IMPACTING 8
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Welcome to the gofundme page of IMPACTING 8, an Artisitc and Personal Development Camp for a boy band of 8 very promising young Jamaican musicians, ages 16-19. The acronym IMPACTING stands for Implementing Music, Personal, Artistic and Creative development Training In a New Generation. And '8', of course, is the name of the band.
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR '8'?
'8' was brought together by husband and wife team, Rohan Dwyer and Carol Dexter-Dwyer. The two have well over twenty years experience in the music industry, and have worked with countless Jamaican and international acts in numerous capacities on a variety of projects, music recordings and performances locally and internationally, as well as commercials and film. Some of these productions include Junior Kelly's "Love So Nice" album, and Etana's hit single "People Talk", penned by Dexter-Dwyer, and also a movie soundtrack for the Robin Williams/Mandy Moore movie, License To Wed.
HOW WAS '8' FORMED?
The band, '8', developed out of a working relationship with the band of a local high school, Jamaica College (JC), where the Dwyers' son (Jhada) was a member of that award-winning band. (Rohan is also a Jamaica College Old Boy, and Carol, a St. Andrew High School Old Girl). Carol, prompted by her son, began working with the JC band, helping with choosing songs for performances, vocal and instrumental arrangements, choreography and staging.
After working on a number of performances and recordings with the JC band, the Dwyers thought to develop a separate entity, considering their son's passion for music, and his desire to pursue his passion well beyond his high school years. What better way to do this than to form an entity with your closest friends who share the same passion?! Jhada had also played a few gigs with another group of Jamaica College musicians outside of school, and the Dwyers called upon a set of twins from that group to complete '8'. The members of '8' are Adrian Bacchus, Andre' Bacchus, George Campbell, Bradley Dodd, Jhada Dwyer, Moses Estick, Jordon McLeary and Matthew Gillespie. Individually and collectively they have won several medals from the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission's (JCDC) Music Competition, and Jhada most recently won the award for Best Band Leader in the Jamaica's Best School Band Competition.
(Here they are performing at the JCDC Best of Fest showcase along with their other JC band members)
They have all graduated from either fifth or sixth form at Jamaica College, but while there, these kids not only excelled in the arts, but were also the movers and shakers in their Jamaica College community. Many held major leadership positions from Students' Council President to 1st Vice School Captain (Deputy Headboy) to Class Valedictorian. They have done it all. In fact, one member of '8' had been the top academic performer in the entire school for the past four academic years, with a 90% average or above!
WHAT DOES IMPACTING 8 ENTAIL?
The camp is a summer intensive programme which will continue over the next two years. It aims at providing a fun and fulfilling experience for these musically self-taught young men, with the hopes that they will gain the training necessary to develop them as artistes individually and as a group collectively.
Their training includes Vocal Development (specifically for singing), Voice and Speech Training, Media Relations Training, Dance and Choreography, Nutrition and Fitness Programme, Creative Song Writing Sessions, Studio Recording Sessions, as well as Music Mentorship Sessions with some of Jamaica's leading instrumentalists and artistes in the music industry. The band is being exposed to and trained by the very best Jamaica has to offer, including Paula Anne Porter Jones (Media Specialist), Ana Strachan (renown Soprano and Voice Tutor), Lori Burnett (renown Soprano and Vocal Coach) and Kevin Moore (Principal Dancer with the National Dance Theatre Company, Dance Tutor and Choreographer).
The camp entails an intense period of the youths living together in a 'band house', as a 'real world' experience of what it would be like to function together while on the road (on tour), rehearsing, performing at gigs/shows, cooking for themselves and exercising, maintaining a clean living environment, participating in artistic development classes, all while getting to know each other within a structured, supervised environment. The boys also have summer jobs which they juggle along with all of the above activities, so, their daily schedule is extremely hectic.
WHAT HAS THE BAND DONE?
The band has already had one performance at the opening of the Jamaica 55 Diaspora Conference and Governor General's Achievement Awards held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, in Kingston, Jamaica, on Sunday, July 23, 2017. The response has been overwhelming, and commendations as well as bookings for other performances have been forthcoming. As a result of the amazing response, the boys' development is on fast-track, as they must now improve their skills at a far more rapid rate than previously expected.
(View a short clip of their sound check at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, Kingston Jamaica, for their very first performance...)
