Albino ’20 in Tune with Broadcasting and Recording Internship

A music major, Melo Albino ’20 commits himself to music studies during the school year. And as an intern for Red Roof Records, a broadcasting station and record label, he’s spent the summer continuing that commitment.

At Red Roof Records, which is based in Trinidad and Tobago, Albino shadows business meetings, attends band rehearsals, meets artists who might sign with the label, and does “some of the busywork.” Albino is a member of multiple choirs on campus and the Hamiltones – Hamilton’s co-ed a cappella group –so interning at Red Roof Records exposes him to music in a professional setting.

Albino said that he pursued this internship because he “really wanted to do something with music.” After connecting with relatives in the Caribbean, he learned about Red Roof Records and thought that working with people in the recording industry might help him decide whether he would want to pursue a career in recording. “I just want to know how people in a record label think,” he said.                                                                                      

Albino’s internship has provided him the opportunity to learn more about various music technologies. He said that since beginning the internship, he has worked with applications that help mix and master music and edit videos.

Albino contends that one of the best parts of his internship is hearing the artists perform. He said, “They either come in to share their music or they come in to do a live singing session … so you have all these different types of musicians, different types of instruments.” He explained how there are instruments regularly used in the Caribbean that are not typically played in the United States, which makes the artist sessions more culturally immersive and a part of his learning experience.

One of Albino’s favorite memories from his internship is when he performed Whitney Houston’s “The Greatest Love” at a preschool graduation. Singing the “beautiful song” ultimately allowed him to do what he loves while involving himself in the community.

Albino hopes to use this experience to inform and contribute to his careers after Hamilton. While he does not have any specific job in mind, he knows that he wants to go into the music industry. He concluded, “It wouldn’t be bad if I could one day become a recording artist and go around performing everywhere. That would be the dream.”