The Craziest Two Hours By Allie Spice

What can you do in two hours? Twelve talented songwriters wrote a song in that small time allotted to them. At GRAMMY Camp® this year, the songwriters were used as guinea pigs, so to say, and had to try something that was never done before at Camp. Each writer was paired up with either one or two other writers and were given the challenging task of writing the lyrics and music of an original composition, based off of another song.

GRAMMY Camp has never tried this unique technique of songwriting and each student took it in stride and did a fantastic job. They had only known their partners for a day and wrote with such emotion. Each song flowed in a way that seemed like the partners had known each other for much longer than they actually did. The new songs were responses to commonly known songs that had won a GRAMMY in the past. Chris Sampson, the instructor for the songwriting track, called this exercise, "Filling an old bottle with new wine." That meaning: take something from another song and then make it your own. Each of these students did that, but spun it on it's head. If you listened to the original songs and then the responses, you could really understand that they were meant to be a pairing.

"I think the hardest thing was having to fit the stylistic element of the song. My group had the Motown song and so we had to get the groove and everything, and that was difficult because we all have different styles and when we were writing, our styles would sort of bleed into what we were writing and it was a really cool experience," Camper John Nichols said. In every new song that was played by the songwriters, their own styles would definitely show in the song.

When asking the Campers what they thought of the short and mind-blowing process, the responses were as such, like from Elise Go. "Yeah, of course. It was different, but totally worth it," and,"No doubt. Yes I would do it again." This just shows that even in a difficult and different situations, these teenagers still loved it and would repeat the process. Do we know what GRAMMY Camp will do next with their Campers?

GRAMMY® Camp's Creativity Panel Inspires and Surprises By Ben LoPiccolo

"What is creativity?" began Tom Sturges at the start of GRAMMY® Camp's creativity panel, held at the Carson Soundstage at USC's Thornton School of Music. Joining the head of Creative Publishing for Universal Music was Lamont Dozier, partly responsible for shaping Motown's iconic sound and penning an incredible 64 number one hits, and Candice Nelson, one-fifth of songwriting/production collective The Clutch, recently most recognizable for working with artists such as Britney Spears and Mary J. Blige. For the next two hours, the panel offered some valuable insight to campers regarding the creative process in writing and presenting an admirable finished product. Throughout the session, one point that was stressed the most was the endless amount of possibilities there are to start the flow of a new song. Sturges introduced several thinking exercises, ("What is ____," "10 things to do with a _____") while Dozier inspired the group with his views on being a conscious listener. Talking about "eavesdropping on the world," he revealed that his "Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch" hook actually came from memories of his flirtatious grandfather talking to young women outside of his family's beauty shop. Nelson added to the conversation with her experiences on collaborating with artists of differing genres, stating that she prefers to immerse herself in the type of music for a few days before she begins to write. Having different perspectives on many types of situations turned out to be especially helpful to each student, seeing as multiple styles of work ethic had already become clear in the first three days of Camp. From that point, the panel was open to Camper questions, a good deal regarding the difficulties that being creative poses. "There's no such thing as writer's block, that just means you're lazy!" Dozier joked during a response. "I may take a break, but the song will stay in the back of my mind, and I'm always working." The comment aroused a few laughs, but his staunch philosophy proved to have paid off -- the charts don't lie! "If you're going to be creative, you've gotta hear what's out there," Mr. Sturges continued, revisiting Lamont's theory. "We're not just talking about songwriters or symphonists, we're talking about any creative field." As if the three visitors' input wasn't enough, Sturges introduced a surprising twist: his two colleagues would take to the piano and craft a song for the entire Camp to listen. After some student involvement, a collective decision was made for the tune to, in theory, be written as a duet for Beyonce and Ray Charles. Dozier immediately began plinking chords while Nelson hummed on top, quickly creating a melody while their audience watched in awe. Minutes later, lyrics began to surface, the two trading off lovelorn lines that eventually arrived at an infectious, soul-drenched hook. "Lonely since you've been gone / Please come home," they crooned, playing their last note to a standing ovation. Ending the night with some industry insider hints from Sturges, the panel left each Camper inspired and ready to begin the composition of their own original songs the next day.

Waking Up With KTLA Morning News By Ryley Mueller

Waking up at four a.m. is not how I usually like to start my day, but this morning I was given the opportunity to be featured on "KTLA Morning News" along with my fellow Music Journalists; Alexandrea Kern, Mia Lepp, Allison Spice, and Ben LoPiccolo. We all traveled to Carson Hall to film the third segment KTLA has aired about the GRAMMY Camp® program.

Students, staff, and KTLA broadcasters and electronic technicians gathered to capture the Campers in the most real state of mind. I had no idea what to expect but I was ready to be myself and speak about my experiences thus far.

The band, Lena Stein and Luke Niccoli of the Songwriter track, Bass' Satarra Troutman, Keyboard's Evan Rees, and Guitar's Ben Glasser, started playing a catchy country-pop song, "Summer Love," that, despite the early hour, sounded well rehearsed and soon the band had the room full of their rich sound.

I was primarily taking photos and video of the band while the other Journalists interviewed, took notes, and recorded the event. I was able to get up front shots of Stein and Niccoli, and film some video of the band. I was truly impressed by the talent they all displayed.

KTLA highlighted the Audio Engineers, as well. It was really cool to be able to show the world (or the greater LA area) this amazing Camp. Allie MacKay, a reporter for KTLA, talked to us about our skills, what we love about GRAMMY Camp and how we work with musicians.

I have always been interested in the broadcasting portion of journalism, so for me to actually be on the news was very exciting.

