When local music writer/producer/performer Carl Cadwell signed up for a producing and writing music camp in Chattanooga last month, it meant missing the premiere of a ballet he’d written that was being presented in San Diego at the same time.
But forgoing the premiere in favor of the camp was an easy decision, Cadwell said in a telephone interview.
“These opportunities are about networking and the experience,” he said by phone. “And I’m always looking for something interesting.”
The camp was similar to others presented around the nation, bringing in established producers, writers and musicians for an intense five days of work.
About a dozen attendees from around the nation spent the time writing and recording demo songs that will be shopped to established artists. The camps are also about teaching people such as Cadwell how to work intentionally and quickly, said Vurdell “VScript” Muller, a songwriter and producer.
Muller’s credits include three Grammy nominations for his work with artists such as Justin Bieber, Eric Bellinger, Moneybagg and H.E.R.
Muller worked locally with Dynamo Studios Executive Director Kessler Cuffman to present the camp, which was funded in part by the city of Chattanooga and the Bobby Stone Foundation.
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Cuffman and Dynamo Studios have created a program for area students at Howard Connect Academy, Dalewood Middle School and Chattanooga Community Centers (Watkins Street Center) that includes education, the arts and technology.
The program works with students teaching photography, marketing, songwriting and music production. Cuffman and his students have worked with local and regional artists in the past who have come to Dynamo Studios to record music, but he said this was “next level.”
“This was easily the most exciting thing I’ve been a part of,” Cuffman said by phone. “Watching it all come together was incredible. It went so well, we are planning another one for the first of the year.”
Muller said he approaches each camp with a clear idea of who the songs created during the camp will be shopped to.
“It’s very intentional,” he said by phone.
It’s an approach that helps keep campers and producers focused. He said the formula has worked as well in Chattanooga as it has elsewhere and that he feels the music produced here will find a home with a recording artist in the near future.
“This one was great,” he said. “Kessler had brought some of the people from the local scene so we could show them how things are run on the high level.
“They saw how fast we move and how intentional we are. We create songs to pitch to big artists, and I can say that for every camp that I’ve thrown, 100% of the time, something comes out of it.”
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Muller said he has several artists who all fit into a certain musical “lane” in mind when he begins a camp and that he has done some research ahead of time to know what sort of vibe or sound they are looking for.
“If one says no, I pitch it to the next person,” he said. “For the camp, we try to stay in the same lane, and that is the beauty of the camp.”
He said H.E.R.’s hit song “Exhausted” and Bieber’s “There She Go” were created at a recent camp he led. Eric Bellinger’s entire “New Light” album was produced by members of a previous camp, he said.
The camps are usually conducted in a home or Airbnb to create a more comfortable environment. An Airbnb on Lookout Mountain was home for the Chattanooga camp. Cuffman outfitted four full studios in the space, and the campers, along with other invited guests, rotated throughout spaces over the five days.
Muller said the teams were churning out between five and 10 songs a day. Cadwell said it was inspiring to see the amount of work done in such a short time.
“For me and (fellow local producer Jared White), it was our first time doing a big-time camp,” Muller said, “and the main thing we saw was the work being done. It was very educational, but a lot of work.”
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As part of the camp, Muller and several of the camp leaders visited Howard Connect and Dalewood to talk to 30 to 40 students about what it takes to work in the music industry. Grant Knowles, director of innovation and fine arts with Hamilton County Schools, helped coordinate the visits and said the 30 or so students at Howard and the nearly 50 kids at Dalewood got to see how professionals work and think.
The professionals interacted with the students on works they were creating and gave real — and sometimes harsh — advice on how to make it better, he said by phone.
“The students were getting authentic feedback on the work they’ve put their hearts and souls into,” Knowles said. “They got real authentic feedback.”
He said that kind of interaction can be especially important for students.
“Middle school can be a tough time for students,” Knowles said. “They are trying to figure out who they are and what their strengths are, so for these pros to give their time, not a, ‘Hey that’s great, thumbs up,’ or ‘Hey, hand me the mouse and let me do this for you,’ was amazing to watch.
“They asked hard questions and pushed them to think.”
Knowles said the other message the professional creatives stressed was the importance of being well-balanced in your education. Math, English and communication skills are just as important as being able to sing or play an instrument, he said.
“It’s a process and it’s about developing good skills and habits.”
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354. Follow him on Twitter @BarryJC.