During GRAMMY Camp®, high school students interested in becoming involved in the music business learn from industry professionals how to use their skills towards a career in music. All the participating students will leave Camp with a greater knowledge and passion for their respective fields of interest in the music business. But it is not only the kids who are finding guidance for their involvement in the music business; several of the counselors have mentioned that they have been given new inspiration to their careers in the business.
“It’s great to see how driven everybody is because it took me a while to figure out that this was what I wanted to do," says counselor Kellyn Robison. "Music was always a part of my life, but I didn’t realize I wanted to make a career out of it. To see how driven everybody here already is, it’s amazing! It is really inspiring! I try to write songs myself, so it makes me want to go write some more songs. Their talent is unbelievable, I’m really excited to see the combos come together with the singer-songwriters and see what they come up with for the final performance.”
I also spoke to David Edwards, who was impressed by both the quality of the equipment that the students were given access to and the abilities of the students in the performing tracks.
“Well, I knew that there were going to be different tracks and everybody was going to be educated and learn more about their tracks, but I had no idea about the amount of hands-on experience that everybody was going to get," said Edwards. "Just the Electronic Music Production lab is amazing! Every student in there gets their own module to work on and learn all about the the ins and outs of midi controls and production tips they need. The singer-songwriters blew me away with how talented they are; not only with their instruments, but with their vocal techniques and style. I think I high expectations, but they exceeded them with everything they’ve done so far."
Several members of the staff and counselors, like both Robinson and Ben Kann, originally lived and worked in Nashville, Tennessee before coming to California to work at GRAMMY Camp.
"I first heard about GRAMMY Camp through the Recording Academy in Nashville," said Kann. "I used to volunteer for them at various events. A lady by the name of Lorie Hodge told me about the camp and she recommended that I apply. So I applied, and it was a great blessing and I am very grateful that I got in!”
"Well, I’m from Nashville as well," Robinson added. "And I got involved with GRAMMY Camp the same way as Ben did; by volunteering at the Recording Academy and working at different events that they had. I worked at soundchecks and stuff, and I met a lot of people through that. They suggested I apply, and so now, here I am!
So, as you can see, the kids enrolled in Camp aren’t the only ones learning and getting inspired during Camp. The staff and counselors have found the Campers’ determination and skill to be a new source of inspiration.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Brand Yourself By Dertrick Winn
Tonight one of GRAMMY Camp’s key sponsors came to GRAMMY Camp® to talk about the importance of branding yourself and staying true to your art and purpose for making music.
Scott Nelson and Dan Cherry, leading members of Converse and Anomaly Communications respectively were both part of the project team that helped get every GRAMMY Camper one of their very own pair of custom Converse Chuck Taylors.
Although Converse is a clothing brand whose product appeals more to the visual aspect of artistic expression, The Chuck Taylor is an iconic shoe that has been worn by some of the most legendary and unique artists in the music industry, like the Strokes' Julian Casablancas, Pharrell, and Andre 3000. As well as the shoe being a part of music history, Converse now serves as a catalyst for promoting the creative music of the future. The attention of the combined talent that is GRAMMY Camp was now focused on these two speakers who, we soon found out were a lot like us.
Dan Cherry is the Managing Director of Brand Strategy at Anomaly Communications, a media company purposed to spreading positivity and creativity in the world of music and entertainment. Dan Cherry started off as a college student attending school with a basketball scholarship, but ended up not being able to play due to a serious knee injury. He spent his first day of college on crutches, spending the first of his college days entirely different that he expected. “I wasn’t playing basketball, wasn’t going to parties, just sitting in my room, depressed.”
Though this seemed to be an unfortunate predicament, it was during his alone time that he came up with the concept for what today is known as the And 1 basketball media production company, which he describes as “Like a skate video, but with basketball moves." The And 1 projects consisted of recordings of talented athletes touring the States playing street basketball accompanied by energetic music that served as a theme for this entertaining show. These productions became known as the And 1 Mixtapes, and were released in several volumes that achieved critical success to street basketball fans everywhere. “I took my passion for basketball and music and found a way to combine the two," says Cherry. Though he feels he has no musical talents, his And 1 project has displayed talented musicians through these Mixtapes.
Scott Nelson is the Director of Advertising at Converse. His job is to oversee all of the marketing actions being taken in by the brand, including work with artists who do music and commercials for Converse. He made it clear that Converse only works with artists who are true to themselves and are original. “They all started out just like you,” Says Nelson, “Use your talent to create something powerful and respectful.”
