Camas — Camas High School’s Ethan Chessin won a Give A Note Foundation Music Education Innovator Award for his program, The Business of Music. The award is given to music educators using innovative and sustainable strategies in nontraditional or traditional secondary music courses that are designed to attract students not typically enrolled in such courses to help increase access to music education. Each grant winner’s program received $4,000. The Business of Music program connects students to the community, as Chessin commissions a commercial musician or rock composer to write a full-length concert for his choirs to perform alongside professional musicians from the community. Students learn about the composition process and meet with music industry experts to learn about the business side. Students have met with a talent buyer and used that knowledge to pick an opening act for their performance. They learn from a publicist about press releases and then write their own and share them with local media. The students also meet with record label executives to help design an album, while graphic designers help with poster art. This year’s program is focusing on digital recording and marketing.
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