CRAS Helps Fulfill Part of Local Arizona High School Student’s Singing Career Dream

Gilbert, Ariz., April 5, 2018 – Alea Davis has dreamed of recording her music one day. She just never thought it would happen while she was still in high school.

The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences (CRAS; www.cras.edu), an institution for audio engineering education, is proud to announce that 17-year-old Gilbert, Ariz. high school student Alea Davis is CRAS’ latest BE HEARD! contest winner. As a result, she recently had the opportunity to participate in a recording session of her own music with industry professionals in one of CRAS’ world class studios.

Alea Davis, Winner of CRAS’s Latest “Be Heard!” Competition, Recently Had Two of Her Songs Professionally Recorded in One of CRAS’ World Class Recording Studios.

“I have loved music since I could remember,” said Davis, who is a senior at American Leadership Academy in North Gilbert, Ariz. “I have been creating music since I was 10. I make music to feel something and to put emotions out to the world for others to relate to. When I hear others sing my songs it’s amazing to think my words and creations can have a real effect on other people in the world. I am so excited to have been able to record in CRAS’ studio with such amazing people. My vision has been brought to life! The CRAS people in the studio that I worked with were unbelievable.”

Recently, CRAS developed the BE HEARD! competition for local aspiring singer/songwriters attending local high schools near its Tempe and Gilbert campuses. “The competition is based on making contact with the high school counselors/instructors and presenting them the opportunity of engaging their musically gifted students to BE HEARD!” explained Kirt Hamm, CRAS administrator. “Submissions were amassed, and the choice for our most recent winner was an easy one once we were introduced to Alea and her music.”

To further foster the educational aspect of this competition, which is the root of all things CRAS, CRAS’ student run Audio Engineering Society (AES) was at the helm of all things technical for the winner’s recording session.

Davis explained that before transferring to American Leadership Academy for her senior year, she attended Desert Ridge High School in Mesa, Ariz. where she was introduced to the BE HEARD! competition by J.R. Hamm, high school liaison for CRAS.

“I was expecting some boring presentation on academics or athletics,” she said. “Right as J.R. stood up and I saw the record he had brought with him I was never more attentive. He thoroughly explained the purpose of CRAS, and it was amazing. He showed a video of what CRAS has to offer, and I learned that CRAS wants to bring your vision to life. When I heard about the BE HEARD! competition, I was immediately excited.”

Davis explained that once she heard that she had won the competition and was brought to CRAS’ recording studio to record her music, CRAS personnel made her feel right at home by making the room as comfortable as possible for her. “I performed two original songs called ‘to live’ and ‘Unrecognizable’”, she said. “The producer allowed me to listen to my song multiple times and I was able to give my own input. I found that to be very important and I loved that about the experience. I felt like CRAS really listened to what I had to say.”

For more than 30 years, CRAS has focused very deeply in the art form of audio engineering. “In this time, CRAS has created a route, by way of a world class education, to the greatest heights of the audio industry for thousands of students who hail locally and from all over the world,” [Kirt] Hamm explained. “On a local level, the CRAS presence at high schools in the greater Phoenix area has been received positively, as educators are seeing first hand that there is an immense opportunity for their students that have a passion for the arts. The response, at times, is so overwhelming that CRAS simply has to invite scores of interested high schoolers to the CRAS campus for a tour of the facility and to speak with industry professionals about their desire to enter this field.”

Davis said that this competition can help her in the future because it gave her studio experience and already started her on the path of gaining important industry contacts. “My future goals in music are to put out uplifting inspire songs with a message within every one of them,” she said. “I want my audience to remember how they felt while listening to my music.”

The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences is composed of two nearby campuses in Gilbert and Tempe, Ariz. A CRAS education includes broadcast audio, live sound, film and TV audio, music, and video game audio, all taught by award-winning instructors who have all excelled in their individual fields, including sound reinforcement, audio recording and production, digital recording, troubleshooting/maintenance, and music business.

CRAS structured programs and highly qualified teaching staff provide a professional and supportive atmosphere, which is complemented by its small class sizes allowing for individual instruction and assistance for students in engineering audio recordings. CRAS has been providing quality vocational training in audio recording for more than three decades. The curriculum and equipment are constantly being updated to keep pace with the rapid advancements in the music and sound recording industries. CRAS’ course offerings and subject matter have always centered around the skills and knowledge necessary for students’ success in the audio recording industries.

The 11-month program is designed to allow every student access to learn and train in all of the Conservatory’s studios which are comprised with state-of-the-art audio recording and mixing gear, the same equipment used in today’s finest studios and remote broadcast facilities, including Pro Tools 12, API Legacy consoles, SSL AWS consoles, Studer Vista consoles, and much more. All students must complete a 280-hour industry internship to graduate from the Master Recording Program II that may ultimately lead to industry employment.

“We want everyone to see, hear, and feel how our 11-month program focuses exclusively on what a student needs to know to begin living their passion in any one of the many facets of the recording arts,” explained Hamm.

For more information on the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences, please visit www.cras.edu, contact Kirt Hamm, administrator, at 1-866-757-3059, or email to info@cras.edu.

Based in the heart of The Valley of the Sun with two campuses in Gilbert and Tempe, Ariz., The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences (CRAS) is one of the country’s institutions for audio education. The Conservatory has developed a unique and highly effective way to help the future audio professional launch their careers in the recording industry and other related professional audio categories.