Bringing Student Volunteering to the Music Stage: LAUNCH Music Festival and Conference Opens Opportunities for Music Industry Experience
Among the many hands-on learning opportunities York College students have access to, the LAUNCH Music Conference and Festival in Lancaster offers volunteers the chance to work with and network with music professionals both on and off the stage.
The LAUNCH Music Conference and Festival in Lancaster, PA, is a well-known music event that has drawn large crowds and created spaces where music and networking can thrive. Over three days and three nights, music industry professionals and bands come not only to network through educational panels and seminars designed for those interested in breaking into the industry, but also to play on major stages. Now in its 18th year, LAUNCH in Lancaster had an amazing turnout, with all who attended April 23-26, 2026.
But LAUNCH isn’t just a place for attendees to learn through attendance. For York College of Pennsylvania students, it is a chance to gain valuable experience by being a part of the behind-the-scenes crew that makes the action happen.
As part of a sponsorship agreement the College made with LAUNCH, York College students get to volunteer to help the event run smoothly. Whether it’s checking people in or helping to assemble equipment for performances, the students get to see what it’s like to work in the music industry, utilizing the knowledge and skills they’ve gained in their classes. And for many, it provides a path to networking and gaining valuable connections that can potentially lead to future careers.
“The relationship has been long, and it’s very strong,” said Jeremy Weiss, the Founding Director of LAUNCH. “LAUNCH is a place to elevate, not merely those people interested in career and performance, but also those people interested in their career in the industry. And it’s been really great to provide the opportunity to York [College] students to do hands-on work at this national event. And they have done an exceptional job year over year.”
LAUNCH Music Festival and Conference
As the name suggests, LAUNCH is a combination of two events: the conference during the day and the festival in the evening. The first two days focus on networking and sessions that explain how the music industry recruits artists and workers interested in pursuing careers there. Attendees are free to attend panel discussions, seminars, and keynote speeches on a variety of topics.
“People attend these events all day, learning about various aspects of the music business,” said Dr. Shawn Young, Professor of Music and Director of Music Industry Studies. He also works as the faculty advisor for York College’s involvement at the LAUNCH Music Festival and Conference, along with spearheading the College’s connection and sponsorship with the event “Publishing, licensing, copyright, record production, concerts, touring, artists, management, all that stuff. But attendees also get to meet with executives and industry professionals and get advice from them. Then at the end of the day, the concerts start and go until [late] night.”
In the evening, registered artists and bands perform at the various stages, bars, and nightclubs within the area. Although tickets are required to enter the Lancaster Convention Center, many of the music performances on the public stages are open to anyone.
“There’s also the York College Stage, which is in the square,” said Jon (JD) Frizzell ‘26, President of York Music Group Club. “This is a public stage, so no one needs a ticket or a festival pass to watch the acts on that stage, and this stage is fully run by the music tech students at York College. So we use all of our equipment, all student volunteers, the stage managers - everyone involved is a music tech major at York College.”
There are no limits on who can attend LAUNCH. Even with college students being one of the largest groups to attend and perform during the weekend, the crowds that come are diverse and share an excitement for the music scene and the artists, both famous and new to the scene, that will be joining the lineup.
For many, it is not just a chance to gain insight into the music industry through panels, but also to reach new audiences and connect with professionals who could potentially hire for internships or even jobs.
“The founders of LAUNCH envisioned this as a way to launch the careers of regional artists and such,” said Dr. Young. “What happens is regional artists can apply to play and perform there, and so they can get the experience but also promote their bands, and hopefully launch their career.”
Taking Classroom Knowledge to the Stage
As part of York College’s sponsorship agreement with LAUNCH, York College students volunteer at the event and help ensure the weekend runs smoothly.
“YCP pays a sponsorship, so that we’re one of the named sponsors,” Dr. Young said. “And part of that means that we get a lot of free passes for students to not only go and work the show, but also attend.”
The volunteers are organized by student leaders, such as JD and Tyler Herling-Nilsson ‘27, who is the COO of the York Music Group. They help ensure students get the most out of their experience.
