Edwin Carranza Expects Everything by Dertrick Winn Jr.

Meet Edwin Carranza, a young musician quite familiar with the GRAMMY Camp® experience. Edwin is participating in the camp under the bass guitar track, but he is also a talented pianist. During his three-year history with the GRAMMY Camp and the GRAMMY Foundation®, Edwin's had the chance to meet some of the industries top performing artists, including Herbie Hancock, Gwyneth Stephon, and more. He's even got a chance to perform at one of the Camp's key events, The Grammy Foundation's Starry Night in 2007, where Quincy Jones was honored for his many achievements in the music industry. "It was a tribute to Quincy Jones, ‘’ says Edwin, “So you saw the best of the best.” Edwin was also provided with another great opportunity while performing at the Camp’s talent showcase. “This producer was here at the showcase, and he was looking for musicians to help put together the [movie] soundtrack for The Dukes of Hazard,” Edwin says. “He basically turned to me and said ‘You’re a young bass player, this would be big for you, so I went for it.”

Like most students returning to the camp, Edwin was very excited on his first day. “The first thing that I was doing when I saw everybody was trying to say hello…trying to get everybody pumped up.” But reflecting on his previous years, Edwin remembers being more nervous than excited. “I remember my first year I was a little timid. It's kind of nerve racking, you see some of the guys who're here their second year [and] it's kind of intimidating.”

GRAMMY Camp is truly an experience that “opens doors” for young artists looking for a career in the industry. Not only do the campers have fun, but they work hard and learn valuable information along the way. When asked what to expect from the camp this year, Edwin replies, "Expect everything, it's the Grammy Foundation, this is what it's for, everybody's trying to win a Grammy and this is the foundation that does it. So with that said anything that the foundation does is legit. You're going to be learning from the top people. And just when you think you're seen it all, something new pops up."