WAV: We Amplify Voices

Enjoy this special episode featuring the full track of 'Fear Not.' You can listen to more original WAV songs (https://open.spotify.com/artist/7M63Fordw9j5Jv5crPJdoj?si=DKhC44kwQVmMs2PkanPpzQ) from our student workshops on Spotify. Workshop produced and hosted by WAV (We Amplify Voices) (https://weamplifyvoices.org). Written by C, Kristen, A, Jadah, Josh, J, Leon, Harlem, and Destiny. Vocals by Cassius Keys and Amber Nicole. Produced by Glenn Davis (https://www.glenndavisaudio.com) and Nick D'Andrea. Recorded at Oranjudio Studios (http://oranjudio.com) in Columbus, Ohio. Podcast produced by Crate Media (https://crate.media).

Throughout this season, you’ve heard a group of middle school kids writing a song called Fear Not, with some guidance from WAV Executive Director Nick D’Andrea. They came up with the theme, the style, and the lyrics, then Nick took all of that and recorded a demo of the song.  In this episode, the kids sit down with the demo for the first time and give their feedback, acting as the producers for the final version of the song that we’ll record in studio. We write some new lyrics, change up the structure, and pick what musicians we want to help bring it to life behind the mics. This is collaborative songwriting in action, and we invite you to listen in. Learn more and get involved at (https://www.weamplifyvoices.org). You can listen to more original WAV songs (https://open.spotify.com/artist/7M63Fordw9j5Jv5crPJdoj?si=DKhC44kwQVmMs2PkanPpzQ) from our student workshops on Spotify. Workshop produced and hosted by WAV (We Amplify Voices) (https://weamplifyvoices.org/). Written by C, Kristen, A, Jadah, Josh, J, Leon, Harlem, and Destiny. Vocals by Cassius Keys and Amber Nicole. Produced by Glenn Davis (https://www.glenndavisaudio.com/) and Nick D'Andrea. Recorded at Oranjudio Studios (http://oranjudio.com/) in Columbus, Ohio. Podcast produced by Crate Media (https://crate.media/).

Over the past few episodes, we’ve been following a group of kids as they write their first song. We heard their thoughts on music as a whole, what they liked about a whole bunch of both modern and classic songs, and what’s on their minds at this pivotal point in their lives. As we start writing this song today, the kids plan to take classic instrumentals and combine it with more modern hip-hop sensibilities. We also asked the kids to answer some more questions related to the theme of the song: their fears, how they’ve overcome them in the past, and the fears that their role models might have had to overcome. We ask the kids to tell us a story, and as you’ll hear in just a moment, we got some really great responses. Learn more and get involved at (https://www.weamplifyvoices.org). You can listen to more original WAV songs (https://open.spotify.com/artist/7M63Fordw9j5Jv5crPJdoj?si=DKhC44kwQVmMs2PkanPpzQ) from our student workshops on Spotify. Workshop produced and hosted by WAV (We Amplify Voices) (https://weamplifyvoices.org/). Written by C, Kristen, A, Jadah, Josh, J, Leon, Harlem, and Destiny. Vocals by Cassius Keys and Amber Nicole. Produced by Glenn Davis (https://www.glenndavisaudio.com/) and Nick D'Andrea. Recorded at Oranjudio Studios (http://oranjudio.com/) in Columbus, Ohio. Podcast produced by Crate Media (https://crate.media/).

