Who’s got a song? A simple enough question, and one that can be heard in countless variation in and around CMAS all the time. Like the “Work In Progress” albums, these EPs are a moment in time, but in this case even more specific. The basic idea is a live capture at the start of the week. A song from each class ideally, but sometimes it might be multiple from some, or it might just be a single song, or just a part of one, and so on. Much like their Creative Process in general, this about where the students are in a given moment. “Who’s Got A Song?” is new for 2017-2018 and I honestly cannot tell you why we have not been doing this for years. I suppose the truth is that this is a process for me too. In any case, the basic parameters are:
- An original piece – any style, any genre, any instrument, any level of complexity
- ANY CMAS student or students
- Captured and mixed by the students as it happens
We do plenty of bigger production work. This is intended to be more fluid. The hope is that it will carry over to their other work. Time will tell, but if I have learned anything it’s to trust the Creativity of these amazing young musicians. Thanks for supported them!
These EPs are part of the CMAS Recordings Archive. Sometimes the pieces are radio ready, sometimes they are capturing a moment in the process. More importantly, everything in the archive was created by CMAS students. Everything. For every single piece, be it live or in studio, there was a student or students composing it, students preparing/practicing the performance, students selecting and setting up all the gear, students running every single cable, in some cases even designing the room and/or stage setup, students running the recording sessions and live events sound, students mixing, hopefully students writing liner notes, and so on. It’s a lot to do at any age, let alone as teenagers. A lot of time, a lot of effort, a lot of care. Continually being added to, this archive is a reflection of the students over the years and their work and their Creative processes. The archive is a moment in time. And it’s only a small sample of what goes on in CMAS. It’s an honor to be part of it all.
–Richard Maxwell
Musician
CMAS program Creator
August 2017