| Details of the 2007 Contest: With the goal of encouraging the next generation to use their art to make a positive difference in the world, the "Save The Planet" Song Contest invites young songwriters to create songs on world concerns such as global warming, pollution, deforestation, wildlife extinctions, etc. The top three songs will win a place on the upcoming "Songs That Make A Difference” CD and their writers will also get to keep the masters of their recordings, as well as 100% of their publishing rights. A professionally-recorded copy of each winning song will also be shared with charities devoted to preserving the planet, in the name of the young writers. Prizes: |
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| 2007 Contest Celebrity Judges The song contest finals round judging panel will be honoured by the involvement of Lance Hoppen, founding and continuing member of the critically-acclaimed American band, Orleans, whose international hits include "Still The One", "Dance With Me", and "Love Takes Time". Other celebrity judges include Robyn Taylor-Drake, head of the Independent Pluggers' Association and a two term President of the Nashville Publishers Network, who founded “The Peace Celebration”, and invites students to "Write songs that facilitate healing. That’s our job.” The judges' panel also includes Don McLeod, President of B.C. S.A.S.S., Dale Russell, Co-Founder of S.A.S.S.award-winning producer, and guitarist with The Guess Who from l983-2000, and two of this country's great pop writers, Christopher Ward and Rob Wells. |
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Yes, kids can make a difference. Groups joining forces for a common cause can work wonders... ...Most importantly, a single, caring individual can make the world a better place, through love, effort, creativity, and the power of music. |
| You may see why John Kay wished to support child education programs in war-torn Cambodia, when you visit www.cambodiaschools.com |
"Creativity allows us to express our emotions, our celebrations, our very selves. Yet creativity is also applied in the field of international development, as people come together to create solutions that will improve the living conditions for children living in oppressive poverty. We want to thank everyone who will share their creative gifts to make this project happen. I hope all of these young artists continue to be a blessing to Canadians as well as people all over the world." -- Mike Bowman, Manager, Artist Associates World Vision Canada-- www.worldvision.ca www.makepovertyhistory.ca |
| CONGRATULATIONS to the 2006 "Songs That Make A Difference" TOP WINNERS! Grand Prize winner: Anastasia Pheakos--Dunbarton H.S.-- "Why" 2. Tafar-I Davis--"Live As One" 3. Katie Gallant--R.S. McLaughlin C.V.I.--"Empty Shell" 4. Lindsay Broughton--D.A. Wilson S.S. "When We Know" other winners of a place on the next CD (listed in alphabetical order) Laila Darwish & Tony Ranalli--Henry Street H.S.--"When One Of Us Is Chained, None Of Us Is Free Douglas Jimenez & Samim Rostainajad--O'Neill Collegiate--"Look Beyond Yourself" Sophia Mangov--Pine Ridge S.S.--"Mother's Eyes" Sarah Nadeau--Queen Elizabeth P.S.--"Smile Again" A.J. Ottaway--Sinclair S.S.--"The Sound Of Falling Tears"-- Shannah Reid--College Hill P.S.--"Why Don't We" Lindsay Regan--Ajax H.S. --"The Girl In The Next Room" Nicholas Reynolds--G.L. Roberts C.V.I. "A New Beginning" Samara VanLeeuwen--Donald Wilson S.S.--"A Voice" Mackenzie Yoon--B.C. S.A.S.S.--"Keep It Up" Teachers' category: Dave MacLean & Andrew Cohen--West Lynde P.S.--"Healing Hands" |
| CONGRATULATIONS to the 2005 Song ContestTOP WINNERS! 1. Cara Moynes from Ajax H.S. "Shoot For The Moon" 2. Dylan Hiller & Reed Stevens of O'Neill C.V.I. "Jack" 3. Sarah Nadeau of Queen Elizabeth P.S. "Walk Away" 4. Rachel & Sarah Wood of Ajax H.S. "Something We Have To Live Through" 5. Kyle McGill of Sinclair S.S. "So Sorry" 6. Lindsay Regan of Ajax H.S. "Let Me In" 7. Katie Gallant of G.L. Roberts "Once More" 8. Samara Van Leeuwen of Wilson S.S. "Disappear" 9. Raeanne Stubbings & the Hillsdale S.A.S.S. Club "I Just Want Someone To Love" 10. Samantha & Ally of Lincoln Alexander P.S. "Broken Hearts" |
