THESE INCREDIBLE FIRST-TIME RECORDING ARTISTS

 

What do you do when @MasaFukuda, your all-time arranger / director / producer / sound engineer  / and gatherer of amazingly talented singers / is on a book tour in Japan during the time when you absolutely have to record your new Father's Day song?

Well, you call your friend, Daniel Blomberg (musical genius and co-writer of this song) and he calls his friend, Dave Zimmerman, at Noisebox Studios. And then you think:

This is great! Now we have a track to sing to, and someone to professionally record the song, but -- just one little problem here -- we don't have any singers! 

What do you do then? Well, I reached out to some of the best kids I know. Kids who I absolutely love and have tons of confidence in: my piano students. 

I could imagine the conversation: "Hey, do you want to help record a new song in a professional studio for me?"

"On the piano?"

"No."

"On my violin?" (Some of them play strings also.)

"No. I want you to sing."

Silence. 

So yeah, instead of talking to the kids, I called their parents. And they said, "They'd love to. They'll be ready." Did I mention that I love the parents, too?!

So I literally gave them the music in time to listen to it and sing through it a few times -- ON THE WAY TO THE STUDIO. Yikes!

And with 3 of Daniel's children, 6 of my piano students, and a couple of their recruited cousins and a friend -- none of which had ever done anything like this -- we recorded "I See a Hero." Well, I should really say Dave recorded it.

And I directed them. Took me back to my days (and weeks and years) as a primary chorister. So much fun!!!

And they responded patiently to my every suggestion: You're singing too loud. You're not singing loud enough. You're flat. You're sharp. I can't hear that "t" at the end. WHOA! that was a lot of "t"!

Haha -- they somehow survived my musical pickiness and just kept singing. And smiling. 

And then when we were finished recording the whole song, I said, "Okay, now we're going to record parts!" Yikes again. 

Well, in the end, I think they did great. In fact, I think they were amazing! Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of all of them, but one of the moms snapped a few pictures of a smaller group at the end.

Thank you, Blomberg, Washburn and Gunderson kids, and Kate, Maddie, Sadie and Ben. You are truly incredible! And the recording sounds great!

It's a blessing to know you. :)


2 comments


  • Donna Gulfan

    Hi ms shawna. I really like all your songs. Praise God. Our childrens choir at church sang almost all your songs and they enjoyed it. Right now we will be learning your new fathers day song. We are also working on a simple fund raising concert for the additional funds for pathfinder camporee in oskosh next year. We wish that you make more songs and we hope to sing or do the original recording for your upcoming songs (if you allw us too) fingers crossed. But thank you sooo much. God bless you more.

    Donna Gulfan
    Childrens choir director
    Filipino Seventh-day Adventist International Church. Avon park Florida


  • Donna Gulfan

    Hi ms shawna. I really like all your songs. Praise God. Our childrens choir at church sang almost all your songs and they enjoyed it. Right now we will be learning your new fathers day song. We are also working on a simple fund raising concert for the additional funds for pathfinder camporee in oskosh next year. We wish that you make more songs and we hope to sing or do the original recording for your upcoming songs (if you allw us too) fingers crossed. But thank you sooo much. God bless you more.

    Donna Gulfan
    Childrens choir director
    Filipino Seventh-day Adventist International Church. Avon park Florida


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