Lena Stein Graduates From GRAMMY Camp® To Nashville By Ryley Mueller

Lena Stein, an 18-year-old singer/songwriter from Carlisle, Massachusetts, is one of the few students invited back for another year of GRAMMY Camp®. Stein traveled to the University of Southern California in Los Angeles for her second year of GRAMMY Camp. Being a part of the Songwriting career track has Stein writing every day.

“I’ve seen a lot of changes in the Songwriting program so far. We got right into writing [on the first day]. We’ve all written two songs so far and we’re writing another one this afternoon; which is way more than last year," Stein says. "It’s a lot more writing and the process behind it, rather than just performing.”

For Stein, music has always been a part of her life. From being a young child to playing today, Stein has a strong musical background and passion for music.

“Ask my dad, I sang before I spoke. My whole family is all really musical. My grandma wrote songs and my dad was a musician, so I always had music around me.”

Having the creative outlet seemed natural for Stein. Being able to express herself helped her throughout harsh high school years.

“I love music. My parents made a point to have me listening to good music when I was young so I could have a good musical background," she says. "Third grade was the first time I actually remember writing. I started taking it seriously in high school and it was that outlet for me to be able to say, ‘Hey, this guy’s a jerk’ or ‘I’m so ready to get out of this town’."

Stein keeps a steady view of her dreams. With a four-track country demo out and two years of GRAMMY Camp under her belt, she has no intention of stopping any time soon.

“I see myself living in Nashville [in five years]. I’m actually moving there for college in five weeks, I’m super excited to be there and country music is my thing. Education is big for me, so I want to integrate myself in the music scene and continue school. I’d love to start recording, get signed and continue with music.”

Bass Standout Satarra Troutman By Ben LoPiccolo

Satarra Troutman stands out in GRAMMY® Camp's 2011 week in Los Angeles for more reasons than simply the fact that she happens to be the only female bassist, or guitarist in general for that matter. Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, the young woman has talent that's just as attention grabbing as the bright green streaks in her hair.

Not only can she keep a tune on her bass, she's got piano and vocal chops too, the latter something that she attributes to her church choir upbringing. "I kind of enjoy being the leader," she says. With that determined dynamic, Satarra spent a day providing the low-frequency groove for her group's rendition of the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back." Feet tapping and body rocking back and forth, she even earned positive feedback on her performance from one of Camp's toughest critics, Sr. Director David Sears.

GRAMMY ® Campers Make A Connection At Mini-Concert By Alexandrea Kern

The first official performance of GRAMMY Camp ® came last night with the Mini-Concert, a two and a half hour showcase dubbed "Through The Genres." The diverse range of music, from country and pop to rock and jazz, made Sunday night's show inspiring.

The vocalists and instrumentalists were given a song to learn in only two days. And the songwriters were assigned to write their interpretation of the song, or as described by Songwriting instructor Chris Sampson, "Filling an old wine bottle with new wine." After each song, our exceptional instructors shared advice with the campers.

A big trend from the instructors' wisdom was making a "connection." The connection between members in a band is crucial to the music. Whether it's keeping tempo or staying tight musically, having a good connection with your fellow members is what keeps the music going. "I think it helps people get into it more," says the Songwriting track's Lena Stein of that musical bond.

Though this was a difficult task being that they've only known each other for two days, many groups that performed had that chemistry. Two of the vocalists, Brandon Martinez and Alexandra Stern, sang Gretchen Wilson's melancholy "When I Think About Cheating." When asked how they kept such a good rapport throughout the entire performance hardly knowing each other, Brandon said it was from, "Constantly thinking about emotions and thinking about past heartbreaks." Just as it's important to connect with the other members of the band, its important to reach the audience. The Goldman Combo did just that.

Austin Zudeck, front man of the Goldman Combo, amazed the entire audience with his unique and edgy voice during his performance of "The Pretender," by the Foo Fighters. Singing to the front row and inviting everyone to sing along made his performance even more fun. Evan Rees, keyboardist for the Goldman Combo, ran through the audience, giving us high fives.

Starting GRAMMY® Camp Off On The Right Tune By Mia Lepp

As we walked into Ground Zero for open mic night the smell of fresh brewed coffee filled the air. All our attention was automatically brought to the stage by the purple, red, and yellow spotlights. The first performance was by none other than the music gurus who are teaching the GRAMMY® Campers. They set the mood at Ground Zero, getting everyone’s head bobbing to the upbeat melody and inspiring the other Campers to sign up, because by the end of their performance the list was up to 35 people!

The night was then followed by a wide range of different performers singing their original songs, like Austin Taylor Zudeck, who surprised us all with his powerful voice and the way he conveyed the emotions of his lyrics to the audience, along with others like Sarah Lindstedt, Vikki Pritchard, Jack Rodenburg, and Elise Go. Others sung covers of already popular tunes, such as Kashish Shamsi doing "Nobody" by Alicia Keys, Danny Wirick, with "Sunday" by Maroon 5, and Brandon Martinez, who turned Justin Bieber's "Baby" into a sweet and heartfelt tune that got us singing along. Some of the performers who shocked everyone were Bria Kelly and her powerful blues song, Bj Monk with his moving piano piece, the No Name band, who had an upbeat sound with incredible bass solos, and Michael Arrom, whose instrumental piano playing was jaw dropping. There were also a lot of rappers that performed at open mic night, like Geo Quattrochi and Malik Rodgers.

Even though all of the artist were being cheered on before and after they went on, the MC, Brandon Roberson, kept the crowd pumped in between songs or when the performers were setting up by telling jokes or reminding us to tweet about GRAMMY Camp to make it the trendiest topic on Twitter. The night ended with GRAMMY Camp's own dub step performance by Brandon Holt and Tanner Grandstaff.

Check out footage shot and edited by Music Journalism's own Ryley Mueller.