.WAVWARRIOR is an engaging music experience designed to teach youth and aspiring young artists the fundamentals of music production, songwriting and recording. Throughout the workshop, participants will learn how to use a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) and professional recording studio equipment to create songs with a focus on Hip Hop, RnB and popular music. From start to finish, beats will be made, lyrics will be written, and songs will be created in a safe and collaborative environment. We use the latest professional recording equipment to achieve a unique sound, highlighting and celebrating the personalities of our young artists as we lift their voices through creativity. This collaborative project aims to build lasting memories and strengthen our sense of trust and kinship as we create together artistically.
.WAVWARRIOR produces real outcomes. Tufawon has recorded albums worth of songs in the many communities he’s visited so far! Songs that last forever.
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Listen to the .WAVWARRIOR Playlist. All original songs Tufawon created with youth across Turtle Island.
The Process
The production of songs is a process that involves many engaging steps. It’s an exciting and fun atmosphere. It allows our young people to express themselves artistically, work together as a team, represent their identities and cultures, face their fears, be vulnerable and build confidence.
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The song production process involves three primary phases:
-Beatmaking/producing
-Songwriting
-Recording
Beatmaking & Producing: Technical Skills Meet Creativity
During the first phase of the class, we make beats. For more introverted artists who prefer not to sing or rap, audio production can be the perfect "behind-the-scenes" form of expression. It allows artists to be creative with minimal pressure because for some, being front and center vocalizing can cause anxiety. Making beats is a perfect outlet for this type of student.
We start off with introductions on the first day of Beatmaking & Producing, establish boundaries and expectations, and spend the duration of this phase making beats.
In most cases in popular music, the beat is the foundation of a song. The students will learn how to use a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) to sequence beats. Through the music language of MIDI, they will record drums, virtual instruments, keyboards, synthesizers, samples, bass, and more to layer and create fully produced beats. They will learn basic music theory, audio production tools and concepts. Technical aspects of producing such as tempo/BPM (beats per measure), quantization, using a grid and metronome will be learned as well.
We will cover the process of creating an arrangement for a song, including parts such as the intro, verse, chorus, bridge, and outro. This piece emphasizes the importance of going beyond the "beatmaker" phase, truly encouraging the visionary "producer" role. A music producer leads the song creation process and oversees the project from start to finish. Students will learn beatmaking as it relates to producing and how they work together in-studio.
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Songwriting & Recording: Vocals & Poetry Over Beats
Songwriters come in many forms. They are powerful voices globally and deliver profound messages to the world. The healing power of songwriting goes back to our ancestors who sang songs traditionally to heal, uplift, and guide. In a contemporary setting, today’s songwriters create songs in various forms. Some write and sing their own songs, while some write for others.
Songwriting
During the Songwriting & Recording workshop, we begin by reviewing expectations and boundaries, and then diving right into the creative process. We will spend this time making and completing songs in-studio.
During the workshop, our youth will learn how to write lyrics. We will cover writing to a beat, and use the beats we created during the beatmaking phase. We will delve deeper into the vibe and energy of the song(s), define the feel we want to achieve, and develop themes we want the song(s) to reflect. Students will learn how to count bars and write the different parts to a song.
Students will incorporate poetry and emotion in their writings. They will learn how to sing melodies and rap about topics relevant to their experiences and identities, giving them a sense of pride and ownership in their work. They will learn how to use their natural voice in a song, and how cadence and rhythm work over beats. Some will even collaborate to help each other write lyrics. Tufawon won't write full songs for our students. His role is to facilitate and help youth find what is meaningful
to them. To teach them how to express this in their lyrics, empowering and centering their voices.
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Recording
After writing lyrics, we move into the recording phase. It’s time for our youth to get on the mic. To be brave, vulnerable, and to hear what their voices sound like in a recording.
We aim to strengthen our youth voices during recording sessions. Tufawon coaches and guides them in finding that vocal strength. We will record all parts of the song(s). Students record their own original pieces, parts Tufawon helps them write, or lyrics their fellow students write for them. They will learn the process of recording vocals and techniques on how to record with a studio microphone. They’ll learn how to layer their vocals, and to project their voices as they complete their parts. Once everything is recorded, we wrap up the recording phase and successfully complete the entire workshop. It is truly a transformative experience!
“My first time recording was weird and awkward. I didn’t like the sound of my voice initially, but I grew to love it. I learned how to use it in a way that sounds brilliant. I love my voice now. Your voice is an instrument, and can be used in a way that sounds beautiful, because it truly is.” - Tufawon
Culture
Themes and subject matter are limitless in song creation. We create songs that represent our cultural backgrounds and reflect our lived experiences. To incorporate elements of language, teachings, history and way of life into the music is embedded in the .WAVWARRIOR program. It cultivates a space that promotes a sense of pride in who we are. One example of this is when Tufawon worked with the youth in Red Lake, Minnesota. They created an album of songs that incorporated the Ojibwe language in the lyrics as well as traditional singing, blended into contemporary Hip Hop and RnB styles.
