Amplify Festival: Giving youth a foot in the door

For those young adults who have filled notebooks of poetry stashed away, stacks of artwork bursting out of portfolios, impressive dance moves only a mirror sees or a talented band whose only venue has been the garage, then the Amplify Festival is an event you need to attend. This weekend will mark its third year, and it’ll give St. Albert youth a taste of what a career in performing and visual arts is really like.

Countless research shows that when young people get into the arts, their comprehension of school subjects improve and they become more outgoing as their self-confidence grows. As such, the city wanted to give this empowerment of the arts and culture to its young people, and they’re doing it with the Amplify Festival.

Even before the students (from grade 7 to the age of 21) attend the festival, they have a chance to get some hands-on experience with putting on a large arts and culture event by becoming a volunteer member on the festival’s advisory committee. The committee chooses the festival’s theme each year—this year’s is “The Art of Being Alive”—and the venue, plus invites local organizations to partner with the event.

Once the stage is set, the students get to experience all that they need to start a career in the arts. There’s a variety of workshops available, whether people want to upgrade their skill-set or just try something new. This year, Amplify is offering options like Halloween special f/x make-up, henna body art, stage fighting, events photography, songwriting, even an introduction to hip hop dance. Youth Festival Associate Kathleen Bell says, “We give them as much of a professional-level experience as we can. We treat them like real artists, and they walk away from Amplify feeling like real artists.”

At the end of each night, there are band, dance troupes and visual artist performances. The Show 3.0 is Amplify’s version of Battle of the Bands. These concerts aren’t just a great way to end an evening; there’s a practical side to them. As Bell explains, “By the time they finish playing Amplify, they’ve been walked through a professional sound check, they know what a stage plot is, what a blackline is, etc. There’s a lot to learn about with the behind-the-scenes stuff that most people don’t think about.”

Has Amplify launched any careers yet? It’s too early to tell; however, some of the local artists have had opportunities to play at the Alberta Showcase, at the St. Albert Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts Awards, as well as a few Edmonton gigs. If you feel you have a flair for the arts and want to expand your skills, going to the Amplify Festival is a great first move.

Fun Facts

• In 2014: 400 youth attended. In 2015: 794 youth attended.
• In 2014: 30 youth performance. In 2015: 79 youth performed.
• In 2014: 22 youth musicians performed. In 2015: 40 youth musicians performed.
• In 2014: 8 youth poets performed. In 2015: 10 youth poets performed.