GRAMMY Camp
Nashville

Description:
Campers will receive comprehensive instruction on recording techniques, including mic technique, signal flow, and sonic shaping both in studio and live applications. Campers will also learn aspects of traditional music production through to music creation with digital instruments with learning methods of programming, editing, sampling, and mixing on digital audio workstations to help further develop their original compositions. Campers will how learn innovative techniques in digital music production, remixing, and sound manipulation to combine performance, composition, and orchestration with computer, synthesis, and multimedia technology. Students should have at least a rudimentary understanding of recording equipment and be familiar with basic audio terminology (i.e., microphone, compression, reverb, etc.) and digital audio workstations (DAW).

Submission Requirements:
Submit one music and/or video selections as MP3s YouTube or SoundCloud links of projects you have recorded and/or mixed either in a recording or live performance setting.

You must provide a brief yet detailed description of what you did and how you did it for each selection (i.e., recorded, mixed, equipment used, location, etc.). Submit one example in MP3 format of music you have created using computer-based platforms (with or without the addition of live instruments). You must provide a brief yet detailed description of what you did and how you did it for each selection (i.e., recorded, mixed, equipment used, location, etc.).

Description:
Aspiring songwriters will sharpen the skills of their craft while exploring song structure, harmony, melody, lyric writing, and (where applicable) vocal technique. This track will also provide Campers with the opportunity to collaborate with a band, singers, and other songwriters. They will also gain valuable insight on sound business practices including effective marketing. This Career Track does not require you to be a singer. However, you should have a rudimentary understanding of music theory, and having some keyboard or guitar performance abilities is highly recommended.

Submission Requirements:
Video of you or someone else singing two of your original compositions. If someone else is performing, you must make an on-camera introduction of each song and the performer(s).

All songs must be written solely by you. Please upload your video to YouTube and submit your link(s). You are encouraged to submit lyric sheets with your songs and/or put the lyrics in the YouTube description.

Description:
The Vocal Performance track is primarily for singers who desire to pursue an artist path in the music industry and/or wish to work as professional vocalists in some capacity (session singer, background vocalist, etc.). Campers will spend their time learning about the many different aspects of a vocalist that must be developed to have a successful, sustainable career in the industry, taking the vocalist beyond simply singing well and diving deeply into other essential skills. These include caring for and protecting the voice, developing better relational skills for collaboration, overcoming performance anxiety, increasing business savvy, and identifying ways to up-level musicianship.

Submission Requirements:
Video of you singing two songs of differing styles and/or tempos in the following genres:

• Pop
• Country
• R&B
• Rock
• Soul
• Hip hop
• Gospel
• Etc.

NOTE: One jazz selection is fine but please do not submit musical theater or classical songs.

Announce the title and artist who originally performed the song before you sing each song. Performance with live or recorded accompaniment is strongly recommended (a cappella performances are not advised). Important: we recommend that you do not use professional studio audio in your recording. Simply use the mic on your phone or whatever you are using to capture your video– we want to hear a raw, (untuned and unprocessed) vocal as that tells us the most about your singing.

Please upload your video to YouTube and submit your link(s). You are encouraged to submit lyric sheets with your songs and/or put the lyrics in the YouTube description.

If audio is recorded with a DAW (a digital audio workstation like Logic, Garageband, ProTools, etc.), no processing of pitch and/or time is acceptable. A bare minimum of effects (reverb, delay, compression, etc.) is strongly encouraged as well.

Description:
There are many careers in music that make the success of an artist possible. This Career Track will explore the inner workings of the music business including marketing, management, touring, concert production, publicity, entertainment law, and entrepreneurship in this ever-changing industry. Students should have a passion for exploring the non-performance roles on an artist’s team and a basic knowledge of the current music industry.

Submission Requirements:
Please submit a brief (2-6 sentences) written response to each of the following:

• Pick an artist that you would like to work with. Describe what role you would like to play on their team (management, PR, marketing, live event production, legal, etc.) and how you would approach that position.
• Pick a person, a music company, and/or a website that you feel has had an impact on the music industry and explain how.
• Please upload answers to these two prompts. Video response submissions are also allowed, but answers should be prepared and recited (no rambling responses).

Description:
Musicians will study, rehearse, and perform in multiple settings including live events and studio sessions while also learning practical paths to a successful career as a musician.

Submission Requirements:
Submit videos of you performing two musical styles chosen from the following:

• Rock
• Pop
• Jazz
• Latin
• R&B
• Blues

If audio is recorded with a DAW (a digital audio workstation like Logic, Garageband, ProTools, etc.), no processing of pitch and/or time is acceptable. A bare minimum of effects (reverb, delay, compression, etc.) is strongly encouraged as well.