During the first two days of this song-writing session, our songwriters identified a theme for their song — what we're proud that we've achieved already and what we want to achieve — and listened to a whole bunch of songs for inspiration. The two songs they all liked most were “Best Part” by H.E.R. and “Money” by Cardi B. Now we’re about to kick off day three by diving back into those two songs to identify what they did and didn't like and how we could bring elements of that into our own music. You’ll even hear some ideas that make it into the final version of the song, including the title: Fear Not. Learn more and get involved at (https://www.weamplifyvoices.org). You can listen to more original WAV songs (https://open.spotify.com/artist/7M63Fordw9j5Jv5crPJdoj?si=DKhC44kwQVmMs2PkanPpzQ) from our student workshops on Spotify. Workshop produced and hosted by WAV (We Amplify Voices) (https://weamplifyvoices.org/). Written by C, Kristen, A, Jadah, Josh, J, Leon, Harlem, and Destiny. Vocals by Cassius Keys and Amber Nicole. Produced by Glenn Davis (https://www.glenndavisaudio.com/) and Nick D'Andrea. Recorded at Oranjudio Studios (http://oranjudio.com/) in Columbus, Ohio. Podcast produced by Crate Media (https://crate.media/).

In the last episode, we went through the first day of our WAV song-writing workshop. We met some incredible kids — KaMyjah, Kursten, Avean, DeAyjah, Jayda, Leon, and Josh — and we started getting a sense of why they think music is important. This episode focuses on our discussion at the end of day two of the workshop, after we listened to a few songs and everybody rated them. Let's tune in. Learn more and get involved at (https://www.weamplifyvoices.org). You can listen to more original WAV songs (https://open.spotify.com/artist/7M63Fordw9j5Jv5crPJdoj?si=DKhC44kwQVmMs2PkanPpzQ) from our student workshops on Spotify. Workshop produced and hosted by WAV (We Amplify Voices) (https://weamplifyvoices.org/). Written by C, Kristen, A, Jadah, Josh, J, Leon, Harlem, and Destiny. Vocals by Cassius Keys and Amber Nicole. Produced by Glenn Davis (https://www.glenndavisaudio.com/) and Nick D'Andrea. Recorded at Oranjudio Studios (http://oranjudio.com/) in Columbus, Ohio. Podcast produced by Crate Media (https://crate.media/).

Over the course of this season, We Amplify Voices is going to bring you along the process of writing a song — “Fear Not” — with an insightful and talented group of middle school kids, from ideation to studio production to radio-ready song. When we're running these early sessions, we really want to make kids think about what music means to them, what makes a song good, what makes lyrics meaningful to them, and identify some of the songs that inspire them. We Amplify Voices is a non-profit student writing program with a musical outcome. Kids learn songwriting as an empowerment exercise and then, through paid local creative professionals serving as their mentors, they create an anthem. Our job is to come in and listen and make sure that the message they have for the world is able to be amplified beyond their classroom and beyond their community.  That's what we're here for — to give a platform to a point of view that often doesn’t get heard, to help young voices speak up and make waves This isn't Kidz Bop. The middle school and special needs students that we work with on a daily, monthly, weekly, and annual basis have real, big things happening in their world, and they have really poignant ways of getting that across to their audience and to their peers. The goal with a we amplify voices Workshop is to take those words and create something significant that has staying power, that can help us adults understand a little bit more about what the next generation is thinking and feeling. Learn more and get involved at (https://www.weamplifyvoices.org). You can listen to more original WAV songs (https://open.spotify.com/artist/7M63Fordw9j5Jv5crPJdoj?si=DKhC44kwQVmMs2PkanPpzQ) from our student workshops on Spotify. Workshop produced and hosted by WAV (We Amplify Voices) (https://weamplifyvoices.org/). Written by C, Kristen, A, Jadah, Josh, J, Leon, Harlem, and Destiny. Vocals by Cassius Keys and Amber Nicole. Produced by Glenn Davis (https://www.glenndavisaudio.com/) and Nick D'Andrea. Recorded at Oranjudio Studios (http://oranjudio.com/) in Columbus, Ohio. Podcast produced by Crate Media (https://crate.media/).

Join Nick D'Andrea, Travis Hoewischer, and the students of Mount Olivet Baptist Church as we go behind the scenes of the interactive WAV songwriting workshop for the song 'Fear Not.' Support this podcast

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