The arts are an integral part of the SASPX community. From art shows and dance performances to theater productions and orchestra performances, the possibilities are endless. Despite this, one group of students has gone above and beyond to initiate a means for musicians to express themselves in a different way. You see and hear evidence of their work on stage at every high school assembly. This month, The Echo set out to find out more about Amptone Records and the students behind it.
As many SAS students know, running a club is no easy feat. Senior Lauren Chang acknowledges the contributions of her team. “We started our club Association of Music Production (AMP) in September 2015 with Lauren Chang, Kyle Yin, Jonathan Wong and Julia Hsien as the founding officers of the club and Dr. Doug Hundley as our club advisor. As our club grew and after Kyle Yin left SAS to further his education at Berklee College of Music, we were lucky to add Nilay Ghatlia and Peter Wu to our officers.”
One source of confusion for students has been the club’s changing name. “We originally chose the acronym AMP with reference to the guitar amplifier,” recalls Chang. “It signified our mutual love of playing music with a slight bias towards the acoustic or electric guitar. When Dr. Hundley established our record company and searched for an available name for our record label, sadly the name AMP Records was already taken. We therefore ended up with Amptone Records and we never looked back.”
The creation of Amptone Records has played a key role within and without the SAS community. The members continue to actively carry out its vision.
“The goal of the club is to bring together singers and songwriters of all levels and play music together. We offer performance opportunities in front of small and large audiences, on and off campus. Two years in a row we played at the Welcome Back BBQ for the PTSA, International Fair, and the Teacher’s Christmas Party at the SRC.”
The musical experience obtained through Amptone Records is by no means limited to the school community.
“We also played at Café Du Village and Mexico Lindo, giving our members a unique café style experience that is completely different from a regular school event or PAC performance. When playing in a public place, the reaction of the audience is instantaneous and sometimes interactive even. It gives performers more creative freedom to test out songs and styles and opportunities to perfect their craft.”
What sets Amptone Records apart from just a singing/songwriting club is its affiliation with the PAC’s recording studio. Members aren’t limited to songwriters, and the organization aims to offer a broader range of experiences.
“We host workshops in songwriting, electronic dance music (EDM), studio engineering, and production. We provide the school community with something that is new and different from the usual offerings. We also provide an alternative music outlet that is not typically offered in orchestra, band, choir, or jazz band.”
We also spoke to several SAS musicians involved with Amptone Records. Senior Jonathan Wong is known for the frequent assembly performances of his original content.
“I was introduced to music through piano lessons. I was not a big fan of playing music then. That all changed when I discovered The Beatles in elementary school. I fell in love with their passion for music, their authentic performance bows, the message of love in every song, and the acoustically simple yet musically complex melodies. This ultimately led me to learn the guitar at the age of eight. Very soon, with the encouragement of my parents and friends, I started to write songs, sing, and perform. The biggest support I got, however, was from school.”
Wong is candid about the role SAS and Amptone Records have played in his development as a musician. “Over my four years in Pudong and the following four years in Puxi, the school has given me platforms to flourish as an artist. The club AMP is one of them. Since its establishment, I have been able to go to the recording studio in the PAC to record and jam out new original songs with my friends.”
Beyond just being a musical outlet, Amptone has allowed Wong to accomplish more than he ever set out to do. “In April 2016, I released my first official original album I Realize under the Amptone record label. It was very exciting for me. With the help of senior Saebin Ahn on the drums, senior Maya Malaviya on the bass, and PAC director Dr. Hundley as the producer, I recorded seven original songs, including two songs featuring our school’s former Physics teacher, Mr. Blake Brown, and one song featuring junior Abby Pan. I learned to collaborate, experiment, and be proud of my achievements. I never dreamed of actually recording in a professional studio brought by AMP or releasing my music on iTunes, Spotify and other music platforms. I am so glad I am where I am and had the courage to live my dreams.”
Wong feels that this is just the beginning of this club’s full potential. “As the Amptone Records slogan states, this club is featuring tomorrow’s artist today. I look forward to seeing where it takes me from here on.”
Junior Peter Wu is also involved with Amptone Records, holding a slightly different musical background that nonetheless led him to the similarly enriching experiences. “My early musical background was largely influenced by my father, who urged me to play the piano. By the age of 13, I was met with a waning interest in the piano and the struggle to find something meaningful to pursue. After watching a high school rock band perform at a school fair, I was inspired to learn the guitar. I started out playing pop punk songs from Green Day, Fall Out Boy, and My Chemical Romance, and by high school I shifted to more intense and technically demanding heavy metal, influenced by bands such as Avenged Sevenfold, Megadeth, Metallica, and Opeth.”
The pursuit of heavy metal was not to be the last challenge Wu faced. “Ms. Karolina Pek recruited me for the school’s jazz band, prompting me to learn jazz guitar, presenting challenges on a whole new level.”
