Hello BeatNest friends and family!
I’m excited to announce that we have some new class offerings starting this October 17th! I will finally be opening up group sessions! There will be classes for two age groups: one for 8-11 year olds and another for 12-15 year olds. These weekly classes will run until December, giving students the opportunity to collaborate with their friends and work on individual projects, covering a wide range of topics. I absolutely love it when my students come together to create music, as it allows them to blend different ideas and perspectives. These classes will be perfect for beginners who have never taken a class before, as well as my regular private students who may be looking to meet kids with similar interests and create music together. I’m looking forward to seeing some new and familiar faces! Sign Up Here!
Summer ended on a tremendous note with the conclusion of our first summer camp. I couldn’t have asked for a better first year! It was a great mix of new and returning students, and we all came together to work on fresh, exciting projects. I was thrilled that some of my veteran students who take private classes were able to meet other kids who shared similar interests and collaborate under unique circumstances.
For our first themed day, the kids learned to DJ, starting with an introduction to scratching records. We did a fun exercise where each student had the chance to freestyle scratch over hip-hop beats, taking turns eight bars at a time. Next, we learned to mix tracks together, focusing on cueing and beatmatching with the DJ controllers. Students were paired up to create a short DJ mix, making notes of the tracks they wanted to include in their performance, which culminated in a 30-minute dance party at the end of the activity!
Our next themed day welcomed Jackson Whalan, an accomplished rapper, performer, and songwriter, who guided us through the process of writing a rap song! Some kids were fully invested in the songwriting process, while others were more interested in the engineering side, which worked out perfectly. We divided the camp into a songwriting team and a production team. Jackson helped the kids develop a theme for the song, which evolved into a hook and rap lyrics for the verses. Everyone took turns rapping the lyrics, resulting in a collaborative team effort. Hear the track!
On another day, we took a mini field trip to the Pittsfield Common, where the kids were split into teams of two and sent on a scavenger hunt to collect a variety of different sounds using a handheld field recorder. The Common turned out to be a great place for this activity, with its playground, open field, basketball court, and even a water park providing plenty of unique sounds to sample. Once the teams had gathered their sounds, we returned to camp and incorporated them into their music! It was amazing to see the different directions each student’s project took!
I can’t wait to do it all again next year!
P.S. There’s another showcase coming up this winter!
– Geoffrey
