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Q. I'd like to get involved with educating the youth in my community in the music business, and you do a lot of that work already. Can you give us some wisdom from your experience, and how we might get started and what we should avoid in trying to help kids in our community?
A. Educating youth about the music business has been a passion of mine for some time now. Mainly because when I was growing up, and dreaming more than anything else about becoming a successful composer, producer, and songwriter, I had no mentors, resources or role-models to help me understand the realities of what it takes to do what I do in this crazy music industry. Now, I have a son, who at 20-yrs, is following in my footsteps, and is fortunate to have a lot of the groundwork already laid out for him, as he begins his career in music. Unfortunately, very few young people have that same opportunity, and this has been the motivation for providing insight, guidance and positive mentoring to many talented young artists today.
My advice to anyone trying to start such a program in your community is to first find talented artists that are first and foremost serious about their commitment to writing, singing, performance, or their instruments. I have found that when mom or dad are trying to live out their own "failed" aspirations through their child, and the young man or woman is not really self-motivated, it just becomes a waste of time for everyone. It's best to find young talent preferably by referral, say, through a local Jr. High, or High-School music teacher, or perhaps a local church, etc. Often, these individuals already have been showing exceptional talent and promise, and only need to be encouraged and challenged in a greater way.
Next, I suggest creating a simple program for teens that covers a wide variety of subjects related to music, and that can include such topics as stage presence, songwriting, vocal training, basic understanding of contracts, and how to record your own demo, etc. In my case, I joined forces together with a talented artist/vocal-instructor to offer what we call "Music-Pro Teenshops" which includes a 5-week course that meets once-a week on Saturday mornings, and concludes with a short, one-song demo and video taping to help young artists get their "feet wet," so to speak. We are also very candid about the realities of this industry, and don't try to "candy-coat" anything that may not be a realistic perspective about the music business, while at the same time, maintaining a positive outlook, overall. We also started making ourselves available to local schools for their annually scheduled Career-Day functions, where we speak to music/chorale students about pursuing a music career, and this always gets tremendous response.
In the Teenshops, we get to screen the talent more in detail, and determine which ones show exceptional potential. They eventually graduate to more challenging assignments, and ultimately get to record their own demo. We also look for sponsors, via local businesses, schools, churches, studios, music stores, magazines, etc., who help to pay the basic course-fee, which covers the essential expenses of materials, and recording. This is especially important if you come across young talent from very low-income areas, and who simply are unable to afford the course.
The results have been overwhelming, and both the students as well as the parents seem to see the results.
Finally, those children or teens that show an abundance of talent and potential need to be referred to a producer, studio, or other possible contact so that they have a sense of vision for their career and future. In the long-run, those that are truly dedicated, and serious about a career in music will at the least feel a sense of support, encouragement, and camaraderie from other talented young artists. They can potentially become the next great music superstars in our industry, and there is nothing more satisfying than to know that you had a hand in the early stages of their blossoming career!!