YouTube music competition offers kids a shot at ECMA glory

Are you a high school student in New Brunswick? Love singing? Making videos? Music Moves Mecould be your shot at stardom.

The contest is being held in conjunction with the 2017 ECMAs in Saint John.

To enter, students in Grades 9 to 12 can video themselves singing either a cover or originalsong and upload the it to YouTube using the hashtags #TDMusicMovesMe and #ECMAS2017.

Then they complete a short form (and parental permission slip) on the ECMA website with a write-up about why music moves them and what it means to their lives.

The entries will be reviewed by a three-member jury of industry professionals.

Prizes andchance to perform

Students who finishin first, second and third place will receive prizes from TD of up to $1,000 for their school's music program and a chance to perform at an ECMA showcase on the Market Square Boardwalk the evening of Wednesday,April 26.

"The opportunity to go to the ECMAs is a big deal for an East Coast musician of any age," said Kate Wilcott, the the TD Soundwaves coordinator for the ECMAs.

"Music programs can always use help to travel with their bands and buy new instruments,"Wilcottsaid. "So the music teachers in the province are really excited about this as well."

More youth-oriented ECMA events

The contest isn't the only ECMA event aimed at young artists.

The TD Soundwaves is a series of concerts in the city for schoolchildren. Schools are matched up with East Coast musicians in town for the conference and the awards.

Three concerts, and Q&A sessions, will take place at high schools and middle schools in the Saint John region over ECMA week, which runsApril 26-30.

"We've been working on choosing the schools and finding the perfect match between the programs they already have and the musicians," Wilcott said.

Additionally, a student conference on Friday, April 28, will give up to 40 local high school students a chance to spend the day taking industry-based workshops with professionals in the city for the awards.

The workshops will cover must-know info, including "video production, how to market yourself, and how to work your way through the jargon and map out of the industry," said Wilcott.

"They use all that networking and knowledge that they gain if they choose to go into the music industry."

It's all part of the ECMA's mandate of supporting and mentoring young artists, according to Wilcott.

"We have a great youth music scene here in Saint John, and this is a chance to take their music to the next level."

The deadline to apply viathe ECMA site is March24.