AMP Camp 2009 applications now available

Posted on

Manitoba Music’s Aboriginal Music Program is now accepting applications for AMP Camp 2009. The latest installment of this music development project for Aboriginal artists from across Canada will take place March 1-6, 2009 at the Misty Lake Lodge in Manitoba.

AMP Camp is a one-week professional and artistic development project that gives emerging and mid-career Aboriginal recording artists a chance to develop their understanding of the music industry along with their ability to succeed in it. The project is made possible by a working partnership between Manitoba Music’s Aboriginal Music Program and the Music Section of the Canada Council for the Arts.

Each day of AMP Camp begins with workshops on business topics. In the past, these discussions have included:
• The basics of booking a tour;
• Other ways for artists to make money in the music industry besides selling CDs and performing live;
• What producers, managers, agents, labels and publishers do and how to use them effectively;
• How to get your business together;
• How to make broadcast quality recordings; and,
• Submitting music to radio stations.

The afternoons and evenings at AMP Camp are dedicated to artistic development with sessions on songwriting, musicianship, vocal skills and performance.

The workshops are lead by a faculty of industry professionals from multiple parts of the country. In the past two years, the instructors have included Kinnie Starr, Derek Miller, Heather Kelly, Heather Bishop, Billy Joe Green, Marty Ballentyne, Vince Fontaine, Doug Cox, Errol Ranville and Salvador Ferreras, to name a few.

AMP Camp has up to 15 spots for Aboriginal recording artists from Manitoba and 15 for participants from the rest of Canada. The Application Form is available on the Aboriginal Music Program website, aboriginalmusic.ca and it contains additional information about the project.

The application deadline for AMP Camp 2009 is December 5, 2008 and the registration fee will be due January 23, 2009 for all successful applicants. The registration fee for AMP Camp 2008 is $300 and a discounted rate of $200 is available to members of regional music industry associations (ie. Music BC, Alberta Music Industry Association, Music Yukon, SaskMusic, Manitoba Music, Music Newfoundland and Labrador, Music New Brunswick, Music PEI and Music Nova Scotia).

The Aboriginal Music Program would like to acknowledge the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts, Manitoba Culture, Heritage, Tourism and Sport, Manitoba Film and Sound, the Manitoba Arts Council, NCI FM and a contribution by Manitoba Music through the Manitoba Music and Motion Pictures Development Project.

A PDF copy of the AMP Camp 2008 Application Form is available for download here: www.manitobamusic.com/files/File/AMP-Camp-2009-application-FINAL.pdf

For more information about AMP Camp and Manitoba Music’s Aboriginal Music Program:
www.aboriginalmusic.ca

For more information about the Canada Council for the Arts:
www.canadacouncil.ca

--

What past participants say about their AMP Camp experience:

“It was the best expirience I’d had in such a long time,” says Marcel Gagnon, a talented recording artist with three albums under his belt. “Working with fellow musicians and teachers had opened my eyes and ears to a whole new world and what it takes to succeed in this industry. Thank you AMP Camp for all you have taught me.”

“The instructors were knowledgeable, informative and great to talk to. It was such a great week to share ideas and meet new friends,” says Karen Donaldson-Shepherd of Alberta-based band Crow Girls. “I especially appreciated the time the instructors spent with us after work and during meals and in between sessions. I really enjoyed my time at AMP Camp last year.”

“AMP Camp was an important moment in my life journey because I gained a wealth of knowledge from just sitting and listening to the stories and experiences of the instructors and talented musicians there,” says Eddy Robinson, lead singer for the Toronto-based drum group Morningstar River. “I will always be inspired by that week at AMP Camp, Gitchi-meegwetch!”

“I don’t know where else I could find all this information about the music industry,” says Murray Sylvester, a past participant from the Beausoleil First Nation in Ontario. “Now I know about SOCAN, what the union does, how to work with sound techs and where I can get help. I had a really great time and I’m really glad I could be a part of AMP Camp this year.”

“The feedback I received on my performance skills and songwriting was great,” says Jared Sowan, a soulful composer and performer from the Swan River First Nation in northern Alberta. “I went to AMP Camp because I just hit a wall, artistically and I just needed an extra boast to help me get to that next level in my career. I’m still soaking up everything from last week and I can’t even begin to tell you how much AMP Camp has helped me and inspired me.”


Read more news