Auditions Are Open for Amplify 2019

Sheffield, MA --- Music In Common announces open auditions for it’s 2-week residential program and performances, Amplify 2019, which takes place from July 7 – 22 at Berkshire School in Sheffield, MA. High school and college aged musicians can apply online or in person by March 15 by going here. Selections are based on applicants’ skill level and artistic merit, as well as the musical needs of the program.

Amplify participants have the unique opportunity to work with professional musicians and producers to learn, rehearse, and perform in concert songs written by youth from around the world in the Music In Common JAMMS program. JAMMS (Journalism as Music, Multimedia, and Songwriting) is an experiential learning and cultural immersion program that deepens understanding between diverse groups of people and communities in conflict through dialogue and creative collaboration. Open to everyone regardless of musical skill or training, participants write and record a song together as a group and produce a video that addresses an issue important to them. To date, nearly fifty JAMMS songs have been written and recorded.

Amplify musicians are ambassadors for the youth whose songs they are performing, amplifying their message in new and powerful ways that their musical limitations may have not allowed them to do on their own, and connecting the audience with the stories and cultures of the songs’ authors. In the process, musicians and audience alike learn about the faiths, cultures, and narratives of the youth whose songs are being performed, connecting them to others whose backgrounds and stories may vastly differ from their own.

Amplify 2018 youth musicians share their experience and the program’s impact in this short video. Amplify performance videos can be seen here.

Amplify 2019 will be lead by Music in Common founder and executive director, Todd Mack, and Music in Common Program Director, Marisa Massery, both seasoned musicians, producers, and program facilitators.

“Amplify strives to instill in young musicians a profound realization that their musical talent is a powerful tool for creating change. We believe that music is more than just an art form and that that idea lives deep within all musicians. Sometimes it just needs awakening, and that’s what Amplify does,” says MIC Founder and Director, Todd Mack.

(press release sent to WSBS from Music In Common for online and on-air use)

Article Image: Amplify 2018 Photo by Lee Everett, Fine Line Multimedia