Please do not submit recordings of school performances or video links from social media sites such as Instagram or TikTok.

Rhythm Section: Drums, Bass, Guitar, Keyboard: Please perform with a band, making sure you are clearly heard in the mix, or with recorded or programmed accompaniment. If you must perform unaccompanied, you must perform with a “click” (a metronome). Please demonstrate your abilities both “comping” (accompanying) and soloing.

Drummers—please ensure the camera angle shows your entire body so we can see both of your hands and posture while playing.

Winds & Strings: Trumpet, Trombone, Saxophone, Violin, Viola, Cello, Other Brass, Woodwinds, and Strings: Please perform with a band, making sure you are clearly heard in the mix, or with recorded or programmed accompaniment. If you must perform unaccompanied, you must perform with a “click” (a metronome). Please demonstrate your abilities soloing, and if possible, playing background parts.

Please upload your videos to YouTube and submit your link(s) to the application form.

Dr. Nathan Adam is an award-winning audio and video producer, TEDx speaker, and professor of Cinema, Television & Media Production at Belmont University. With decades of experience, Dr. Adam has empowered thousands of students to harness the transformative potential of media technology.

A dynamic speaker, he delivered a TEDx Nashville talk, Virtual Reality and the Democratization of Experience, exploring how virtual reality bridges gaps in human connection and accessibility. He has appeared as an expert guest on Nashville’s News Channel 5, Nashville Public Radio, and the Nashville Ledger, offering insights into the intersections of technology and media.

Dr. Adam has presented at leading conferences, including the Music & Entertainment Industry Educators Association (MEIEA), the Audio Engineering Society (AES), and the Utility Analytics Institute, discussing the transformative impacts of artificial intelligence on industries like music and education.

Dr. Adam’s production career features highlights such as MSNBC’s Tonight with Deborah Norville (with over 820,000 YouTube views) and engineering projects for artists like Vince Gill, Earl Scruggs, and the Oak Ridge Boys. He also mixed the orchestral score for Peter Pan with Cathy Rigby and post-produced over 140 episodes of Presleys’ Country Jubilee on the RFD Network.

As an educator, Dr. Adam has taught at over 60 GRAMMY Camps, mentoring high school students in audio engineering, video, and electronic music production. These camps, backed by organizations like Best Buy and the GRAMMY Museum, foster future creators. Dr. Adam is the founder of Multi-Platinum.com, where he has produced over 50 courses on music production and mixing, and has co-authored Multi-Platinum Pro Tools and Pro Tools 9: The Mixer’s Toolkit. He co-owns the Walnut House event complex in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, solidifying his role as a visionary in media production and education.

Dr. Adam earned his BBA and MBA from Pittsburg State University (2000), an EdS from Middle Tennessee State University (2007), and an EdD from Tennessee State University (2022).

Drew Ramsey grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee playing and singing rock, soul, gospel, and country music. Anywhere and anytime music was being played or recorded he put himself right in the middle of it. After studying Architecture Drew graduated with a Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of Tennessee and moved to Nashville to set up shop as a writer, producer, and musician. Keeping the approach of being anywhere good music was happening, opportunities soon arose. Since then, Drew has collaborated with, and had songs recorded by, artists like India Arie, John Legend, Heather Headley, Jonny Lang, Robert Randolph, The Temptations, Marc Broussard, Trombone Shorty, Leela James, CeCe Winans, Eric Benet, Danny Gokey, Gloria Gaynor, and International artists such as Mivayi, Count Basic, Asa, and Debi Nova.

He has ten total Grammy nominations, songs on three other Grammy-winning projects, and has received one Grammy award, one Dove Award, and two Emmys. His songs have appeared in movies such as We Were Soldiers, The Game Plan, Shark Tale, Brown Sugar, Maleficent 2 and television shows such as The Voice, American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, Grey’s Anatomy, Dancing With The Stars, Brothers and Sisters, The Fosters, Lucifer, Roswell New Mexico, Colin in Black & White, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Titans, Monarch, SEC Nation, Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime and sports events on ESPN, NFL, NHL, SEC Network, Friday Night Knicks, and many more.

In 2023, Drew completed a Masters of Commercial Music Composition at Belmont University. Still a writer with BMG, Drew is also currently Chair and Instructor in Belmont University’s Songwriting Department, graduates of which have received their own major record and publishing deals, Dove, and Grammy awards and nominations.Drew Ramsey grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee playing and singing rock, soul, gospel, and country music. Anywhere and anytime music was being played or recorded he put himself right in the middle of it. After studying Architecture Drew graduated with a Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of Tennessee and moved to Nashville to set up shop as a writer, producer, and musician. Keeping the approach of being anywhere good music was happening, opportunities soon arose. Since then, Drew has collaborated with, and had songs recorded by, artists like India Arie, John Legend, Heather Headley, Jonny Lang, Robert Randolph, The Temptations, Marc Broussard, Trombone Shorty, Leela James, CeCe Winans, Eric Benet, Danny Gokey, Gloria Gaynor, and International artists such as Mivayi, Count Basic, Asa, and Debi Nova.

