McNally Smith College of Music is supporting the rock-stars of tomorrow by sponsoring the second annual High School Rocks Battle of the Bands on Sunday, April 20th, 2008. As part of its involvement with the competition, McNally Smith is sending a crew of its leading instructors along with five of its students to record the entire concert through use of Digidesign ProTools, which will result in a compilation CD that will feature one song performed by each band. A group of McNally Smith College of Music students will also participate in the event and will be among those featured on the compilation CD as they take to the stage and perform under the mixing of Eddie Mapp, FOH engineer for the popular rock group Evanescence.
“Once we’ve finished the live recording of all the bands who perform during the show, the music will be brought back to McNally Smith where we will have a crew of about six or seven students waiting at our 12 state-of-the-art studios to mix and master one song from each band,,” says McNally Smith’s Technology Chair Bryan Forrester. “These songs will be featured in the High School Rocks Battle of the Bands compilation CD, which will make it’s four weeks later when the top four bands play their own show at Grandma’s Sports Garden in Duluth, Minnesota.”
Showcasing 15 bands have entered from nearly 70 high schools in the northern Minnesota and Wisconsin area, High School Rocks Battle of the Bands consists of musical groups who vie for a chance to have their original CD recorded in a professional studio. The event, organized by the Junior Achievement Upper Midwest Chapter, will be held at Duluth’s DECC arena and is expected to draw an audience of 3,000 to 4,000 people. Tim Wigchers, senior district manager for Junior Achievement of the Upper Midwest, says that the “partnership and sponsorship of McNally Smith gives the event great credibility; it’s bringing our event to a higher level.”
In addition to recording the music during the show, McNally Smith’s Dean of Music Industries, Andre Fischer will join Grammy award-winning Record Producer/Engineer Ed Cherney as Battle of the Band judges. “Andre and Ed will be among a cavalcade of regional musicians and music industry professionals for judging the featured bands, which is quite the coup for the college as well as this event,” says Forrester.
Wigchers agrees, adding that McNally Smith’s participation in High School Rocks Battle of the Bands is a win-win for everyone. “The fact that we’re able to bring someone to the event such as Andre Fischer and Ed Cherney is great,” he explains. “While the bands have the opportunity to be discovered by such leading industry professionals, McNally Smith has the opportunity to show its support for the talented individuals who live within its own backyard. It also offers a great educational experience for its students as they assist with the show’s recording, which is allocated as credit for the college’s Location Recording class.”
As an interesting side note, the lead singer of last year’s winning second place group, The Bricks, is attending McNally Smith College of Music this coming fall.
Junior Achievement is the world’s largest organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. JA offers programs that focus on three key content areas; entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial literacy.
Founded in 1985, McNally Smith College of Music is devoted to excellence in music industry higher education and in developing music industry professionals. An accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music, McNally Smith College of Music offers music degrees and programs in Recording Technology, Music Business, Music Performance and Composition. With more than 500 students and a 92-member faculty, McNally Smith College of Music students get a personalized music education that combines cutting edge technology with musical artistry and includes wide access to research tools, real world knowledge and great performance facilities. McNally Smith alumni are working all over the world.