Some of the song contest judges from the past two years have included: Canadian singer/songwriter legends Anne Murray, Steppenwolf's John Kay, Marc Jordan & Amy Sky Wendell Ferguson (six-time CCMA winner of the "Guitarist of the Year" award) Chris Patterson (musical humorist of the beloved " Arrogant Worms", at work on his 11th album) Dale Russell (lead guitarist of The Guess Who from l983-2000 and Co-Founder of the S.A.S.S. Program Don Quarles (Songwriter, Event Co-Ordinator of the Hummingbird Centre for the Performing Arts and Co-Ordinator of our Mentor Program) Rob MacArthur (Founder of BUZZ internet radio) Ellen Drake (Founder of MusicBiz Seminars) Patrick Stephenson (Juno-nominated Producer and Co-writer of "Who Let The Dogs Out?") Selena (extraordinary, rising Toronto singer-songwriter) Mike Freilich (President of Big Daddy Records, who will be donating studio time to our top contest winners) Peter Linseman (Songwriter, Producer, Music Mentor Productions) Stephanie Seigner (Singer-songwriter and S.A.S.S. Teacher from Queen Elizabeth P.S. Matt Waite (one of the graduates of the McLaughlin S.A.S.S. Club, now in the Music Business Administration Program at Durham University) |
| Thanks to our 2005-06 song contest prize sponsors: |
Juno-nominated Patrick Stephenson of Big Daddy Studios, one of the extraordinary producers who donated production time to fifteen of the top winners of the 2005 S.A.S.S. song contest. |
| Song Contest Final Judges at Wilson S.S. March 23 |
| Special thanks to Michael Golden of Erikson Music |
| Long & McQuade Oshawa |
| To enter the "Save The Planet" contest: Send a) two typed copies of your lyrics, complete with your name, your SASS teacher's name, and school printed on the BACK of each lyric sheet b) and a recording of your original song on cassette or CD with your vocal melody sung clearly (a simple arrangement is fine, for example, a cappella or with guitar or piano) to: S.A.S.S. Suite 259 1300 King Street East Oshawa, Ontario, Canada L1H 8J4 For Durham Students: Please have your S.A.S.S. teacher send your school's entries to D. Artemis Chartier at Donald Wilson S.S. via the D.D.S.B. courier THIS CONTEST, as always, is free of charge for S.A.S.S. students. However, to encourage you to select and refine only your best work, only ONE ENTRY will be accepted PER STUDENT or BAND. Please allow up to 5-6 weeks for the three rounds of judging after song contest closing date. Entries will not be returned, however, a written evaluation sheet will be sent back to encourage all entrants in the continuation and improvement of their songwriting. |
S.A.S.S. CONTEST CRITERIA: 1. Introduction ( /2) Does the intro immediately grab your attention? (For example, a captivating improvised vocal, driving, rhythmic groove, a beautiful line, a catchy solo, etc.) 2. Verses ( /5) Are the lyrical ideas easy to follow? Are the phrases / images original? Do they sound like natural conversation? Is there symmetry in the line length? Is there a rhyme scheme? Are the rhymes pleasant? Do the lines flow, and make sense, without sacrificing meaning to rhyme? 3. Chorus ( /5) Is there a chorus? Is the chorus simple? Is it singable? Is the melody of the chorus the most memorable and powerful of the song? 4. Build, progression ( /3) Does the song captivate the listener and become more exciting or compelling from beginning to end? Does the musical arrangement contain different volumes (dynamics) and numbers of voices or instruments (usually becoming more complex and involved as the song develops). 5. Hook ( /5) Is there a musical or lyrical phrase that stands out in the song? Is this central idea great -- catchy and easy to remember? Is the hook found in the chorus? Is the hook repeated several times? Do all lines somehow relate or lead back to the hook? If a lyrical hook, is the most memorable phrase also used as the title? 