He has ten total Grammy nominations, songs on three other Grammy-winning projects, and has received one Grammy award, one Dove Award, and two Emmys. His songs have appeared in movies such as We Were Soldiers, The Game Plan, Shark Tale, Brown Sugar, Maleficent 2 and television shows such as The Voice, American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, Grey’s Anatomy, Dancing With The Stars, Brothers and Sisters, The Fosters, Lucifer, Roswell New Mexico, Colin in Black & White, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Titans, Monarch, SEC Nation, Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime and sports events on ESPN, NFL, NHL, SEC Network, Friday Night Knicks, and many more.

In 2023, Drew completed a Masters of Commercial Music Composition at Belmont University. Still a writer with BMG, Drew is also currently Chair and Instructor in Belmont University’s Songwriting Department, graduates of which have received their own major record and publishing deals, Dove, and Grammy awards and nominations.

Laura is a 30-year veteran of the music industry with experience coaching vocalists of all styles and levels (some listed below). She received an undergraduate degree from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she studied classical piano and voice. In recent years, she completed a Master of Music degree at Belmont University, where she piloted a program that focused on the unique aspects of training commercial vocalists and included studies at the renowned Vanderbilt Voice Center.

She is the Vocal Performance instructor for the GRAMMY Museum’s educational program GRAMMY Camp, is a certified yoga instructor in Vinyasa Flow (RYT-200), and is a certified Vocal Health First Aider through Vocal Health Education (NCFE accreditation). In 2023, Laura’s commitment to lifelong learning led her into the world of transformational coaching, where she now focuses the bulk of her studies. 2024 and 2025 include an apprenticeship with elite performance coach and music industry visionary Nick Bottini.

Her research on the vocalist’s relationship with technology and audio engineers is published in Action-Based Approaches In Popular Music Education: An Essential Collaboration: Teaching Vocalists to Work with Audio Technology and Audio Engineers.

Laura's own professional experience encompasses decades of live performance, studio singing, musical theater roles, and voice over. She performs regularly in Canada and the U.S. with the band BANC. Laura is also a songwriter and artist, and you can find her original music on Bandcamp.

Dr. David Tough is a tenured, Full Professor of Audio Engineering Technology at Belmont University. He has written and produced over 500 songs for film, TV, video, and ad placements including songs featured in the television shows Empire, Glee, CSI, and Nashville. Tough has won several awards for his production and songwriting including a Grammy nomination and is a winner of two Covenant (Canadian Dove) awards. He is a grand prize winner in the John Lennon song contest, winning in 2009, 2013, and 2021.

After graduating from the University of North Texas with an undergraduate degree in jazz drums, David moved to Los Angeles, where he worked for Capitol Records, Warner Chappell Music Publishing, BMG Music Publishing and TAXI, as well as serving as a consultant for other companies such as Transition Music and WEA. David earned his MBA from Pepperdine University and EdD in Higher Education Administration for Tennessee State University.

David's skillset includes audio engineering, songwriting, and music production. His research interests span across music production, songwriting, and recording arts curriculum development. He has taught audio engineering, songwriting, and music technology at several institutions including UCLA, Cal Poly Pomona, and the University of North Alabama since 2002.

Hailing from Columbus, OH, Dr. MarQo Patton (Dr. Q) has made Music City home since graduating from Fisk University, earning a BS in Business Admin., Music Business concentration. He is an alumni-member of the world renowned, GRAMMY Award-winning, Fisk Jubilee Singers. Dr. Q earned an EdM in Instructional Practice and EdD in Learning Organizations & Strategic Change (Lipscomb University), and was a tenured educator of eight years in Metro Nashville Public Schools prior to becoming a professor.

Serving in elementary, middle, and high school settings, Patton spent most of his public education career as a founding music industry instructor at North Nashville’s Pearl-Cohn Entertainment Magnet High. As Assistant Professor of Music Business at Belmont University’s Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business, Patton designs curriculum and lectures on music industry & artist development. Dr. Q maintains a published research focus on the process(es) of creative(n.) efficacy in entertainment, while actively engaging as a live, session, touring vocalist (SAG-AFTRA) and mentor, consultant (JMGG, LLC) in the industry.

To Be Announced