Scott Nelson and Dan Cherry, leading members of Converse and Anomaly Communications respectively were both part of the project team that helped get every GRAMMY Camper one of their very own pair of custom Converse Chuck Taylors.
Although Converse is a clothing brand whose product appeals more to the visual aspect of artistic expression, The Chuck Taylor is an iconic shoe that has been worn by some of the most legendary and unique artists in the music industry, like the Strokes' Julian Casablancas, Pharrell, and Andre 3000. As well as the shoe being a part of music history, Converse now serves as a catalyst for promoting the creative music of the future. The attention of the combined talent that is GRAMMY Camp was now focused on these two speakers who, we soon found out were a lot like us.
Dan Cherry is the Managing Director of Brand Strategy at Anomaly Communications, a media company purposed to spreading positivity and creativity in the world of music and entertainment. Dan Cherry started off as a college student attending school with a basketball scholarship, but ended up not being able to play due to a serious knee injury. He spent his first day of college on crutches, spending the first of his college days entirely different that he expected. “I wasn’t playing basketball, wasn’t going to parties, just sitting in my room, depressed.”
Though this seemed to be an unfortunate predicament, it was during his alone time that he came up with the concept for what today is known as the And 1 basketball media production company, which he describes as “Like a skate video, but with basketball moves." The And 1 projects consisted of recordings of talented athletes touring the States playing street basketball accompanied by energetic music that served as a theme for this entertaining show. These productions became known as the And 1 Mixtapes, and were released in several volumes that achieved critical success to street basketball fans everywhere. “I took my passion for basketball and music and found a way to combine the two," says Cherry. Though he feels he has no musical talents, his And 1 project has displayed talented musicians through these Mixtapes.
Scott Nelson is the Director of Advertising at Converse. His job is to oversee all of the marketing actions being taken in by the brand, including work with artists who do music and commercials for Converse. He made it clear that Converse only works with artists who are true to themselves and are original. “They all started out just like you,” Says Nelson, “Use your talent to create something powerful and respectful.”
Campers Learn How To Stay True To Themselves By Jenay Ross
GRAMMY Camp® is the perfect place for Campers to develop their own sense of identity as an artist. A huge common bond the Campers share is the dream of taking their love of music to the next level, but being successful and unique in the industry can be a tricky task to take on.
In this day in age, musicians have to compete against hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people who are striving to make it big. It can be tough for musicians to break away from sounding like artists who have already been there and played that. According to second-year Camper, Ajani Nanabuluku, “Real talent isn’t judged like it used to be.” Today, songs can sound so alike that it can be difficult to distinguish one from another, but many of them manage to become one-hit wonders. A question that should be on everyone’s mind is how do artists put their own twist on things to place themselves on a higher level than everyone else? The most popular answer from Campers and guest speakers has been to stay true to oneself.
Pianist James Trotter admires David Foster, describing him as a “genius,” and would love to be like him. Even though he uses Foster as his role model, Trotter will always act like himself and only himself. “I try to stay true to my roots and my morals,” said Trotter.
Aside from finding their own niche musically and creating a unique identity, it is important for musicians to not only dedicate themselves to their craft, but to become knowledgeable in the other aspects of the industry. Brandon Woodward, a drummer, has gained a great understanding about how to make a living out of playing drums. While Woodward has gained a pretty solid foundation in most genres, he knows there is always room to grow. He is aspiring to go above and beyond and he said, “I will do so by not limiting myself.” He wants to get into the different types of production of music and is interested in being a part of the creative process as a whole. Being diverse, hard-working, and original is the key to branching out and making things happen.
In this day in age, musicians have to compete against hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people who are striving to make it big. It can be tough for musicians to break away from sounding like artists who have already been there and played that. According to second-year Camper, Ajani Nanabuluku, “Real talent isn’t judged like it used to be.” Today, songs can sound so alike that it can be difficult to distinguish one from another, but many of them manage to become one-hit wonders. A question that should be on everyone’s mind is how do artists put their own twist on things to place themselves on a higher level than everyone else? The most popular answer from Campers and guest speakers has been to stay true to oneself.
Pianist James Trotter admires David Foster, describing him as a “genius,” and would love to be like him. Even though he uses Foster as his role model, Trotter will always act like himself and only himself. “I try to stay true to my roots and my morals,” said Trotter.
