.WAV WARRIOR : A Music Experience with Tufawon
.WAV WARRIOR is an engaging music class designed to teach youth and aspiring young artists the basics of music production, songwriting, and recording. Throughout this 4-12 week class, participants will learn how to use a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) and professional recording studio equipment to create songs, focusing 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 collaborative environment. We will 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.
.WAV WARRIOR produces real outcomes. Some communities Tufawon has visited have been able to produce an entire album of songs and even more beats during his program.
The Process
The production of songs is a process that involves many engaging steps. It’s an exciting and fun atmosphere, allowing our young people to express themselves artistically, work together as a team, represent their identities, face their fears, and build confidence. The song production process involves three phases: beatmaking/producing, songwriting, and recording.
Beatmaking & Producing: Where Technical Skills Meet Creativity
During the first phase of the class we will focus on making 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 the Beatmaking & Producing phase, establish boundaries and expectations, and then spend the duration of this portion of the program working on new beats every day.
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), using a grid and metronome will be learned as well.
We will also 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.
*Tufawon is trained in Ableton Live and will use it to create with students. It's an incredibly intuitive program to create with.
Songwriting & Recording:
Vocals & Poetry Blended Over Beats
Songwriters come in many forms. They are powerful voices globally and deliver profound messages to the world. The healing power of songwriting dates 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:
We will begin with introductions during the first day of the Songwriting & Recording workshop, establish expectations, and then dive right into the creative process. We will spend the duration of this time making and completing songs in the studio.
During this part of the workshop, our youth will learn how to write lyrics. We will cover writing to a beat and we will 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, write verses, choruses, bridges, intros, and outros.
Students will incorporate poetry and emotion into their writing, learning 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 discover 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.
My role is not to write full songs for our students, but to facilitate and help them find what is meaningful to them while teaching them how to express this in their lyrics. I am here to empower and center their voices.
Recording:
After writing lyrics, we move into the recording phase. It’s time for students to get on the mic, be brave, vulnerable, and to hear what their voices sound like in a recording.
“My first time recording was weird and awkward. I didn’t like the sound of my voice initially, but I grew to love it and 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
We aim to find strength in our youth's voices during this process. This is what I teach during the recording sessions. We will record all parts of the song(s) with students recording their own original pieces, as well as pieces I help them write. They will learn the process of recording vocals, techniques on how to record with a studio microphone, layering their vocals, and completing their parts to the song(s). Once every part is recorded, the song recording phase will be complete, and we will have successfully finished the entire workshop.
Celebration & Listening:
Creating songs is a big accomplishment, especially when it’s an artist’s first time recording. There’s so much work that goes into creating music, and it’s important to celebrate what we have achieved during the class. This can be in the form of a listening session or party with a larger group of students and staff, or maybe a family night. Some type of event that showcases the music created to highlight our young artists and their work.
Finalizing songs:
Upon completing the recording phase, I will spend the following week after programming mixing and mastering the songs so we have the final versions. I relinquish all rights and ownership of the songs to the institution I’m under contract with, and/or the students and their parents/guardians. If the institution, students and family decide to publish the songs, I will claim no royalties and I will claim no 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 institution accordingly. My only stipulation is that I am credited as the producer and co-writer of the songs, but I won’t make money or own the songs. I want this to be for the community, and controlled/owned by the community as well.
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:
The cost of booking .WAV WARRIOR ranges. It depends on several factors such as the region Tufawon will have 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 institution and Tufawon.