by Author Charlie UVG

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UVG Mentoring Through Music case study - Parys & Andy

In July 2020 we launched our second Breaking Through mentoring program which enabled 6 young musicians to collaborate with professional songwriters to write, record, and release an original track. This was the first time that we had delivered such a program remotely and we asked our mentors and mentors to reflect on the experience as they progressed. The first pair to complete the program were Andy and Parys and their written testimonies give a unique insight into the process both musically and personally.

Parys (18) has been attending The UVG since she was 12 and has been gigging as a solo performer since 2018. Parys was delighted to be part of the mentoring porgram and keen to develop her writing skills. Her mentor Andy is a local singer/songwriter, bandleader, guitarist, and teacher who has been working as a professional musician for over 10 years. Andy worked on UVG's first program in 2017 where he mentored UVG singer Josh Sanderson (subsequently of Youth Music Award-winning band VCR). Andy and Parys completed their track in September 2020 and recorded it at Old Blacksmiths Studio in October.

ANDY - MENTOR

How confident did you feel as a mentor at the start of the process?

At the start of the process, I felt a mixture of confidence and nerves. I felt slightly confident because I'd been a mentor previously, so I had an idea of what was expected and how I could approach the process. But I also felt nervous about working with someone new who was stylistically quite different to people I've written with before. The references were new to me, but that made it more challenging for me which is good because it's nice to give my input from a pop songwriter perspective and keep things marketable but also play into Parys hands of the styles she liked and try to meet somewhere in the middle. The combination of genres and ideas resulted in a great song!

what, if any, were your concerns?

I was concerned that she wouldn't necessarily benefit from my input as her ideas and references were a lot more 'muso' than I had previously been accustomed too (I don't mean that in any bad kind of way). But that was great because it definitely helped me develop musically and broadened my musical knowledge. Parys introduced me to some great artists!!

what did you feel your strengths were?

I'd like to think my strengths were being easy going, easy to talk to, but also introducing that traditional pop element to try and make the track more simplistic and not over complicate things. I think I helped make the track more structured, whilst still allowing Parys to find the musicality and the lyrics more herself without giving too much suggestion.

what area/s did you feel you had to work on as a Mentor?

I felt like I had to work hard to research the styles of music Parys liked and understand the type of artist she wanted to be as I'd not worked in this particular style before, but as I say, this definitely helped me as a writer, musician and mentor. I also felt it was important for Parys to keep her identity, so I tried to allow her ideas to flow and then offered my advice based on her suggestions, as opposed to pushing my own. This helped to bring out her style and stamp on things. I usually in writing sessions try to keep things moving by offering various suggestions to keep the flow, however I worked on sitting back more to leave room for the ideas to come from Parys more than myself, and then offered my advice on those suggestions (slight lyrical or melody changes etc). I felt this was massively important as Parys seemed quite confident in what she wanted from the track, and I didn't want to take away from that.

what surprised you?

I was surprised at Parys openness, which is massively important in song writing. She wasn't afraid to say what she liked and what she didn't, and sometimes in younger musicians that's not common. It's massively important because it meant she got out of the sessions exactly what she wanted, and she didn't end up with something that didn't feel like her, and it's great to have that quality.

Please give one example of something that you have learnt …

About the process?

I've learnt that sometimes breaking up the writing process into weekly smaller sessions can actually be more productive than setting side a block of time. That reflection can really help give perspective, especially for the artist. I've also learnt that sometimes it's good to just chat about things, forget about the sessions and the song, and that can sometimes bring out the inspiration that's needed.

About yourself?

I've learnt to sit back more in certain situations to allow the ideas to come from the artist, but I’ve also learnt to trust my suggestions and ideas. Sometimes it can be quite nerve racking putting out ideas, but when the artist is really receptive it makes you realise you should trust yourself more.

Reflecting on your experience working with your Mentee what advice would you give a young musician starting out writing their own material?

I'd say to young musicians starting out writing to be patient. It's not always gonna turn out how you expect, but that's all part of the process. Always be prepared for when inspiration can strike (I've recorded voice notes in the middle of the night due to little ideas popping into my head). Look at other tracks you like and figure out why you like them. Is there a chord change, a theme within the lyrics, the musicality, or maybe something else? Don't be afraid to try new things out and to step outside your comfort zone. And don't be afraid to reach out to people for advice and don't be afraid to be rejected. Behind every great songwriter or musician is 100’s if not 1000’s of rejections, but if you work hard enough eventually, you'll get the right yes and it's well worth it!

