On Mar. 11, Blue Hawk Records (BHR) and Monmouth’s Women In Music (WIM) collegiate chapter hosted the fourth annual Women In Music Industry Panel event at Woods Theatre. Hosted by adjunct professor Rashida Scott-Cruz and WIM collegiate chapter president Joleen Amer, the night was full of career stories and passion for music and storytelling.
The night began with Scott-Cruz bringing to light some statistics on women in the music industry. One slide read, “The percentage of women on the Billboard Hot 100 Year-End Chart hit 37.7% in 2024, the highest in the study’s history.” She explained that this is largely because of female artists like Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter who are making incredible strides as performers. It was also shown that 54% of popular songs feature at least one woman songwriter.
With all of these stats in mind, Monmouth University (MU) is doing their own work to insure female representation on campus. Establishing the WIM collegiate chapter, holding these events and fostering allyship and inclusivity were some of the highlights displayed to the audience. It’s all about community and fostering a beneficial environment for everyone.
Just like in years past, the panel of women industry experts were extremely insightful and gave the students advice for being leaders. The panel included Jenna Gaudio, Co President of Vydia; Heather de Armas, COO of Not Dead Yet Media; Skylar Rupprecht, Operations Producer at Respective Collective; and Karen Louisa Gross, Founder of She Rocked It Productions who served as moderator alongside Amer.
The group began by introducing themselves and how they got their foot into the door of the music industry. Rupprecht, who was drawn to music from a young age because of her performer parents, said she directly messaged the CEO of a media company. “If you want something ask for it,” she explained. With that gusto she was flown out to LA and made connections with people in the industry.
Gaudio had an extremely fascinating background of how she began her music journey. She said, “Whatever opportunity comes in front of you is not a permanent experience,” and that it’s all about reinventing yourself. Gaudio graduated from MU and worked for the United States Department of Defense before creating her media start-up, Vydia. She also told the audience that she was previously working at Fort Monmouth which is now currently being developed into Netflix Studios, another outlet for MU students to get involved in the entertainment sphere.
Similarly, de Armas voiced that music was her therapy and after majoring in entrepreneurship at Florida State University, she moved to the big apple in 2020. After working as a freelancer as an artist development manager, she “accidentally opened her own media company” alongside two other partners.
As women in the industry, based on stats and personal anecdotes, their journeys haven’t been cut and dry. In terms of career strategy the panel weighed in on how it differs being a woman in a male dominant workspace. “I hate that we even have to ask this question,” de Armas said, “You have to be ready to be called a bitch.” She went on to explain that people may dislike you but your work ethic and production has to back up your value.
Rupprecht agreed and said, “Women having to prove credentials goes a long way,” meaning that having built trust and respect is a great asset to have. Gaudio also added that having the power of reframing emotions and learning not to take things personally can do wonders.
The panel also gave some advice for holding your own in the workspace and finding your voice. De Armas said that it’s important to look at what you’ve done and call the wins out when they happen. It’s also helpful to lean on other women in your field when you need help. Rupprecht also said that when you’re unsure of something it’s okay to voice that. She said, “Remind yourself, if you don’t know the answer, your team and everyone else in the room doesn’t know either.”
Gaudio mentioned that finding out where the power is, is important. “If you look around the room and you don’t know who has the power, it’s not you,” she said. Within your organization knowing the roles, values, and what you’re trying to accomplish can have a positive impact on your job experience.
The three also managed to shed some light on what skills employers look for in today’s job market, especially since many audience members were juniors and seniors awaiting internships and graduation. Rupprecht said three valuable qualities to possess are “reliability, communication, and composure” especially when working in the collaborative environment of the music world.
De Armas and Gaudio said being organized and caring about your job are other qualities that can make you a standout. It’s also important to build relationships and communicate with others even if you’re more introverted. Gaudio said how it’s important to lift other women up around you as well. She said, “Throwing the ladder down to save a seat that wasn’t saved for you,” can make someone else feel appreciated.
As much as this night was about the females in the room, the group also noted that the male allies are just as important to spreading positivity in the industry. “There are tons of men who are so supportive of women…It’s not all men,” de Armas explained, noting that labeling “all men” as negative towards women is false.
When the conversation dwindled down the floor was open to the audience to ask their own questions revolving around AI, the Netflix Studios at Fort Monmouth development and advice on being a leader. The panel was not only kind and articulate in speaking but their wisdom of once being in the shoes of a college student resonated with the music industry majors.
The night concluded with three performances from Marley Bell, Antonia Bongiorno, and the WIM president responsible for organizing the event, Amer. All three of their songs matched the vibe of disco female empowerment and felt like a sprinkle of glitter on top of the somewhat nerve wracking career insights.
Bell performed her stripped back piano rendition of ABBA’s “Dancing Queen.” She was in complete control and made the song her own with her soft vocals. Bongiorno sang Whitney Houston’s classic, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” alongside Jeffrey Mendez on the piano. As I wrote in my notes for the evening, this cover was “ridiculously good.” The “somebody who’s” and riffs were spot on to Houston’s version but also true to Bongiorno as a singer. And last but certainly not least, Amer sang “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor wrapping up the message of perseverance for the event. With Mendez once again on the piano this cover felt very jazz-esque and very powerful, from the vocals to the vibe it was unmatched.
The love for music just poured out of every one of these performers and is a true testament to this department here at MU. I’ve been attending this event for the past three years and seen the growth from only a few people in the audience to this year being almost at full capacity. Career development and networking events like this can be the difference maker in a young professional’s life. One piece of advice can be the “ah-ha” moment where the future doesn’t seem so difficult after college, instead it’s full of possibilities and opportunities.