Aside from finding their own niche musically and creating a unique identity, it is important for musicians to not only dedicate themselves to their craft, but to become knowledgeable in the other aspects of the industry. Brandon Woodward, a drummer, has gained a great understanding about how to make a living out of playing drums. While Woodward has gained a pretty solid foundation in most genres, he knows there is always room to grow. He is aspiring to go above and beyond and he said, “I will do so by not limiting myself.” He wants to get into the different types of production of music and is interested in being a part of the creative process as a whole. Being diverse, hard-working, and original is the key to branching out and making things happen.
Meeting The GRAMMY Camp® Faculty By Shawn Handy
To start off the week in GRAMMY Camp® my fellow Campers and I gathered in Booth 100 for the Meet The Faculty panel, a very well-rounded and beneficial talk for myself and my peers. Every speaker said something very important but one quote that stood out to me that I’m sure everyone has heard before is "Networking and staying connected is very important," from Student Life Coordinator Gary Shields. I believe that this quote is helpful because when you are trying to become successful in anything you plan on doing it is very important to network, build relationships.
Another quote that I’m sure took fear out of a lot of people including myself was by Senior Director David Sears. "Fear is a wonderful thing, but it's also a terrible thing." What he is saying is that fear is only good when you are not afraid to be different. Fear is bad when you have the gift to sing and there are record companies present but you are nervous.
"As a music journalist, you can help elevate someone’s career," was said by our very own Steve Baltin. It was a thought shared by all of the faculty, who are here to help elevate our careers.
Another quote that I’m sure took fear out of a lot of people including myself was by Senior Director David Sears. "Fear is a wonderful thing, but it's also a terrible thing." What he is saying is that fear is only good when you are not afraid to be different. Fear is bad when you have the gift to sing and there are record companies present but you are nervous.
"As a music journalist, you can help elevate someone’s career," was said by our very own Steve Baltin. It was a thought shared by all of the faculty, who are here to help elevate our careers.
Monday, July 12, 2010
At GRAMMY Camp® Music Tastes As Eclectic As Campers By Julian Ring
GRAMMY Camp® is a place for people who love music. However, the term “music” is quite a general one; it contains many styles and genres within it. Along with these various forms of music come many faces and acts from all different backgrounds. The beauty of GRAMMY Camp is the diversity of not only the students who attend it, but the variety of people who inspire them to do their best.
Electronic music production student Kamari Carter cites his biggest influences as renowned DJ and producer Deadmau5. Kamari refers to an interview he saw in which Deadmau5 described his unique style. “He doesn’t like how in old house and trance music, you can tell the next eight beats, 16 beats, 32 beats. He despises that. He tries to mix up everything and he tries to make a completely new sound.”
John Bassel, who is at camp as a combo bassist, has different tastes in music. “My biggest influence would probably be John Entwistle (bass player for The Who).” According to Bassel, Rancid bassist Matt Freeman was an early inspiration, and through him, Bassel learned to play many of the greatest punk basslines by ear. “And John Entwistle influenced him, so I moved up to listening to The Who, and I started figuring out those bass parts, too.” As opposed to Kamari Carter’s taste for cutting-edge electronic music , Bassel prefers tried-and-true rock 'n’ roll. “That’s basically how I learned how to play bass,” he explains.
For combo guitarist Cody Tripp, it’s all about music from the Southern United States. “I try to be as open as I can about playing everything, but I guess my background is more in rock, blues, and country.” When citing major influences, Cody immediately lists Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Steve Gaines, for his “Texas swing-style playing. I also like Stevie Ray Vaughn because of how much soul he’s got.” Cody says he hopes to continue the guitar as a form of musical expression. “I’d like to try teaching, or studio work, or just playing around,” he says.
While these are only three examples, it is clear that musical tastes and influences vary among campers. From electronic beats and rhymes to rock 'n’ roll, to blues and country, GRAMMY Camp is a place for students from many musical backgrounds and with styles that range across the board.
Electronic music production student Kamari Carter cites his biggest influences as renowned DJ and producer Deadmau5. Kamari refers to an interview he saw in which Deadmau5 described his unique style. “He doesn’t like how in old house and trance music, you can tell the next eight beats, 16 beats, 32 beats. He despises that. He tries to mix up everything and he tries to make a completely new sound.”
John Bassel, who is at camp as a combo bassist, has different tastes in music. “My biggest influence would probably be John Entwistle (bass player for The Who).” According to Bassel, Rancid bassist Matt Freeman was an early inspiration, and through him, Bassel learned to play many of the greatest punk basslines by ear. “And John Entwistle influenced him, so I moved up to listening to The Who, and I started figuring out those bass parts, too.” As opposed to Kamari Carter’s taste for cutting-edge electronic music , Bassel prefers tried-and-true rock 'n’ roll. “That’s basically how I learned how to play bass,” he explains.
