OC Audio Engineering and Music Production grad finds her groove through music during the pandemic

By College Relations | August 18, 2021
           

Kailee McGuire, Audio Engineering and Music Production student
Kailee McGuire, Audio Engineering and Music Production student

It didn’t take a pandemic for Kailee McGuire to realize that she should follow her lifelong passion for music.

With her heart set on writing and releasing original music, McGuire decided to shadow an Audio Engineering and Music Production (AEMP) class at Okanagan College to get a feel for what the program was all about.

After connecting with Instructor Corey Bell and AEMP students, McGuire was hooked. She was inspired by the energy of the class and felt connected to the students, sharing the same passion for music and desire to express themselves artistically.

McGuire began the program during the pandemic, which meant the class was separated into two smaller groups.

“It was unfortunate that the entire class couldn’t be together every day; however, our class became very close,” she said. “The program brought me a lot of inspiration, great connections with the other students and it pushed me out of my comfort zone. I grew so much in a short period of time.”

While they were unable to put on a show for a live audience, McGuire and her classmates were still able to perform at the Rotary Centre for the Arts together. Through this, McGuire gained the confidence to begin working on her Extended Play (EP) as part of her final capstone project.

“All the songs are originals and I recorded, mixed and mastered them all myself. It was really challenging and I learned so much, not only about studio recording, but also about myself on a personal level,” she shared. “I learned that you can never really be finished working on your EP, as there’s always another direction you can take. But at some point, I had to commit to the direction I was taking it and let it go.”

McGuire’s EP was released on July 23 and is available on Spotify, Apple Music and more. The album chronicles McGuire’s time living in Ireland and the experiences she had abroad, where she encountered many mental health challenges. She hopes that by sharing her struggles in her music, she can help others not feel alone and help provide hope and healing.

The Audio Engineering and Music Production certificate program is offered at the Kelowna campus. For the program description, requirements and outline, visit the program page.



Tags: Continuing Studies, Kelowna, Inside OC, 2021 Year in review

TOP STORIES

RELATED STORIES

Sign up for weekly stories




Trending

Communications student standing outside the Centre for Learning building at the Kelowna campus
Meet Ruth Gabriela Melo Flores

April 4, 2023

Q: What's your name? A: Ruth Gabriela Melo Flores Q: What's your hometown? A: Quito – Ecuador – South America Q: How did you end up at Okanagan College? A: Well, I studied for a bachelor's degree in Law in Ecuador. Then, I worked for a while and got my Master's degree in Government and Culture of Organizations at the University of Pamplona.  When I returned to my country, professional opportunities arose for me. I mean, a Master's degree improved my career. Spain helped ...

Read more...
Animation student
Artistic students design future careers in animation

June 7, 2022

Grads of Okanagan College’s Animation Diploma program are finding their skills have never been in higher demand. First- and second-year students showed samples of their artwork and demo reels to industry partners at OC’s annual Animation Industry Night on May 17. “Lots of the work was very professional,” says James Wood, Chair of Okanagan College’s Animation Department. “Our program is short, but intense. The instructors make sure the students have a realistic understanding of what they need do to succeed in a competitive and demanding...

Read more...
JAMK campus
OC Business students embrace international study again

May 30, 2022

Business students from Okanagan College are once again able to travel to Jyväskylä, Finland to experience an international summer school at the JAMK University of Applied Sciences.  Finland’s education system is widely regarded as one of the best in the world.  OC Business Professor Blair Baldwin, who has taught Services Design at JAMK for several summers, says working in Finland has helped him innovate and create new teaching methodologies. “JAMK employs experiential learning across its curriculum,” he says. “They stress cri...

Read more...
Enactus 2022
Enactus Okanagan College tops the field, sets sights on national championships

May 27, 2022

Okanagan College students will once again be competing for the Canadian title after qualifying for the Enactus National Exposition with a first-place finish in their league during the semi-final round. Enactus teams at post-secondary institutions across Canada competed virtually earlier this month, and Okanagan College scooped up top position in the TD Entrepreneurship Challenge, and runner-up in the Scotiabank Climate Action Challenge for the Unusually Good Food Co. project. It also included national runner-up in Shaw and RBC accelerator...

Read more...