Make Music Happen 5!

May 12-13 can't come quickly enough right now - Make Music Happen is my favourite time of the year. Not only do I get to see young people working with some of our province's finest songwriters and embracing their inspiration. Everybody walks away from MMH with a fresh energy, and great excitement for where this experience will take them. Please check out the FB page for more details on the conference: https://www.facebook.com/events/211110742982478/

And here's the poster for the songwriters circle concert that is open to the public: https://www.facebook.com/events/1689124744540979/

Please, share this, and make plans to join us in 10 days at Swirsky's 

for the best show in town on May 12th. 

Open Stage for the Underage @Swirsky's!

Hey gang;

We are headed back to Swirsky's for another Open Stage for the Underage. Get down by 645 to sign up, and tell/bring all your friends, as we will be talking about this year's Make Music Happen Conference, as well as giving away tickets to see the Make Music Happen Songwriters Circle. 

See you on Wednesday. Please share this around. A lot.

Thanks. 

Check the FB page for more details: https://www.facebook.com/events/204700586957238/

Mobile Stage for the Underage

How excited am I to have been asked by the Arts & Culture Centre NL to host some shows in Central Newfoundland?

A lot. Very much. Bigly.

Please be sure to share this with all the young people you know within striking distance of the ACCs in Gander and Grand Falls Windsor, especially if they'd appreciate having a chance to perform on a big, beautiful stage.

Thanks.

See you next week, Stephenville!

I'd be lying if I said that doing another show was my only reason for coming to Stephenville - Danny's and Domino are on my itinerary, obviously - but staging another show just to hear the area's talented young musicians is certainly my main reason. 

 

Partnered with MusicNL, and in association with Arts & Culture Centre, Stephenville, we are proud to announce we're heading west for another Open Stage for the Underage!

On Saturday, March 10th, Mr. H Presents is returning to Stephenville, to take over the Arts & Culture Centre’s Stage II. 

Aspiring area musicians aged 12-18 are invited to prepare 3-4 songs (up to 15 minutes): set times will depend on final number of performers who sign up to play. 

The show will run from 2-4 pm, and performers should arrive by 1:45 to sign up, or message me through the Mr. H Presents Facebook page (see link below) or at paul.heppleston@gmail.com. 

Admission is $5 for students, $8 for adults. Tickets will be available soon from at the ACC box office. 

These events are open to young performers of all kinds (musicians, djs, poets, essayists, etc.) and are intended to foster a supportive arts community among the area’s youth. 

https://www.facebook.com/events/132914690860459/

Open Stage for the Underage!

We kick of the season with an Open Stage for the Underage, this Wednesday night! Get down by 645 to make sure you get a spot to perform. I've got two sets of tickets to see Quote the Raven on Thursday night, at the Rotary Arts Centre, but you've got to come Wednesday to win!

Sorry for all the exclamation points, I'm just really excited. It was all I could do to avoid CAPS LOCK.

A New Season for Mr. H Presents Events!

Hi gang;

Mr. H here. Are you ready? I know I am, but I have just one, simple request of you for this year: make your voice heard.

In seven years, I have seen hundreds of students attend - and at least a hundred of them perform -  at over a hundred different events. At various concerts, four conferences, countless open stages, and other unique events (see: In Session), I have attempted to give young people more opportunities to experience live music.

Why? Because I think it's important.

We all have something to say, something to express and, if you're like me, sometimes words fail. Music then, can be such a powerful tool for expressing the inexpressible. The more avenues for self-expression available to young people, the better. This is why my stages aren't just for musicians, but also poets, and essayists, and comedians, and more: because your voice is important, and it deserves to be heard.

So please, raise that voice - my stage is for you. And, please, talk to me! Not just about what they mean to you, but about what you'd like to see at these events. Students participating in Mr. H events have changed in the last seven years, as have their wants and needs, and I'm doing the best I can to respond, but I'm 41. I haven't been a teenager since the mid-90's. Even working young people for a living, I can get it wrong, so speak up. Let me know how you would be better served by my events, and I will do what I can. I promise.

Finally, please let others hear your voice, and do so in two ways: tell friends about my shows (and bring them to those shows), and attend the shows - even if you're not performing - so that you can cheer on your peers. More than anything, this year, I want to see young performers building each other up. This is how we will continue to strengthen our community.

Thank you for your time, and I'll see you soon.

Make Music Happen #4

On the off-chance there's a young musician who doesn't have Facebook and, therefore, cannot see the event page posted there, I will re-create it all here.

This two-day event is designed to help aspiring young musicians improve their songwriting and performance skills through a variety of workshops lead by professional artists.

The musicians leading songwriting workshops at MMH:
- Gary & Whit
- Joanna Barker
- Kelly McMichael
- Steve Maloney

In addition, live performance workshops will be lead by:
- Dave Connors
- Louise Gauthier
- Nick Hamlyn

Susan Quinn Lemessieur, the Janeway's Music Therapist, will deliver a key-note address on the positive effects of music on mental health.

Space for the workshops is limited to twenty five students, and we are already 60%, so don't hesitate to sign up. Registration is $60, and that includes two days of workshops, lunches and snacks both days, and admission to both the songwriters circle (Saturday night) and the student showcase (Sunday afternoon). To register, or to find out more, write me: paul.heppleston@gmail.com

Ask any of the dozens of students - not to mention the workshop leaders - who have attended in previous years, and they'll tell you: special things happen at Make Music Happen.