HI!

I’m putting together a special project surrounding my album release. Without giving everything away, this is going to be a virtual remix of the album’s title track, “Make It Better” (out now!) It’s a collaboration between me and the VT Quarantine Collective, a local initiative born out of COVID-19 bringing Vermont’s “socially distanced” musicians together through curated, crowdsourced new music collaborations. Matt LaRocca (creative chair of the VT Symphony Orchestra) is composing an Orchestral reimagining of my song with live videos, and we wanted to extend the invitation …

This remix will consist of a lot of different instruments, some of which will be VOICES (which is where you come in!) I want the final product to be a surprise to everyone, so the bones of these instructions will be fairly simplified. I’ve gathered all necessary steps and instructions in the link below (click on the button). This should be fairly simple and fun! It doesn’t matter if you’re “not a singer” or feel out of practice. This is about community and making something together from a distance. I can’t wait to hear what comes of this! Use the song for context and inspiration :)

Our aim is to broadcast this virtual remix shortly after the album’s release, in mid-June. It’d be a miraculously beautiful thing if we could stick to a deadline of June 5! I understand it can be tricky to put the time aside, but this shouldn’t take long and the result will be worth it! If you have any questions or need clarifying, don’t hesitate to ask.

sending lots of love your way.

xo, cheska

STEP-BY-STEP

1. Listen to the audio references (see below) There are two different sections: “Chorus & Outro” and “Singing For Me,” each containing 3 harmonies. It would be stellar if you could sing one harmony for each of these sections, filmed as two separate videos, but do whatever you are comfortable with! (the references at the top of each section titled FULL are what all the parts will sound like together)

2. Pick a part and corresponding guide track, based on what feels most comfortable for your voice (low, mid, or high). If you can, pay attention to the vowels in Chorus & Outro - the parts differ slightly from one another (mmms and aaaahs)

3. Film yourself singing along with the guide track in your headphones*, one video per section. Make sure to film in LANDSCAPE MODE (for those of you filming on your phone, this means tilting your phone sideways so you’re filming horizontally) You should be able to film & record yourself off your computer, but you can’t do both off your phone.

* Important note: the first count-in is there for you to clap your hands on screen so that we can line everything up in the editing process. So, when you hear me clap - clap with me! And clap loud. I’ve attached a reference video below of me filming myself singing over a guided track (the part I’m singing is Chorus & Outro - High)

4. Yay! You filmed it! Now, name your video files with the name of the part, followed by your first and last name (example: Singing - LOW - Britney Spears)

5. Upload your videos to a Google Drive link or Wetransfer and send them info@francescablanchard.com by JUNE 5 !

AUDIO REFERENCES

Below are the two sections I’d love to have you sing, “Chorus & Outro” and “Singing For Me”. The endings to both of these sections are quite long and repetitive - I’ve included a count down to help you prepare for where to stop (“16 more times” “8 more times” “4 more times” “3, 2, 1”) Drink a little water and power through !