As the summer approached and school winded down, a small set of students at Freedom and Liberty high schools experienced a challenge completely unlike course finals.

Through their marketing classes and an experimental partnership with ArtsQuest, these young men and women recruited and signed musical acts for upcoming Musikfest.

The brainchild of Superintendent of Curriculum Dr. Jack Silva and ArtsQuest administrators, the program led 10th through 12th-graders from classwork and theory to the reality of professional entertainment booking.

ArtsQuest Vice President of Performing Arts Patrick Brogan said Musikfest may be ideal for gaining student interest. "Musikfest is a great platform to use with high school kids. It's something they get. They know it; they've been there, they've done it, they've seen it. It's not like you're taking them to a factory that sells widgets – it has relevance to their life. Musikfest is interesting. It's in their social structure already."

He said the structure began with one question; "How can we get some arts content into schools?"

Brogan explained Silva considered the idea with ArtsQuest President Jeff Parks and Vice President for Community Partnerships Julie Benjamin, and they eventually decided to show the students what the business was like and grant them, probably for the first time in their lives, real-world responsibilities and goals.

Rob Petrosky, who ran the unusual new marketing course at Freedom HS, likened the experience to an internship. "This class has been a great experience for both myself and the students. It's different from the other classes I teach, because I'm more of a supervisor in this class. I want to the students to do the work and come up with their own ideas. I want them to experience the ups and downs of this process. I want to see them be able to overcome their mistakes."

Brogan said participation in the program may be fun and educational, but the life experience aspect cannot be overstated. "I think everyone in the event industry came up through real-world experience. This is a safe environment for them to get some experience with this kind of concept."

Throughout the semester the classes heard guest speakers and were shown how to generate social media and write press releases. They also saw how negotiations really work and the countless details that go into booking a single show. "This is an email thread where we make an offer, and this is what an offer looks like and here's how we treat [the bands]," Brogan said, and the students then had to do the work – serious work.

One group of students booked Daylight, which is represented by The Agency Group, one of the top booking agencies in the world, Brogan said. "This is a fairly serious agent, at a fairly serious agency, that they approached and successfully and booked a show at Musikfest."

And Brogan also wanted to dispel any myth that performances or stages booked by the students were less than top-tier. "We're talking about Plaza Tropical – for ArtsQuest it's kind of prime time real estate for stages and [show] times. The spots they had to fill were fairly significant. We wanted them to do the most with the opportunity.

"It's a credit. They maneuvered the system well enough to get it to work."

Freedom student David Seaman, who will be a senior this fall, said he was attracted to the class because it was so different from other business courses and it appeared to be a good experience. "What surprised me was how long it takes to make Musikfest happen. Also, what they have to do to accomplish a great show. It helped me understand how real world marketing and business works.

"I wish I could take this class again," Seaman said.Brogan said the students were treated no differently than ArtsQuest employees; open and constant communication was key to keeping the students learning and on-task. "The teachers were great through the whole process, and certainly we had questions going back and forth at all times of the day on iPhones and Blackberries up until whatever time at night. It was much like the business world – constant communication."

"I think everyone at ArtsQues who went into it had a very rewarding experience, passing on the real-world experience so they can have it as well."

Brogan said the experimental program bested all of his personal expectations. "There were certainly challenges that had pitfall potential, but it came together smoothly. I could not be more thrilled with their selections."

Brogan said several students from the first class have shown interest in the field. He stopped short of saying these students might be offered recommendations or internships, but he said they will be keeping an open dialog. There will be a recap after Musikfest to help determine if the program will be offered again.