As an "aspiring teen musician" and future rock star, the idea of this piece appealed to me, and I was interested in what these motivated young people had to say about themselves and their dreams (and their humble beginnings - one quote about "how bad we sucked when we were younger" made me laugh out loud). Sound clips of living-room rehearsals made the piece come alive, and I could envision myself practicing with my own bandmates or sitting on the sofa as the girls in the piece rehearsed. Also, the author's own involvement in the subject added a degree of ethos that is important for a piece like this.
The only suggestions I'd make would be to improve the sound quality (there was some microphone noise at times) and to perhaps include a greater variety of aspiring musicians in the piece - including young jazz artists or aspiring MCs would have given this piece a much greater impact. Ultimately, though, "Aspiring Teen Musicians" is well done, and its message - skill alone isn't enough, hard work is needed too - is very much appreciated by this listener.
A very nice piece. Well focused exploration of the topic. Some great thoughts in the interviews - I love the kid talking about how he wants a job that is something he loves to do. Nice use of sound and good transitions. The piece is a little "rough around the edges" production-wise, but the content is very solid/ engaging.
The piece would work well in a show about career choices, in a show about music, in a show about teenagers.... and a lot of more focused variations on those bigger themes and more.
Soulful a capella singing welcomes the listener into the mood of this piece. The narrator goes shares the dream she and her sister share of being Teen Musicians. She interviews other hopeful teenagers about these same dreams. These teens want to be famous and wonder if they would change their image to achieve their goal. To my surprise, a lot of the teenagers she interviewed said they did not want to be famous, just do what they want to do. Most of the teens said that they would never change their image for anyone. The narrator seems to think more about these issues than her peers. She decided that if she wants to be famous she might change her image to attain her dream. The end of the piece leaves the listener with a very optimistic view of teen musicians. I hope they all achieve their dreams.
The audio I just listened to deals with a growing problem in our generation...society telling youth how to be ourselves. The piece talks about the struggle for a youth to make their music into a career, and how today's culture puts limits on the musicians in order to see a glimpse of success. There previews of "tomorrow's artists" in the piece which are considerably good. The structure is strong and the piece is entertaining, especially when some of the interviewees actually perform for the microphone; good audio throughout. Overall, I felt compelled to pick up my guitar and jam just for the heck of it, not to impress the girl next door or to get signed by a label, but just to make myself feel good, and that's this piece is all about.
This piece talks about the dream of becoming a musician, which is a goal I share... Though being a musician doesn't need to mean being a star. The one thing to take out of this piece is practice helps you improve.
It was a close up look at the dreams of several youth, and how they were chasing after those dreams. It is a well produced produced piece, although the levels are a little iffy in some places.
Comments for Aspiring Teen Musicians
This piece belongs to the series "Youth Ideas Radio Project 2005"
Produced by International Festival of Arts & Ideas
Other pieces by Youth Ideas Radio Project
Rating Summary
5 comments
Emily Raymond
Posted on January 18, 2006 at 12:12 PM | Permalink
Review of Aspiring Teen Musicians
As an "aspiring teen musician" and future rock star, the idea of this piece appealed to me, and I was interested in what these motivated young people had to say about themselves and their dreams (and their humble beginnings - one quote about "how bad we sucked when we were younger" made me laugh out loud). Sound clips of living-room rehearsals made the piece come alive, and I could envision myself practicing with my own bandmates or sitting on the sofa as the girls in the piece rehearsed. Also, the author's own involvement in the subject added a degree of ethos that is important for a piece like this.
The only suggestions I'd make would be to improve the sound quality (there was some microphone noise at times) and to perhaps include a greater variety of aspiring musicians in the piece - including young jazz artists or aspiring MCs would have given this piece a much greater impact. Ultimately, though, "Aspiring Teen Musicians" is well done, and its message - skill alone isn't enough, hard work is needed too - is very much appreciated by this listener.
Emily Hanford
Posted on November 09, 2005 at 05:54 PM | Permalink
Review of Aspiring Teen Musicians
A very nice piece. Well focused exploration of the topic. Some great thoughts in the interviews - I love the kid talking about how he wants a job that is something he loves to do. Nice use of sound and good transitions. The piece is a little "rough around the edges" production-wise, but the content is very solid/ engaging.
The piece would work well in a show about career choices, in a show about music, in a show about teenagers.... and a lot of more focused variations on those bigger themes and more.
Adrian Boyes
Posted on October 26, 2005 at 02:22 PM | Permalink
Review of Aspiring Teen Musicians
Soulful a capella singing welcomes the listener into the mood of this piece. The narrator goes shares the dream she and her sister share of being Teen Musicians. She interviews other hopeful teenagers about these same dreams. These teens want to be famous and wonder if they would change their image to achieve their goal. To my surprise, a lot of the teenagers she interviewed said they did not want to be famous, just do what they want to do. Most of the teens said that they would never change their image for anyone. The narrator seems to think more about these issues than her peers. She decided that if she wants to be famous she might change her image to attain her dream. The end of the piece leaves the listener with a very optimistic view of teen musicians. I hope they all achieve their dreams.
Carlos Maeda
Posted on September 29, 2005 at 10:18 AM | Permalink
Review of Aspiring Teen Musicians
The audio I just listened to deals with a growing problem in our generation...society telling youth how to be ourselves. The piece talks about the struggle for a youth to make their music into a career, and how today's culture puts limits on the musicians in order to see a glimpse of success. There previews of "tomorrow's artists" in the piece which are considerably good. The structure is strong and the piece is entertaining, especially when some of the interviewees actually perform for the microphone; good audio throughout. Overall, I felt compelled to pick up my guitar and jam just for the heck of it, not to impress the girl next door or to get signed by a label, but just to make myself feel good, and that's this piece is all about.
Ben Lavine
Posted on September 22, 2005 at 05:10 PM | Permalink
Review of Aspiring Teen Musicians
This piece talks about the dream of becoming a musician, which is a goal I share... Though being a musician doesn't need to mean being a star. The one thing to take out of this piece is practice helps you improve.
It was a close up look at the dreams of several youth, and how they were chasing after those dreams. It is a well produced produced piece, although the levels are a little iffy in some places.