anniversary celebration in 2022, a “Ladies and Gentlemen…The Beatles!” traveling exhibit opened in October, and will run until June 25, 2023. On display are many Beatles-related pop culture artifacts from the period, as well as original lyric sheets, clothing worn by the band, posters, photographs, interviews, interactive displays, and more. Ladies and Gentlemen…The Beatles! provides insight into how and why The Beatles impacted America in the 1960s—and beyond.

Two offshoots of the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles, California – Recording Academy GRAMMY Museum Mississippi in Cleveland, Mississippi and GRAMMY Museum Gallery at Musicians Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee – predate the Newark Museum, which was the first to open on the east coast on October 20, 2017. When interviewed for his position, Conklin asked founding Executive Director, Robert Santelli, why Newark was the chosen spot. “His response to me was great. He said – and I’ll never forget what he said, ‘Because New York doesn’t need it. New Jersey needs it.’ It was his vision to bring it to New Jersey, and also because obviously New Jersey has had a large influence on music, probably greater than a lot of people realize. I think Newark needed it for the education side, but also there’s a great cultural contribution musically and historically here in Newark. And then I think finally and very importantly, they found a great partner in Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment company, who owns Prudential Center and the New Jersey Devils.”

If visiting the GRAMMY Museum Experience in person, you’ll discover that about 70% of it is interactive. First,

there’s the ability to play actual instruments and learn about the recording process. Conklin says, “You can drum along with Max Weinberg from the E Street Band, and you can rap along with Wyclef Jean. There are a lot of things that you get your hands on, which is really great for anybody, but especially for younger people, or students that come through with large groups.” Then there’s celebrating the history of the GRAMMYss featuring a timeline, with a focus on Garden Staters who have made a significant contribution to music. “You can see artifacts from legends like Bruce Springsteen, Whitney and Cissy Houston, Dionne Warwick, Kool and the Gang, and Les Paul,” Conklin adds. “And then there’s the traveling exhibit, which changes once or twice a year, and programs. We just screened May Pang’s new documentary, we’ve had Gloria Gaynor, we’ve had Mary Wilson of the Supremes. You can come and get a very close and intimate experience with artists, and hear their stories and talk about the creative process.” If you can’t visit in person, online virtual visits yield informative, digital interviews. “If you just love music and want to learn more about artistry and creativity, that’s a great place to be,” Conklin says. 

A deep focus of the GRAMMY Museum Experience is education and even music career planning. Conklin says, “The big thing that we focus on is teaching young people how to have careers in music. We’ve developed a program called Record High. We’re going into schools and organizations and teaching young people how to have careers in the music business.” Record High after-school classes are available in the spring and fall, in addition to a week-long immersive camp experience during the summer. Courses include contemporary songwriting, Hip-Hop performance, vocal performance, audio production, and the music business itself. Additionally, there are exclusive mentorship and internship opportunities.

The GRAMMY Museum Experience has been working with youths for almost four years, and the initial seeds are bearing fruit. Conklin speaks proudly about progress made with regard to young people enjoying success. “There are so many avenues for young people that can have exciting, fulfilling careers that we’ve been doing with this program. We have a kid that just signed his first record deal, and we have a girl that signed her first music publishing deal. We have several of them now at USC, and they’re also at NYU. I don’t know of anybody who’s really doing it as well as we’re doing it. That’s the most fulfilling thing that we do, the role that we play in the community, and that’s what we’re very excited about.”

For  more information including directions, ticket prices, visitation and event hours for the GRAMMY Museum Experience Prudential Center, visit www.grammymuseumexp.org.