Day 2 at camp is the first official day of getting down to business, and it started with a bang!! Our first session was on vocal performance with Tamara Beattie, which was one that I was looking forward to in order to learn more about vocal warm-ups and warm downs, but it was far more than that!! The guidance and education provided was extraordinary to say the least. The first half of the presentation was on the aspects of vocal fitness and how to ensure we as artists can maintain the longevity of our voices, which was so insightful and provided me with so much valuable information. The second half of the presentation was one of the most transformational experiences I have seen in a long time. It was dealing with the art and skill of stage performance and presence, of which I know I have been struggling with. Several of my braver competitors took to the front of the room to be coached first hand and allow Tamara to demonstrate the effectiveness of proper body language during live performances. I must say that this was an amazing experience to witness, the smallest changes in body language and how it translates to an audience was something that can truly take an artist to the next level!!!
The following session was dealing with style and this is something I have also been working on as I craft my brand as an artist. Kate Mathews was able to delve into the world of fashion and styling to help us understand the importance of color and style, using real world examples of styles that work and some that don’t and how to avoid the pitfalls of poor choices!! I also had my one on one meeting with ate today where we were able to delve into my specific questions regarding my colours and how they associate with my brand. This chat over coffee with a brainstorming session was fantastic to gain perspective on where I fit and how I can complement my brand through my clothing, which I found to be extremely helpful.
The third session of the morning was with the Project Wild sound engineer Ben Nixon, who took us through the components of live sound production and answered many questions that I had about my own struggles with sound. Based on his own training and experience Ben was able to easily translate the complex details of sound production into easily relatable terms, but also provide insight to the science behind it all. I look forward to meeting up with Ben again around camp and picking his brain more!!
As always the meals here were fantastic, and lunch was no exception, but this was just a break before my own band rehearsals. The house band here is ridiculous in their ability to play anything and help struggling folks like me through the sometimes overwhelming experience of live stage performance. Needless to say, they helped me along and soon we were all grooving to my tunes played by the band and setting the stage for my live showcase which is tomorrow night (nervous as hell). A huge thank you to Matty and the boys for taking me under their wing and showing me the ropes.
Lucas Chaisson and I were then able to finally connect with our producer Carly McKinnon and get our co-write track ironed out to be able to record BEDS with the house band in the evening. Carly is a magician in the studio and was able to help us capture the essence of the message that we were trying to convey in our song, which I cannot wait to hear when it is completed!! Then with a quick break for dinner, we were able to get a scratch vocal down for the track for the house band to use while laying down BEDS. Our session started at 9:30pm and we were able to get through the process relatively unscathed, and come out with a tune that will be fantastic to add those flourishes that will complement our lyrics in amazing ways!! Very Excited!!
And all of that leads me here to the end of my first real day at boot camp. My eyes are tired, my legs are tired, my mind is running a mile a minute and I need to get some sleep!! So far this has been such an amazing experience I find it hard to put in to words, but the energy here is palpable and we all know that magic is happening and changing the course of our lives forever!!