For students, one of the most vital aspects of being at LAUNCH is that it is connected to course requirements, where volunteering is part of their class assignments. Specifically, two courses call on their students to volunteer: Live Sound Reinforcement and Entertainment and Promotion, which teach students how to work with much of the equipment they often handle when setting up for bands and musicians.
Tyler shared that the first time he worked at LAUNCH, he assisted with door duty and ticket sales, scanning people into the convention center, and helping manage the flow of attendees. As the weekend went on, Tyler was given more responsibilities and even helped with some of the music performances.
“I thought it was a great starting point to get the flow of everything, and I think it was the third day, I was able to stagehand and help actively set up bands in between acts, and help with the process,” Tyler said.
Some of the other jobs that were handled at the event included:
- Live Stage Handing - helping the stage managers and live sound engineers move equipment and set things up for the performing artist(s).
- Stage Managers - communicating with and organizing the stagehands on what to work on to get the next band on and off the stage
- Live Sound Engineers - working the mixing board, employing techniques they learned in their classes in order to make sound as best as possible for the artists and serve their needs; commonly, a position where students run at least one point during the festival
- Other Positions - Security, Loading Equipment In and Out of Venues, etc.
Preparing to Enter the World of Music
Although it is required for some students in the music departments on campus to volunteer at LAUNCH, they always walk away from the experience expressing what an amazing weekend it was. Not only did they have the chance to use everything they had learned in their classes, but they also got to attend panels about the music industry and even play on stage for live audiences.
“The opportunity that I was able to achieve coming to LAUNCH was incredible!” shared Adam Chojnacki ‘27, a past LAUNCH volunteer. “Learning about how the music business works from the big panels was an eye-opener!”
Another past volunteer, Hayley Curtis ‘26, echoed their sentiments. “Getting to go to LAUNCH and help where I could was an awesome experience. It is super cool to see another side of the music industry from an outside perspective. Seeing the dedication and hard work put into this event by YCP students is very inspiring.”
Because of LAUNCH, students can sometimes form connections that lead to work after college. Whether it’s through gaining the necessary experience or meeting the right people, students can take the skills they’ve learned and demonstrate how they apply to real-life situations in the music industry.
As a result, dozens of people involved with LAUNCH have entered employment agreements, internships, performance contracts, recording contracts, and more.
For example, places like the Appell Center for the Performing Arts and Production Express look for individuals with the ability to help work with sound or who are familiar with loading and rigging equipment. Because of York College's connections to such places, students can apply what they’ve learned in the field and thrive. For a few, it can even be the stepping stone needed to break into the industry, whether it’s performing on stage or working backstage.
“There are lots of students, alumni, and such who can trace their development and such in terms of where they’re working now to this relationship,” said Dr. Young.
“Our hope is that having that bona fide experience, they wouldn’t have been forced to start at the base entry level in their career pursuit,” Weiss said. “It’s really nice to have something tangible that you can say, ‘I’ve already done this. I’m ready to work.’ And in my experience, hearing back from some students, it’s been very helpful.
The students are aware of the possibilities available to them through the festival and ensure they use it as a full-on learning experience, gaining a better understanding of music technology and the business side of the industry. Others use it to break into the scene with their bands and music.
JD’s band, Eastwood Drive, played last year at Tellus 360. At LAUNCH this year, they secured a new stage.
“This year, we’ll be playing inside the conference center, and we’re one of the 10 featured artists,” JD said. “So we’ve already climbed the ladder a bit within the festival. I can’t overstate enough how much opportunity the event has given me because I got that as well as a multitude of other gigs that my band has played last year - over 15 that I can all draw back to connections I made at LAUNCH, which is pretty cool. As well as music tech jobs that I’ve worked, I got from Launch.”
Overall, students interested in pursuing music as a career, both on and off the stage, are given plentiful opportunities to do so. York College is thrilled with the excitement and dedication the student volunteers show every year to making the festival a success, as well as how they choose to use the experience to enhance their education. The music industry offers many ways for anyone interested to get involved; it’s just a matter of gaining the right knowledge and putting in the work to find the right connections.
“This is a unique idea at a unique event, and I think it’s worked out really well,” Weiss said. “I’m very happy about it and the benefits that it gives both the conference and the students.”
Photo Credit: Kai Kane ‘26
