Apply for the Music Project by the D&F Academy: Learning for the 21st Century

The Dekeyser&Friends  Academy offers innovative learning that creates impact. Its new kind of education allows experienced personalities to pass on their knowledge to a group of young, diverse individuals, who learn hands-on and who use their new skills and knowledge to turn their dreams into reality. 

The Academy offers unique one-year educational programs in the areas of global issues, arts & culture and sports.

Fifteen international Fellows will travel to Hamburg for ten weeks in September 2012 to learn how they can use the power of music to inspire people. The Fellows will then spend the next ten months working on their own projects at home, supported by the D&F Academy. 

During the project our Fellows will benefit from the DreamLab, which is a series of workshops and skill sessions covering values such as passion and courage and includes essential skills like planning, budgeting and presentation skills, taught by inspiring speakers from a variety of fields – from artists to entrepreneurs! 

The 10 weeks Challenge phase in Hamburg is followed by the 10 months Implementation phase in the respective Fellow`s home country. During this phase each Fellow will implement their DreamPlan, for example a social music event or children music initiative of his or her own, with the support of the D&F Academy. During this whole time, Fellows will take part in an online curriculum and we will coach, mentor and advise them to get their own project off the ground!

Application Deadline is June 25th, 2012. Don't miss out on this opportunity.

You can apply here.

 

Overnight Success: Should You Wish For It?

Whether it's a generation Y (aka the popcorn generation) thing or a recurring dream in many a human being, overnight success crosses our minds. All the more so with art, and music. From obscurity to celebrity/sensation. It may form the perfect theme for tonight's midnight dream, but in reality, is this what we should be hoping for in our musical efforts?

Push Marketing vs Pull Marketing: C'mon, Be Cool.

With the world going online, we musicians have great opportunities to interact with existing fans, garner new ones, possibly go viral, even when no one can quite figure out why.

Haters and Trolls: How To Deal

For every great creative work put forth by the artistic mind,there may well be as much 'hating' as there is praise, and many a time, the haters' voice lingers on a bit longer,especially online. It can get overwhelming,after all we are human. But no matter how much trending twitter topics or Facebook post reshares of unflattering comments may strike a nerve,wisdom dictates taking it all in stride,acknowledging criticism in its diverse ways,and yes,even responding to it.

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The world over,there have been stories told and chronicles written,of individuals who inspired jaded masses and disillusioned communities,to fight for their rights, to stand up and challenge oppressive regimes and unfavourable status quos. We know them by name,we quote them when looking for inspiration and when retelling history.

But what about the people that were inspired? The unnamed,the unsung 'ordinary folk?''

 In truth,it is they who are the heroes,the core of history,without whom,the Martin LutherKings and Wangari Maathais wouldn't be the icons they are. And it is the people that we ought to be making way for!

If any of you know this lady,you know we have waited for her album,let alone a single,for the longest while. To finally have gotten the chance to listen(exclusively too..) to what promises to be an 'on-repeat' kind of song is quite the moment of reckoning. She highlights that 'liberation will stay.' Sara Mitaru is not only an amazing singer,but hers is a message carried across a catchy tune: 'Make way for the people.' It reminds me of Che Guevara's saying, that 'liberators do not exist, the people liberate themselves.'

 

This,to me,is a song that encapsulates the recent history that's been experienced inNorthern Africa. The revolution lied,lies and will continue to lie with the people. A timely one,too, as we here in Kenya gear up for a politically feverish season. We allwant things to be different, but we often make the mistake of pegging our hope onan individual,or group of individuals...possibly why we are never satisfied with our leadership.

 

Sara calls out to make way for the people today! My interpretation of this is that if all you want to do is sit back and be pessimistic,make way for those who've had about enough of a culture of impunity,of self-serving and self-agrrandizing leaders. Make wayfor those who will hold their leaders accountable,or will do their best to.

 

A great song this,and hopefully it will rekindle the flames for our quest to see a better Kenya, a better Africa that can only be realized if we rise up and make that difference.

 

Check out the song's teaser below, and look out  for the single on your airwaves! 

 

 

Make Way(The Lyrics)

They Say 
We're independent but they won't set us free,
They Say
We are sovereign but we shackled and chained
They Say
The future is now but the past is with us
They Say,
We are tomorrow but we're stuck in yesterday

But

There's a Man down
Head down
No food on his plate
Will he bow down
Stay down
To see another day
He is pinned down
Spirit down his back against the wall
so stand down stand down
Liberation will say

Make Way
For the people today
Make way
Liberation will say
Make way
For the people today
Make way Liberation will stay

They say,
We won't sit around we'll fight for our rights
They Say
You have trampled us enough Is enough
They say
The future is now, we leave behind the past
They Say,
We are tomorrow say goodbye to yesterday

And we will stand up
Heads up
Put food on our plates
We won't bow down
Stay down
We'll find another way
We will look up stay up and push against the wall,
So rise up rise up
Liberation has said

Make way
For the people today
Make way liberation will say!

 

©2011  Music and Lyrics by Blackman Entertainment

 

Who Are You Really Writing Songs For? | Songtrust

It is natural for songwriters to think that you are always writing music for yourself. After all, art itself is a form of ‘self-expression’. However, take a step back and think about who you are actually writing the music for by asking yourself these questions:

What are your goals as a songwriter?

Are you simply writing the best music you can because you love it?

Are you making music that will appeal to your fans because you know they will buy it?

Are you writing music that will appeal to publishers who can try to pitch the music for commercials, soundtracks and the like?

This distinction is very important for you to understand, as it will be the basis for how you approach your songs, and just how ‘self-expressive’ you can be, or can’t be, depending on what is needed for the right scenario.

Read the rest of the article here:
http://blog.songtrust.com/songwriting-tips/who-are-you-really-writing-songs-for/

Why Musicians Should Own Websites.

I am a girl about the internets...(someone should look into offering valid credentials around that.)

Anyway, while this blog may have begun as a 'group therapy-let's-all-woosa-as-musicians' space, I've decided to add more objectivity to it, and one way is to curate content as I come across it.

Today, we look at this issue of owning your own space on the internet as a musician.(Stop panicking! Breathe in...out...and read on...LOL!)

It's been interesting to find that most musicians,locally and internationally haven't jumped onto this opportunity for many reasons. For instance,as a big hit, there's always content being put out about you, right? So if an interested party does a google search about who you are,plenty is bound to come up and inform adequately. And besides, if I have a facebook fan page and I tweet every now and then, what more do I need, right? 

WRONG!!