UPDATE: Since their first performance, mentioned above, they have performed at the Victoria Mutual Building Society's Scholarship Awards, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade 55th Anniversary Reception, the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service World Bank Reception, and did a surprise appearance and performance at an 18th birthday party.
They have also done two studio recordings for singles which will be released within the last quarter of 2017. The songs "School Boy Anthem" and "Truth Is" were recorded at Bob Marley's Tuff Gong International Recording Studio, as well as Groove Box, the in-house recording studio which the band regularly utilizes.
(Here's a short clip of a rehearsal of their soon to be released single, "School Boy Anthem")
WHAT WILL THESE FUNDS BE USED TO DO?
The funds from this campaign will be used to assist in paying all the tutors, a small stipend for music mentors, studio time, well-needed instruments and equipment, food (during camp, and for recording and rehearsal sessions), transportation costs, costumes, promotion expenses, etc. These costs are ongoing, and therefore, funding is vital and urgent.
WHAT WILL THE BAND CONTINUE TO DO?
The members of '8' wish to return to their alma mater, Jamaica College, which supported and nurtured their talent in earlier years, to motivate others to actively participate in all aspects of the performing arts. It is their dream to embark on an all-island school tour, and through their interaction, they hope to encourage Jamaica College, and other schools across the country, to develop their music and arts programmes, to harness the talents of students who may not be academically inclined. They hope to be an inspiration to all young people, particularly young men, to demonstrate that they may be well-rounded individuals, and excel in other areas apart from sports, and that they can balance their time and responsibilities in order to be successful at anything they can conceive. Finally, they hope to positively influence the direction of Jamaican music, by making good, wholesome, fun, age-appropriate songs for all demographics to love, appreciate and enjoy.
We urge you to contribute whatever you can to ensuring that Jamaica's flag is lifted higher. These kids are a breath of fresh air, and are worth every bit of investment in terms of time, money and expertise. They are eager to learn, grow and hone their craft, and are willing to put in the hard work required to be the very best. We want to encourage young talent, and particularly our young men who have great ambitions and work diligently to achieve their goals. Help them fulfill their dream of becoming Jamaica's first successful boy band, and making yet another prominent mark in Jamaica's contribution to the world.
VISIT OUR OFFICAL WEBSITE AT 8bandjamaica.com
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR '8'?
'8' was brought together by husband and wife team, Rohan Dwyer and Carol Dexter-Dwyer. The two have well over twenty years experience in the music industry, and have worked with countless Jamaican and international acts in numerous capacities on a variety of projects, music recordings and performances locally and internationally, as well as commercials and film. Some of these productions include Junior Kelly's "Love So Nice" album, and Etana's hit single "People Talk", penned by Dexter-Dwyer, and also a movie soundtrack for the Robin Williams/Mandy Moore movie, License To Wed.
HOW WAS '8' FORMED?
The band, '8', developed out of a working relationship with the band of a local high school, Jamaica College (JC), where the Dwyers' son (Jhada) was a member of that award-winning band. (Rohan is also a Jamaica College Old Boy, and Carol, a St. Andrew High School Old Girl). Carol, prompted by her son, began working with the JC band, helping with choosing songs for performances, vocal and instrumental arrangements, choreography and staging.
After working on a number of performances and recordings with the JC band, the Dwyers thought to develop a separate entity, considering their son's passion for music, and his desire to pursue his passion well beyond his high school years. What better way to do this than to form an entity with your closest friends who share the same passion?! Jhada had also played a few gigs with another group of Jamaica College musicians outside of school, and the Dwyers called upon a set of twins from that group to complete '8'. The members of '8' are Adrian Bacchus, Andre' Bacchus, George Campbell, Bradley Dodd, Jhada Dwyer, Moses Estick, Jordon McLeary and Matthew Gillespie. Individually and collectively they have won several medals from the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission's (JCDC) Music Competition, and Jhada most recently won the award for Best Band Leader in the Jamaica's Best School Band Competition.
(Here they are performing at the JCDC Best of Fest showcase along with their other JC band members)
They have all graduated from either fifth or sixth form at Jamaica College, but while there, these kids not only excelled in the arts, but were also the movers and shakers in their Jamaica College community. Many held major leadership positions from Students' Council President to 1st Vice School Captain (Deputy Headboy) to Class Valedictorian. They have done it all. In fact, one member of '8' had been the top academic performer in the entire school for the past four academic years, with a 90% average or above!