For combo guitarist Cody Tripp, it’s all about music from the Southern United States. “I try to be as open as I can about playing everything, but I guess my background is more in rock, blues, and country.” When citing major influences, Cody immediately lists Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Steve Gaines, for his “Texas swing-style playing. I also like Stevie Ray Vaughn because of how much soul he’s got.” Cody says he hopes to continue the guitar as a form of musical expression. “I’d like to try teaching, or studio work, or just playing around,” he says.
While these are only three examples, it is clear that musical tastes and influences vary among campers. From electronic beats and rhymes to rock 'n’ roll, to blues and country, GRAMMY Camp is a place for students from many musical backgrounds and with styles that range across the board.
GRAMMY® Campers Show Their Musical Diversity By Susan Ewing
Day two of ten, couldn’t be that much to do right? Wrong. With only a half day to prepare, the instrumental and singer tracks were split into random groups and had to get ready for the mini-concert taking place later that night. Not only were they given music hours before the concert, but each group had a specific genre, moving from Ella Fitzgerald and Taylor Swift to the Red Hot Chili Peppers and A Tribe Called Quest too. Sounds like quite a challenge right? It was indeed, but each group handled it very professionally.
Kicking off the mini-concert was a jazz piece created by the great Ella Fitzgerald. With John Bassel on bass, Will Pinson on drums, Cody Tripp on guitar, Ajani Nanabuluku on keyboard, Jim Trotter on piano and Quinn Anex-Ries on saxophone, the group had themselves a pretty solid instrumental section. Showing outstanding harmony with their singing were Taylor Harvey, Katherine Stuber - who also received praise for her scatting - and Savannah Meares.
Up next was a hip-hop song called “Scenario” from A Tribe Called Quest. The 11-member crew had an energy flow throughout the whole performance. “Scenario” isn’t an easy song to master in half a day and despite missing some lyrics and some bringing the lyrics up on stage with them, the rappers sold the performance. The powerful rappers, Casey Barth, Alec Gaston, Chris Borst, Richard Mattox, and Dertrick Winn kept up the energy and got the crowed involved during the performance. Having the supportive instrumental section, with Brandon Combs on drums, Alma Macbride on piano, Evan Philpot on bass, Spencer Gibbs on trumpet, Kristen Castro on guitar, and Danny Wirick on keyboard, also helped with the performance.
Group three, Crop Circle, did Alanis Morissette’s “All I Really Want.” The only group having a violin, played by Kevin Schwarzwald, showed an awesome funky vibe going on. Tara Putorti on bass, Sterling Laws on drums, Giavanna Foster and Taina Spicer on guitar, and Dallas McKinney on keyboard jammed out together. A song full of attitude, the three singers, Sarah Lindstedt, Lena Stein, and Brenna Miles, tried to express the emotion and Brenna successfully portrayed attitude with her short solo in the song.
The number four group to perform also gave themselves a name, The Professor’s Nightmare. Starting with a count off, The Professor’s Nightmare sky rocketed with energy from beginning to end in their performance of Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me.” It was a little extra bonus for the crowd when the three singers, Katie Gavin, Christine Jamra, and Ellie Perleberg, introduced each one of their band members - Travis Werling on bass, Brandon Woodward on drums, Mike Harrison on guitar, Michael Arrom on keyboard, and Jake Botts on saxophone. The crowd got into the performance as they swayed their arms to the music.
The last group to perform, Ballistic Nylon, gave a five-star performance of a Red Hot Chili Peppers song. Ballistic Nylon blew the crowd away with a solo intro played by Gunnar Rolfs on guitar. The five singers, Casey Barth, Alec Gaston, Ryan Jarvis, and Richard Mattox, did their part in harmonizing wonderfully together. The instrumental section kept the relaxed, rock flow going with Daniel Oldham on bass, India Pascucci on drums, Tom Wilson on keyboard and a stand-out horn section with Jonathan Huggins on trombone and Jarrod Booth on trumpet.
The concert showed off the unity of the Camp, with the five bands getting their performances together in a day and the Electronic Music Production setting up all the equipment in an equally short time.
Kicking off the mini-concert was a jazz piece created by the great Ella Fitzgerald. With John Bassel on bass, Will Pinson on drums, Cody Tripp on guitar, Ajani Nanabuluku on keyboard, Jim Trotter on piano and Quinn Anex-Ries on saxophone, the group had themselves a pretty solid instrumental section. Showing outstanding harmony with their singing were Taylor Harvey, Katherine Stuber - who also received praise for her scatting - and Savannah Meares.
