SALT LAKE CITY, UT (January 29, 2013) — Two teenagers from Spy Hop’s yearlong music program have won first place in the GRAMMY Foundation® and MusiCares® Teens! Make Music Contest for their creative interpretation of the dangers and impact of drug and alcohol use. Vinny Cavalcanti (18, West High School) and Nick Miller (16, Rowland Hall) have won backstage passes to the GRAMMY awards rehearsal on Friday, February 8, an iPad, a cash prize and an opportunity to release their song with Clarity Way Records. This nationwide contest is a collaboration with The Partnership at Drugfree.org and a part of National Drug Facts Week.
Nick and Vinny were a part of the Spy Hop band, Mystique, and wrote the song, “Psychological Cool Guy” for their debut album “Which Boots, Witch Boots”. The song depicts how an individual can succumb to drug and alcohol addiction and reveals the deep concern friends have for his unhealthy lifestyle as illustrated in the lyrics, “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something for a while, about your problems with the syrup, and your problem with denial.” Jeremy Chatelain, Spy Hop’s Musical Arts Instructor said, “One of the goals of Musicology is to push students to think about what they’re writing and what the message is. They usually begin the year with no idea that they can write conscientious, thoughtful songs.” Vinny Cavalcanti, Nick Miller (photo by David Newkirk)
“This program provides an exceptional opportunity to showcase the combined work of the GRAMMY Foundation, MusiCares, and The Partnership at Drugfree.org, and it provides a unique opportunity for teens to share their perspectives on the issues of addiction,” said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy, the GRAMMY Foundation, and MusiCares.
This is the second national award for the band; they also won a prestigious first place award from Adobe Youth Voices, the signature philanthropy initiative of the Adobe Foundation.
Click here to see Nick and Vinny talk more about the song and how it came about.
Click here to hear the song, “Psychological Cool Guy”
About the Musicology Program
Musicology is an intensive, yearlong band experience where participants ages 14 - 19 learn songwriting, production and recording. The class forms a band that performs in venues around Salt Lake and releases an album at the end of the year.
About Spy Hop
Spy Hop is a nonprofit youth media arts and education center whose mission is to mentor young people in the digital media arts to help them find their voice, tell their stories, and be empowered to affect positive change in their lives, their communities, and the World. Our afterschool and community programs in film, audio, design and music production are a model for youth development programs across the nation and Spy Hop is recognized by the White House as a leading arts and humanities organization.
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