Adams County Campus

Shiloh Home - Adams County

Week Sixteen

August 18, 2010

When we agreed to do this program we knew that we would be stretching ourselves. The ages of the students, which ranged from eight to twelve, presented some interesting challenges for us, especially in light of the fact that the program was designed for students much older than this. I will not go over these challenges again, since we have stated and discussed them in previous blog entries, yet in light of these challenges, the experience was well worth the effort and occasional anxiety.

Together we listened to the songs, and then the students were presented with their copies of the cds. After each students song was played, Cody, Aaron, and I, talked about the strength of each student, and those qualities that made each of them unique.

Cody mastered the songs and did a great job, but it did pose some interesting questions regarding the acceptable protocol for us when doing so. What is okay to change and what is not? If there are liberties taken by us, when mastering the student's music, how should that be represented on the website and cd jacket? Because these students were less interested in thee production quality, then say the older students, the raw material for the cds was just that, a bit more raw. Also, the vocals were a bit more sporadic and unrefined. This being the case, Cody took liberties in order their songs be interesting and polished, which offended one of the students. We, as a program, love when students are clear as to their work's vision, so we welcome the challenges associated with the issue of authenticity, and work hard to preserve the student's intention. However, we are constantly making difficult decisions regarding how much instruction and interference are optimal for the student's success.

We handed out evaluations and got great feedback. The staff was sure to make clear how important this class was to the students and how much they looked forward to it. We hope to work with this population in the future, in some capacity, we are just not sure, right now, what that may look like.

But we did it! It feels good, because this class was a huge challenge for us, and the fact that we got such a great response makes it all worth it. Thanks Adams County, you were great!!!!

Shiloh House - Adams County

Week Fifteen

August 10, 2010

It was quite the chaotic day. We set many goals for the class period, all with the intention of making next week the last. We had three students scheduled to record vocals, about half the students needed to finish their album cover, most of the students had to pick a final name for their song, and all had to submit their name as they wished it to appear on the cd; after which they would be able to play the keyboard and guitars, which were situated in stations around the room. Almost all was accomplished. There is some very good stuff, much different than what one may find with the older students. This group seems to be less self-conscious and more experimental; also, surprisingly, they are very certain of what sound they are looking for, whether vocals or samples. As the older students are more conditioned to mainstream taste, the younger group appears more experimental because they lack the acute peer pressure that often, if not always, shapes the self.

As extra motivation we showed the students the website featuring the Longmont student's albums.

A few of the students were unable to be present, making it difficult to make next week the last week, but we will see. We look forward to editing the final songs, it really a chance for us to gauge our progress.

This week we learned that much can be accomplished in the midst of perceived chaos.

Shiloh House – Adams County

Week Fourteen

August 3, 2010

These guys are doing really well, and we are very close to having their class album completed.  Cody is doing a nice job helping each guy stay on topic while recording their voices over the music they made.  We have everyone moving through the keyboard and bass guitar stations, and their album covers are coming along nicely.  It's really rewarding working with them to refine the songs they make, which need a few tweaks here and there.  This was the inspirational video for the day:

We had a student say that the guy in the video copied from him, so we put him to the test...and he pulled it off!  There's some strong talent in this room for sure.

Shiloh House – Adams County

Week Thirteen, Lesson Twelve

July 27, 2010

We have begun letting one student perform on the keyboard in front of the class, and selection is based on behavior, so we have a nice incentive and this feature gives each individual the chance to shine.  It's actually pretty special to watch.  After a great Hendrix-esque performance, we settled in to watch the inspirational video of the day:

After the opening discussion where instrument signups took place, everyone returned to their computers to resume working on their tracks.  Cody set up a vocal recording station, and continued the precedent of taking his time and focusing on quality and learning to feel comfortable with the recording process.  The new students are doing really well, and almost everyone got to play either the keyboard or bass guitar.  These guys are a handful, since they're as young as seven years old, but clear boundaries simplify things for everyone, and it was a really good day.

Shiloh House – Adams County

Week Twelve, Lesson Eleven

July 20, 2010

It works better for us to give these guys something hands-on to do, so we brought in and set up multiple instrument stations for them to play with.  We've done this before, instead this time Nate created a song with parts for each instrument, and they each took turns either playing as a group or watching as a group.  The group that sat and watched had a task to develop some constructive criticism of the group that was playing.  This kept them involved, and it helped them develop their listening skills.

Last week, we had the students take turns on the microphone, and Cody created a song using the vocal recordings we took.  Here it is:

Shiloh Adams County - 01

We burned each student a copy of the song along with the current song they are working on plus a donated boombox for them to listen to their music through.

Group Vocal Project CD