Up next was a hip-hop song called “Scenario” from A Tribe Called Quest. The 11-member crew had an energy flow throughout the whole performance. “Scenario” isn’t an easy song to master in half a day and despite missing some lyrics and some bringing the lyrics up on stage with them, the rappers sold the performance. The powerful rappers, Casey Barth, Alec Gaston, Chris Borst, Richard Mattox, and Dertrick Winn kept up the energy and got the crowed involved during the performance. Having the supportive instrumental section, with Brandon Combs on drums, Alma Macbride on piano, Evan Philpot on bass, Spencer Gibbs on trumpet, Kristen Castro on guitar, and Danny Wirick on keyboard, also helped with the performance.
Group three, Crop Circle, did Alanis Morissette’s “All I Really Want.” The only group having a violin, played by Kevin Schwarzwald, showed an awesome funky vibe going on. Tara Putorti on bass, Sterling Laws on drums, Giavanna Foster and Taina Spicer on guitar, and Dallas McKinney on keyboard jammed out together. A song full of attitude, the three singers, Sarah Lindstedt, Lena Stein, and Brenna Miles, tried to express the emotion and Brenna successfully portrayed attitude with her short solo in the song.
The number four group to perform also gave themselves a name, The Professor’s Nightmare. Starting with a count off, The Professor’s Nightmare sky rocketed with energy from beginning to end in their performance of Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me.” It was a little extra bonus for the crowd when the three singers, Katie Gavin, Christine Jamra, and Ellie Perleberg, introduced each one of their band members - Travis Werling on bass, Brandon Woodward on drums, Mike Harrison on guitar, Michael Arrom on keyboard, and Jake Botts on saxophone. The crowd got into the performance as they swayed their arms to the music.
The last group to perform, Ballistic Nylon, gave a five-star performance of a Red Hot Chili Peppers song. Ballistic Nylon blew the crowd away with a solo intro played by Gunnar Rolfs on guitar. The five singers, Casey Barth, Alec Gaston, Ryan Jarvis, and Richard Mattox, did their part in harmonizing wonderfully together. The instrumental section kept the relaxed, rock flow going with Daniel Oldham on bass, India Pascucci on drums, Tom Wilson on keyboard and a stand-out horn section with Jonathan Huggins on trombone and Jarrod Booth on trumpet.
The concert showed off the unity of the Camp, with the five bands getting their performances together in a day and the Electronic Music Production setting up all the equipment in an equally short time.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Open Mic Night Kicks Off GRAMMY Camp® 2010 By Julian Ring
After arriving from all over the country to the first day of GRAMMY Camp® 2010, 81 high school students filed into the Ground Zero Café on the USC campus for an event known as “Open Mic Night.” The night saw Campers onstage to perform various music styles in front of the entire Camp. What followed was a three-hour extravaganza demonstrating the creative talent and potential of the student body. The Singer/Songwriters were a particularly strong presence, with campers such as Katie Gavin playing well-written original compositions. One performance that stood out was that of Carly Gibson, who played a hard-hitting southern love song featuring harmonics and overhand guitar. John Ryan Jarvis’s solo piece was also an enjoyable, simple listen. As the night progressed, many more campers ventured into the limelight. Brenna Miles amazed the crowd with her near-perfect vocal crooning, accompanied by a solemn piano melody.
However, students in the other career tracks were also represented in full force. For example, campers’ admiration for hip-hop music was made apparent in such energetic performances as those of Electronic Music Production’s Kyleel Rolle and Music Journalism’s Dertrick Winn. And to close out the evening, Guitarist Zaccheus Taylor wowed the audience as he soloed with the members of his combo in a cover of B.B. King’s “The Thrill is Gone.”
Campers left Open Mic Night exhausted but excited at the amount of sheer talent they witnessed. It was a great way for songwriters and musicians to share their favorite compositions and covers with the rest of the GRAMMY Camp community.
However, students in the other career tracks were also represented in full force. For example, campers’ admiration for hip-hop music was made apparent in such energetic performances as those of Electronic Music Production’s Kyleel Rolle and Music Journalism’s Dertrick Winn. And to close out the evening, Guitarist Zaccheus Taylor wowed the audience as he soloed with the members of his combo in a cover of B.B. King’s “The Thrill is Gone.”
Campers left Open Mic Night exhausted but excited at the amount of sheer talent they witnessed. It was a great way for songwriters and musicians to share their favorite compositions and covers with the rest of the GRAMMY Camp community.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