Amptone Records has played an important role in bringing together the different components of Wu’s passion for music. “The establishment of AMP was important in helping me reach out to other musicians in our school, providing a foundation for musical collaboration. In addition to forming valuable friendships, I have also been able to reach out to the school and the local community through performances and gigs. Through AMP, I have learned that music is a great way to connect with people. Music is precious in that it can make people smile, cry, dance, thrash, imagine, or think.”
Finally, student Sean Cai sums up the essence of Amptone’s impact with a few parting words. “I'm thankful for being in this club this year, giving me the opportunity to meet so many talented people and those who share the same interest as me. I wish to collaborate with more people next year and I look forward to taking my music and songs to the next level with AMP.”
Other students who are not mentioned in the article but are active members of the club include Seniors Maya Malaviya, Michelle Law, Trisha Zhou; Juniors Ivan Schneider, Lauren Cheung; Sophomores Ray Tsao; and Freshmen Aniketh Datta, Pranav Malaviya, Henry Rosen."
Check out the Amptone Records website to hear the creations of SAS musicians.
Ana Ghiban
Disclaimer: This article was updated on 15/3/16 with corrected information about other student members.
As many SAS students know, running a club is no easy feat. Senior Lauren Chang acknowledges the contributions of her team. “We started our club Association of Music Production (AMP) in September 2015 with Lauren Chang, Kyle Yin, Jonathan Wong and Julia Hsien as the founding officers of the club and Dr. Doug Hundley as our club advisor. As our club grew and after Kyle Yin left SAS to further his education at Berklee College of Music, we were lucky to add Nilay Ghatlia and Peter Wu to our officers.”
The creation of Amptone Records has played a key role within and without the SAS community. The members continue to actively carry out its vision.
“The goal of the club is to bring together singers and songwriters of all levels and play music together. We offer performance opportunities in front of small and large audiences, on and off campus. Two years in a row we played at the Welcome Back BBQ for the PTSA, International Fair, and the Teacher’s Christmas Party at the SRC.”
“We also played at Café Du Village and Mexico Lindo, giving our members a unique café style experience that is completely different from a regular school event or PAC performance. When playing in a public place, the reaction of the audience is instantaneous and sometimes interactive even. It gives performers more creative freedom to test out songs and styles and opportunities to perfect their craft.”
What sets Amptone Records apart from just a singing/songwriting club is its affiliation with the PAC’s recording studio. Members aren’t limited to songwriters, and the organization aims to offer a broader range of experiences.
“We host workshops in songwriting, electronic dance music (EDM), studio engineering, and production. We provide the school community with something that is new and different from the usual offerings. We also provide an alternative music outlet that is not typically offered in orchestra, band, choir, or jazz band.”
“I was introduced to music through piano lessons. I was not a big fan of playing music then. That all changed when I discovered The Beatles in elementary school. I fell in love with their passion for music, their authentic performance bows, the message of love in every song, and the acoustically simple yet musically complex melodies. This ultimately led me to learn the guitar at the age of eight. Very soon, with the encouragement of my parents and friends, I started to write songs, sing, and perform. The biggest support I got, however, was from school.”
Wong is candid about the role SAS and Amptone Records have played in his development as a musician. “Over my four years in Pudong and the following four years in Puxi, the school has given me platforms to flourish as an artist. The club AMP is one of them. Since its establishment, I have been able to go to the recording studio in the PAC to record and jam out new original songs with my friends.”
Junior Peter Wu is also involved with Amptone Records, holding a slightly different musical background that nonetheless led him to the similarly enriching experiences. “My early musical background was largely influenced by my father, who urged me to play the piano. By the age of 13, I was met with a waning interest in the piano and the struggle to find something meaningful to pursue. After watching a high school rock band perform at a school fair, I was inspired to learn the guitar. I started out playing pop punk songs from Green Day, Fall Out Boy, and My Chemical Romance, and by high school I shifted to more intense and technically demanding heavy metal, influenced by bands such as Avenged Sevenfold, Megadeth, Metallica, and Opeth.”
Amptone Records has played an important role in bringing together the different components of Wu’s passion for music. “The establishment of AMP was important in helping me reach out to other musicians in our school, providing a foundation for musical collaboration. In addition to forming valuable friendships, I have also been able to reach out to the school and the local community through performances and gigs. Through AMP, I have learned that music is a great way to connect with people. Music is precious in that it can make people smile, cry, dance, thrash, imagine, or think.”
Finally, student Sean Cai sums up the essence of Amptone’s impact with a few parting words. “I'm thankful for being in this club this year, giving me the opportunity to meet so many talented people and those who share the same interest as me. I wish to collaborate with more people next year and I look forward to taking my music and songs to the next level with AMP.”
Other students who are not mentioned in the article but are active members of the club include Seniors Maya Malaviya, Michelle Law, Trisha Zhou; Juniors Ivan Schneider, Lauren Cheung; Sophomores Ray Tsao; and Freshmen Aniketh Datta, Pranav Malaviya, Henry Rosen."
Check out the Amptone Records website to hear the creations of SAS musicians.
Ana Ghiban
Disclaimer: This article was updated on 15/3/16 with corrected information about other student members.
