The Mixtape Vol. 1

Understanding the nuances of creating an original song is an essential part of being a music artist. Arrangement, chord progression, melody creation and song-structure are key components that can turn an okay song into a timeless piece of music.

In this 9-week incubator, participants will have the opportunity to work closely with producer Nate Smith and singer/songwriter Khadijah Lopez to hone in on your skills.

The program is separated into two cohorts:

1)  Beat Making and Recording with Nate Smith 

Beat Making and Recording participants will receive intensive instruction on topics such as keys,chord progression and song arrangement in a studio setting, under the facilitation of “Nate Smith” a Juno award winning producer and sound engineer.

2)  Songwriting and Composition with Khadijah Lopez 

In Songwriting and Composition, participants will receive intensive instruction on topics such as music theory, melody creation, content +lyrics, delivery, and song structure in a studio setting.

Program Information:

This is a 9 week program. The sessions begin with four weeks of each cohort having independent intensive classes. This is followed by five weeks of collaborative camp.

Program Schedule: 

Classes Begins: October 17th and October 18th. Each session runs from 6pm-8pm.

Class Schedule 

Songwriting Cohort Schedule with Khadijah Lopez:

Monday, October 17th and Wednesday, October 19th

Monday, October 24th and Wednesday, October 26th  

Monday, October 31st and Wednesday, November 2nd

Monday, November 7th and Wednesday, November 9th 

Beatmaking and Recording Cohort Schedule with Nate Smith: 

Tuesday, October 18th and Friday, October 21st

Tuesday, October 25th and Friday,October 28th

Tuesday, November 1st and Friday,November 4th

Tuesday, November 8th and Friday, November 11th

Camp Schedule: 

Week 1- 2: Songwriting / Composition Camp Sessions with Khadijiah:

Tuesday, November 15th  and Thursday, November 17th

Tuesday, November 22nd  and Thursday, November 24th

Week 3 – 5: Beat-making & Recording Camp Sessions with Nate Smith

Tuesday, November 29th and Thursday, December 1st

Tuesday, December 6th and Thursday, December 8th 

Tuesday, December 13th and Thursday, December 15th

Meet the Facilitators

Khadijah Lopez

The Toronto based songstress Khadijah Lopez, comes to you with an old soul;  Inspired by artists such as Aretha Franklin, and Nina simone, but also by the prominent pop and R&B voices of this time, she offers us a rare and supreme blend of old school and new school. As a Remix Alumni (graduating in 2017), Lopez was given the opportunity of a lifetime to participate in a Songwriting Camp founded and run by the one and only, “Babyface” himself.  Currently Miss Lopez can be found collaborating with various local artists, producers and songwriters, along with working on her own catalog.

Listen to Khadijah’s music here.

Nate Smith

A Scarborough native who takes family seriously, he first discovered music composition and production at the tender age of 8 when exposed to an Apple computer in Public School.. A few years later he discovered FL Studio and fell in love. He spent the following years working with FL religiously and honed his craft, over the years he has created thousands of beats. He further honed his engineering skills when he enrolled into the Harris Institute, producing and engineering program. After Nate graduated the year long program he was accepted into a 9 month Industry artist incubator program called The Remix Project. 

Listen to Nate’s production here.

Have questions about the program? Register for the upcoming info session on Sept. 12th here. Any inquiries can be directed to info@niacentre.org