Hit the Studio Camp 2014 - An Album in a Week!

July 26, 2014

We've just completed our 'Hit the Studio' summer camp and we're eager to share the results. At the beginning of the week the kids were given a challenge: to create an album in a week with each of them producing a track.

The Rules:

1. The producer is in charge. Everybody got to spend some amount of everyday producing during which time the studio was theirs. All other musicians were at their beck and call and pledged to use their skills to help fulfill the producer's vision.

2. You have to finish something. Everyone had their own style of production, some were content to work on the same song, perfecting it across the entire week while some wanted to start a new song everyday. Producers were allowed to experiment with as many ideas as they liked as long as they finished something.

3. One live source. Partly we wanted to make sure everyone learned how to mic a source and adjust a preamp, partly we just have some new mics and wanted to use them. Everything had to have something "out of the box" (which means an actual sound recorded with actual microphones as opposed to something generated in the computer).

(BTW: if you got a cd from us the track order is different*)

The Results:

Credits:

1. Long Day Blues

Producer: Aidan
Lead Vocal: Neila
Keyboard: Zack
Drums: Aidan
Bass: Shane
Faux trumpet: Nina
Electric Guitar: Luc

2. Magic Don't Scare Me

Producer: Luc
Lead Vocal: Neila & Nina
Electric Guitar: Luc
Drums: Aidan
Bass: Luc

3. Its Not The Same

Producer: Nathan
Lead Vocal: Nathan
Electric and Acoustic Guitar: Alex
Bass Guitar: Jonathan
Drums and Drum Editing: Shane

4. Quack Goes the Robot

Producer: Aidan
Lead Vocal: Neila & Nina
Organ: Zack
Drums: Aidan
Synth Bass, Synth Lead: Zack
Guitar: Alex

5. Duct Tape

Producer: NinaDrums: Nina
Electric Guitar: Luc, Shane, Neila
Bass: Shane
Bass Solo: Luc

6. Nature is Life

Producer: Nina
Lead Vocal: Nina
Drum Programming: Aidan
Synth Harp, Bass & Violin: Zack
Acoustic & Slide Guitar: Alex
Background vocals: Nina & Alex
Sweeping Synth: Shane

7. Edible, Toxic, Biohazard: Hermit Crabs

Producer: Zack
Lead Vocal: Luc
Organs, Clav: Zack
Drums: Alex
Roto-toms, Conga, tamb: Aidan
Background vocals: Everyone
Bass, Bass Solo: Luc

8. Random Day

Producer: Neila
Lead Vocal: Neila
Background Vocal: Nina
Acoustic Guitar: Neila
Ukulele: Nina
Drums: Aidan
Bass: Luc or Shane.. I don't remember
Tamborine: Neila

9. Pedal Master

Producer: Shane
Bass: Shane
Drums: Aidan
Guitar: Luc
Pedal Clicking Sound: Shane

10. My Life

Producer: Nathan
Lead Vocal: Nathan

11. Flash

Producer: Shane
Bass: Shane
Drum, Synth Programming: Shane
Guitar: Luc

12. No Name

Producer: Aidan
Synth: Zack
Drum Pad: Aidan
Acordian: Zack
Drum kit and odd guitar sounds: Everyone

Side Projects:

Music Video for "Pedal Master" by Shane & Luc:

Original score for YouTube cat video:

** If you got the hard copy CD, your tracks are in this order:

1. Long Day Blues

2. No Name

3. Duct Tape

4. Edible, Toxic, Biohazard: Hermit Crabs

5. Flash

6. Magic Don't Scare Me

7. My Life

8. Its Not the Same

9. Nature is Life

10. Pedal Master

11. Quack Goes the Robot

12. Random Day

< Older Post

Newer Post >

Sunburst News - August 2025

August 1, 2025

August- Issue #96

5 Reasons to Start Playing in a Band

July 30, 2025

As summer break comes to a close, we’re gearing up for the next term of the Sunburst Band Program and would love to see some new faces this fall. Playing in a band is one of the best ways to progress as a musician, so we put together a list of five reasons why we encourage our students to seek out opportunities to play in groups—whether it's starting a band or jamming with a couple of friends. Progress Your rhythm, timing, and listening skills improve quickly when you start playing in a band or group setting. While private lessons and solo practice are essential pieces of the puzzle, playing with others introduces new variables—like tempo changes, dynamics, and coordination—that challenge you to stay in sync with your bandmates and adapt to each other. We’ve seen so many students level up after just a couple months in the Sunburst Band Program–the progress happens fast! Friends and Connections We love watching our students and their families become friends and our band program has been a natural starting point for many of those relationships. Some of our current bands have stayed together for years, and it's awesome to see them hang out outside of lessons and support each other at shows. Plus, one of the best ways to get gigs is through connections with other musicians! Motivation Playing in a band is super motivating because you're part of a group working toward an exciting shared goal. Whether you're learning a new song, building a set list, or getting ready for a show, the process becomes more exciting and rewarding when you're making music you love with people you enjoy being around. That shared energy turns practice into something much more fun and meaningful. Performing Performing can be nerve-wracking, but it gets easier the more you do it, and being on stage with your friends makes it less scary. We love seeing how our students' stage presence and confidence grow with each performance—it’s one of our favorite parts of being teachers! As we mentioned, shows are a great place to make connections with musicians who you’d like to collaborate with in the future. Simply put, playing more shows leads to playing more shows. Creative Outlet Music is a powerful tool for expression, and it’s important to have outlets for that at any age! Life is very fast paced for many of us, and it can be tough to pause and do the things you enjoy. Band practice can be a consistent anchor in your week—something you can rely on for connection, processing, and creating with your bandmates. As corny as it sounds, playing music is good for your spirit! If you’d like to know more about the Sunburst Band Program, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us for more information. We also recommend talking with your private lessons instructor so that they’re aware and can help you prepare.