Hip Hop Teen Writing Workshop

This is a workshop for Teens 13-18 who have an interest or some experience writing music or lyrics or poems.
By the end of the two days, you will walk away with one verse and one hook ready to build on and finish on their own. You will not get a produced song or audio file but you can record what you work on in class.
This is a hands-on experience with rapping into a live mic on stage, we’ll offer a chance to have our videographer take a :30 video clip of you performing for their portfolio or to show friends, socials, etc.
We’ll also listen to music to get a deeper understanding of how Hip Hop music is created and performed.

Day 1 –
Meet the teachers and hear their background.
Break out into groups to get smaller group size time with each instructor to learn:
– lyrics for verses, how to structure it, how to make it flow
– hooks and ideas for how a melody would sound, ideas for how long a hook should be, what to do if you are a singer, what if you cant sing
– talk about expression, where to get ideas, how to tell your story
All groups rotate to learn the three different topics.
Hands on mic techniques instruction, practice rapping into a mic.
Hands on demo what a Open Mic setting looks like, how you jump into a vibe, best practices, etc.
Leave with your verse and hook ideas to work on until next class.

Day 2 –
Bring back what you’ve come up with/worked on and workshop it with instructors in small groups
We will have a group presentation about Hip Hop influences and have a 45 min listening session with a local DJ/teacher. During this time, individuals will be pulled aside for 15 minutes of one on one coaching.
Then get the chance to have us film your :30 seconds of song on stage with mic. They can use it to practice or to share with friends.
The last 30 mins will be a time where your friends or parents can come in and we’ll host an open mic style jump in for those who are comfortable(not everyone has to). No pressure.

Teens should bring:
• Writing or poems or lyrics they already have and want to work on
• Any instruments they play
• Any backing tracks they’ve built
• A computer if they want to reference stuff or play samples
• A phone to record their ideas/what they come up with in class
• Some experience with writing and familiarity with the genre – this is not a complete beginner class of explaining Hip Hop

Any questions contact Recreation rec@scottsvalley.gov or visit us at Skypark!