This summer, I’ve had the opportunity to intern at Ben’s Studio, musician Ben Fold’s studio in Nashville. As a senior majoring in music production and entrepreneurship, my ultimate goal is to eventually become a record producer or sound engineer.

Interning at a fully functioning recording studio like Ben’s Studio is vital for someone looking to get a start in the music business, especially if they are looking to get into the recording and production aspect.

However, I would not advise anyone to go into music. If you want to make a living in music, you are going to be broke for a long time. I’ve come to terms with that and accepted it.

I was able to get the internship through Craig Campbell of Campbell Entertainment Group, which is a company that works with artists like Randy Owen of Alabama, Gretchen Wilson, Eric Lee Beddingfield and James House. James House is the husband of my boss, Sharon Corbitt-House, who is the studio manager of Ben’s Studio. Craig was able to set up an interview for me with Sharon, and everything came together after that.

The life of an intern is not all that glamorous. Most people on the outside looking in see it as wonderful work, but in fact, it is quite the opposite. My internship is unpaid, and I don’t have necessarily normal hours.

With normal clients, meaning clients other than Ben Folds himself, an intern’s primary function is to assist the assistant engineer on the session with the setup and breakdown of the floor. This means, depending on the client, that interns will need to set up mic stands, microphones and power strips, and align them in the appropriate channels in the XLR snake.

To those who aren’t familiar with these terms, it basically means setting up the floor so that all the artist has to do is show up and play or perform. One of the most important jobs as an intern is dealing with the hospitality needs of the client. Food runs, setting up breakfast or snacks, getting cigarettes, keeping the coffee pot full and ensuring that the artist lounges are clean and tidy are my normal daily tasks.

Interning with Ben’s Studio gives me the chance to observe a functioning studio and learn vital skills to be used in my future in the music business.

A perk that has come with my internship is that I have been able to meet some pretty cool people. Being able to meet the artists who come in to record is awesome because you are exposed to their music that you might not have otherwise heard.

There is tons of talent in and around Nashville, and that is evident from working at Ben’s Studio. The other week, we hosted a publishers’ party for the two American Idol finalists, and it was cool to be able to see them and meet people involved with their production team. I’ve also had the pleasure of meeting Ben, but it’s best not to disturb the creative process that exists in the recording studio, so I haven’t had too much interaction with him.

I believe it is crucial for students to take on internships in their field. If you don’t have anything to set yourself apart from your fellow students, how can you expect to get a job?

Internships offer an extra edge to make your résumé stand out and will hopefully make you ‘jump out’ at the person reviewing your application for employment. If nothing else, it will give you an opportunity at real world experience in the field you hope to make a living in someday.