Reflecting on your experience working on the project what advice would you give a musician who is interested in becoming a music mentor?

Do it. Do it do it do it! It's an amazing way to put yourself out of your comfort zone, encourage younger musicians and writers to progress, and you'll be surprised at what you can offer. You'll also be surprised at the amount of talent that they have. It's such an achievement when you see the final product, and to see the follow on from your sessions. Seeing how they keep progressing using what they've learnt from you and putting it to practice is such a buzz. It really gives you a sense of pride to know that you've in some way helped an artist progress.

What was your experience of teaching remotely rather than face to face?

I found teaching remotely relatively useful, as I already teach guitar lessons via Zoom, so it wasn't a major change. It did have its more difficult moments with regards to delays and WiFi issues etc so this slowed down the flow at times and made certain parts of the conversation a bit more intermittent. It's definitely easier being in person and feels a lot less personal over Zoom, but it has it's perks in terms of the current situation, as well as generally being able to make things progress more conveniently. Sometimes having the sessions spaced out works well, because it leaves time between each one to reflect on the work and slowly craft something with more thought.

PARYS - MENTEE

How confident did you feel at the start of the process?

Having written songs before and studied it a bit I felt somewhat confident with it but I think I was more nervous about working on a collaboration and how it was going to go down when I inevitably ran into writer's block.

what, if any, were your concerns?

I had a few concerns like I stated before like what happens if I can't think of anything? What if my partner doesn’t understand my vision for the song? And what if I don’t like the finished product?

what did you feel your strengths were?

I feel like I had a few strengths going into this. I knew what I wanted in the song and I feel like having this already in my head really helped the process. Lyrically, both Andy and I had some brilliant idea (and a couple not so brilliant ones too!) and it played off well!

what area/s did you feel you had to work on?

An area I feel I need to work on musically was my guitar/instrumental skills. I relied heavily on Andy for the guitar part of this song and it has come out better than I could have imagined but I know I'll struggle translating it to my own playing without him. Personally, my confidence in my ideas needs some work. I felt myself shying away from ideas for fear of “cheesiness” or it not sounding too good without even regarding what the other person might think of it.

what surprised you?

What surprised me was how easy it was to write with somebody else about something I felt so passionate about. There were times we had a really good writing session and I'd look back on it a few days later and absolutely hate what we wrote. At first I felt like the worst person in the world telling him this but then we would work on it and both agree how much better it sounded when comparing the revision. It surprised me how honest and truthful I could be about it.

Please give one example of something that you have learnt about …

The Process?

Something I have learnt about the writing process (as an individual) is that I don't work linearly. I've heard people writing straight up songs in under an hour and have it sounding incredible but for me I need more time and to look at it from different angles before even contemplating writing the next verse. I don't just think about what the song sounds like in the moment, I like to think about how the song is going to be produced and built up. And it's okay that i don't do it like everybody else because songwriting is a personal thing

Yourself?

Something I learnt about myself in this process is what I want to sound like as an artist.  Not only sound but perception too. I went into this having a rough idea of “the Parys” I wanted to be in this song but writing it out and hearing it come together has only reinforced that and encouraged me to follow it even more as I now know with a bit of help it’s achievable. Knowing who you want people to see you as on stage is an important part of being a performer and finding a crowd that fits you and this process has really helped me understand that a bit more.

Reflecting on your experience working with your Mentor what advice would you give a young musician starting out writing their own material?

Advice I'd give to young musicians starting out on writing songs is to not be afraid. Everybody had bad songs, and everybody has good songs. But those good songs aren't just going to come one day as you’re lying in your bed having not touched your guitar for months. (I know this from personal experience). You will grow up and your writing will get better I promise but it won't happen without practice. Song writing is like a muscle. If you don't use it for a while, it starts to become stiff and hard to use. The more songs you write, the better they will get. Give it time and patience and confidence.

What was your experience of teaching remotely rather than face to face?

Having to do this during quarantine was a whole new experience. I feel like working face to face would have been much easier. That way we could bounce off each other's energy and not have to deal with bad connection/wifi issues. Sometimes calls felt a bit stale and much less personal which does not fit my writing style at all. Fortunately, being online has its advantages and has made it easier for me to look up quotes that have helped power my song writing and (as much as I hate to admit it!), finding rhyme words. Being able to easily utilise the internet has helped pick me up from writer's block and has made the process a lot smoother. There's many pros and cons of having to do this over a video call but all in all I’m just grateful I got to have this experience.