6. Bridge ( /2) (Note: Not all songs have a third or “C” part, but those that do are often more interesting.) Does this song have a part with a different melody and structure from the verses and chorus? Does the bridge take the song to a place of greater power and intensity? Does the bridge successfully link the final verse or chorus to the last time through the chorus? (Sometimes contrasting thoughts are finally reconciled in the chorus, or there is a sense of resolution or understanding) 7. Groove ( /3) Is the rhythm steady? Does it add life and energy to the song? Is the rhythm the right volume? Does the style of the groove fit the musical genre of the song? 8. Ending / outro ( /2) Is there a wind-down to the song, symmetrical with the intro? Is it beautiful and interesting? Does it leave the listener feeling an appropriate final mood for this song? 9. Song length ( /3) Is the song the right length for most listeners? (According to radio: 2 ½-4 ½ mins is ideal. Longer songs can sometimes still work if there is some relief from the “sameness”, such as interesting changes in the melody, rhythmic fills, harmony, dynamics, etc.) 10. Thematic development: ( /5) Does the song "hang together", with all lines of the song supporting the song title / theme? Are the images and phrases of the song thematically- related? Does the mood of the music reflect the mood of the theme (prosody)? 11. Overall musical qualities ( /10) Do you want to listen to the song a second time? Is it memorable? Do you walk away singing it? Is the melody pleasant? Is this song refreshing and original? Does it move the listener? 12. Production ( /5) Do the volume and clarity of the vocals and/or main instruments on this demo permit appreciation of the song ideas? Are the vocals pleasant? Is the performance in tune? TOTAL: /50 Song criteria Copyright Artemis Chartier & Dale Russell www.sasscanada.net * While music appreciation is subjective, and the ultimate personal criteria for professional song judges or music fans is simply: "Do I Like It?", you may find the above questions useful in teaching songwriting or exploring your own writing gifts. Visitors to the site may reproduce the above list of "Elements of a Good Song" for their own use, songwriting workshops, publications, or study groups, provided that they refer others to our web site and include our logo on the page. |
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SONG CONTEST New closing date: April 15, 2007 |
AMY SKY MARC JORDAN ANNE MURRAY
| Learn about the work of Amnesty International Canada by clicking on www.amnesty.ca |
| The 2006 "Songs That Make A Difference" Contest directed young writers to research the world issues of Amnesty International, World Vision, Children's Health, Education, and Relief, and the Cambodian Schools Project, and write songs that could assist these causes. |
To learn how to enter this year's contest, please scroll down to the bottom of this page |
Don Mcleod
Robyn Taylor-Drake
|Dale Russell
Lance
Hoppen
Hoppen
| Al Kowalenko and the Music Industries Association of Canada will again be awarding $1,000 to the "Most Promising Songwriter" discovered in this 2007 SASS Song Contest. Great songwriters, Christopher Ward and Rob Wells are generously offering to present an Epiphone DR 200 guitar and hard-shell case and Fishman Loudbox 100 amplifier. Among the top awards will be a Microsoft X-Box kiosk complete with X-Box, controller, stand, TV screen and speakers The top 10 entrants will also be able to choose, in order of highest scores, from an array of prizes also proudly offered by: Korg, Washburn (acoustic guitar) and Hagstrom ( electric guitar), as well as Sennheiser (microphone), Levy's Leathers (guitar straps), selected merchandise from Rogers Music Centre (Thank you, Jimmi Daoud) and a gift-certificate from long-time friends of SASS, Long & McQuade. |