Celebration & Listening
Creating songs is a big accomplishment, especially when it’s an artist’s first time recording. A lot of work goes into creating music, and it’s important to celebrate what we have achieved. This can be in the form of a listening session, a party with a larger group of students and staff, a showcase, or even a family night. An event that showcases the music created, highlighting our young artists and their amazing work.
Storytelling
Song creation in a safe environment allows our youth to write and share their narratives in a healthy way, and this is exactly what .WAVWARRIOR promotes. Storytelling is a powerful tool for our youth to use. It uplifts their voices, ideas and writings. It promotes creativity and allows their imaginations to freely be expressed and manifested through the universal language of music.
"Healthy and creative outlets like songwriting and recording in a supportive environment can be a safe space for youth to let go and express themselves."
Music & Wellness
Creating music is interwoven with wellness in many ways. It is a powerful and creative way to promote emotional, mental, social and even physical health.
Processing Feelings
Song creation is an alternative way of expressing difficult emotions that can be a challenge for some students in a conventional classroom setting. Because we create music our youth actually listen to, making original songs becomes much more approachable, opening new pathways to expression. .WAV WARRIOR is not a typical approach to education. Healthy and creative outlets like songwriting and recording in a supportive environment can be a safe space for youth to let go and express themselves, allowing them to process their feelings. It’s almost like a form of journaling, but they’re doing it by writing and recording songs over the dope beats they made.
Mood Lifting & Stress Reducing
Creating music has the potential to shift your mood from a place of negative thought into feelings of joy, happiness and excitement. It amplifies positive thinking, and it's a healthy way to release stress, alleviate feelings of depression, and reduce anxiety. Making beats, writing songs and recording can release endorphins and dopamine, which reduces cortisol levels leading to better sleep quality and lower blood pressure. Making music is naturally rhythmic, and when students record instruments or vocals to create a beat and a song, they are engaging the neocortex of the brain, promoting a state of calmness. It really works!
Meditative Qualities
The meditative qualities of making music are incredibly powerful. Far too many of our youth are impacted by intergenerational and day-to-day traumas and stressors that occupy their mental state. The “fight or flight” state of the sympathetic nervous system can be triggered by this. Making songs allows students to be in the present moment, taking them away from negative thought patterns associated with trauma and stress, while activating the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting feelings of safety, connection, and social engagement. A powerful mindfulness practice!
Musical Brain Workout
Beatmaking, songwriting and recording are great ways to exercise the brain, challenging and stimulating attention, memory, emotion, and movement while improving cognitive function. It takes focus and concentration to record vocals and instruments! Singing and rapping require deep breathing. It strengthens the lungs; a great physical benefit!
Communally Connected
Making music as a group or a “production team” in a social environment cultivates a sense of community and belonging. It promotes team building and is a shared experience for the entire group. The program encourages a safe and judgement-free space that allows everyone to participate, even on a more “behind the scenes” level. The process brings students closer together through creativity and technology.
Finalizing songs
Upon completing the song(s), Tufawon spends the following week after programming, mixing, mastering, and finalizing the song(s) to ensure a professional grade quality. With training in sound engineering, the .WAVWARRIOR program is committed to delivering a “radio ready” sound.
Skills Learned:
-Assembling a recording studio setup
- Creating beats on a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) (Ableton Live)
- Producing
- Writing song lyrics; structuring a song; poetry
- Using a MIDI controller, synthesizers, keyboards, samples and drum sequencers
- Using your voice through singing and rapping
- Recording vocals in a professional recording studio
- Working in a collaborative environment/team building
- Creating an entire song(s) from start to finish
Pricing, Booking & Scheduling
The cost of booking .WAV WARRIOR ranges. It depends on several factors such as the region Tufawon will need to travel to, budget, and the duration of the program. The amount of time spent in each community and total cost of the program is to be determined and agreed upon between the partnering community and Tufawon. The program is designed in an “artist-in-residence” format where Tufawon visits communities for 1-4 weeks, however, the duration of time is easily modified for a shorter period. A workshop for a few days, for example, is totally doable. The program is flexible with timing.
Song Ownership
Tufawon relinquishes all rights and ownership of the songs to the communities he’s under contract with, and/or the students and their parents or guardians. If the community, students and family decide to publish the songs, Tufawon will claim no royalties nor intellectual property rights to the masters of the works created during the program. So, if a song is released and generates revenue, it is to be divided by the students, families, and community accordingly. Tufawon’s only stipulation is that he is to be credited for producing, co-writing, recording, and mixing the songs created. He will not make money or own the songs. This is for the community, and controlled/owned by the community as well.
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