On September 30, multi-platinum rock band Linkin Park hosted a Grammy SoundChecks event for Grammy University Network students, a Grammy Foundation program that prepares students for careers in the music industry. Vocalist Mike Shinoda and guitarist Brad Delson invited a handful of Southern California college students into the recording studio for a question-and-answer session and demonstration of the band's writing/recording process. Using smash hit single "New Divide", which spent an incredible 14 weeks atop the Billboard Modern Rock Radio Chart, as an example, the band offered the students insight into the way LINKIN PARK crafts its songs.

"Meeting the group made me wish I had been a part of a program like Grammy U when I was in college," says Shinoda. "Brad and I talked about it afterward and were impressed by the kids and their curiosity about the process and the direction of the industry. These are students who are immersed in a fresh new world of music, both artistically and professionally. They had a great sense of energy."

One of the most successful rock bands to emerge this decade, LINKIN PARK (vocalists Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda, drummer Rob Bourdon, guitarist Brad Delson, DJ Joe Hahn and bassist Dave "Phoenix" Farrell) has amassed more than 45 million worldwide sales, a remarkable string of chart-topping hit singles, a pair of Grammy wins, and an international fanbase whose members number in the millions.