WHAT DOES IMPACTING 8 ENTAIL?
The camp is a summer intensive programme which will continue over the next two years. It aims at providing a fun and fulfilling experience for these musically self-taught young men, with the hopes that they will gain the training necessary to develop them as artistes individually and as a group collectively.
Their training includes Vocal Development (specifically for singing), Voice and Speech Training, Media Relations Training, Dance and Choreography, Nutrition and Fitness Programme, Creative Song Writing Sessions, Studio Recording Sessions, as well as Music Mentorship Sessions with some of Jamaica's leading instrumentalists and artistes in the music industry. The band is being exposed to and trained by the very best Jamaica has to offer, including Paula Anne Porter Jones (Media Specialist), Ana Strachan (renown Soprano and Voice Tutor), Lori Burnett (renown Soprano and Vocal Coach) and Kevin Moore (Principal Dancer with the National Dance Theatre Company, Dance Tutor and Choreographer).
The camp entails an intense period of the youths living together in a 'band house', as a 'real world' experience of what it would be like to function together while on the road (on tour), rehearsing, performing at gigs/shows, cooking for themselves and exercising, maintaining a clean living environment, participating in artistic development classes, all while getting to know each other within a structured, supervised environment. The boys also have summer jobs which they juggle along with all of the above activities, so, their daily schedule is extremely hectic.
WHAT HAS THE BAND DONE?
The band has already had one performance at the opening of the Jamaica 55 Diaspora Conference and Governor General's Achievement Awards held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, in Kingston, Jamaica, on Sunday, July 23, 2017. The response has been overwhelming, and commendations as well as bookings for other performances have been forthcoming. As a result of the amazing response, the boys' development is on fast-track, as they must now improve their skills at a far more rapid rate than previously expected.
(View a short clip of their sound check at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, Kingston Jamaica, for their very first performance...)
UPDATE: Since their first performance, mentioned above, they have performed at the Victoria Mutual Building Society's Scholarship Awards, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade 55th Anniversary Reception, the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service World Bank Reception, and did a surprise appearance and performance at an 18th birthday party.
They have also done two studio recordings for singles which will be released within the last quarter of 2017. The songs "School Boy Anthem" and "Truth Is" were recorded at Bob Marley's Tuff Gong International Recording Studio, as well as Groove Box, the in-house recording studio which the band regularly utilizes.
(Here's a short clip of a rehearsal of their soon to be released single, "School Boy Anthem")
WHAT WILL THESE FUNDS BE USED TO DO?
The funds from this campaign will be used to assist in paying all the tutors, a small stipend for music mentors, studio time, well-needed instruments and equipment, food (during camp, and for recording and rehearsal sessions), transportation costs, costumes, promotion expenses, etc. These costs are ongoing, and therefore, funding is vital and urgent.
WHAT WILL THE BAND CONTINUE TO DO?
The members of '8' wish to return to their alma mater, Jamaica College, which supported and nurtured their talent in earlier years, to motivate others to actively participate in all aspects of the performing arts. It is their dream to embark on an all-island school tour, and through their interaction, they hope to encourage Jamaica College, and other schools across the country, to develop their music and arts programmes, to harness the talents of students who may not be academically inclined. They hope to be an inspiration to all young people, particularly young men, to demonstrate that they may be well-rounded individuals, and excel in other areas apart from sports, and that they can balance their time and responsibilities in order to be successful at anything they can conceive. Finally, they hope to positively influence the direction of Jamaican music, by making good, wholesome, fun, age-appropriate songs for all demographics to love, appreciate and enjoy.
We urge you to contribute whatever you can to ensuring that Jamaica's flag is lifted higher. These kids are a breath of fresh air, and are worth every bit of investment in terms of time, money and expertise. They are eager to learn, grow and hone their craft, and are willing to put in the hard work required to be the very best. We want to encourage young talent, and particularly our young men who have great ambitions and work diligently to achieve their goals. Help them fulfill their dream of becoming Jamaica's first successful boy band, and making yet another prominent mark in Jamaica's contribution to the world.
VISIT OUR OFFICAL WEBSITE AT 8bandjamaica.com
Organizer
Kos Dillon
Organizer
