Christmas is approaching, and jingle bells can be heard everywhere. According to tradition, students in the music production program at Ingesund School of Music have written and produced a new Christmas song with everything extra.
This year, Carl Utbult, a songwriter, producer, and teacher at Ingesund School of Music, has been the supervisor for the first-year students in the music production program as they wrote and produced a Christmas song together as part of the regular songwriting course.
“Students should be involved as much as possible in the songwriting process, and everyone should participate in decision-making," says Carl Utbult. "We started with two variations, a ballad and an up-tempo, which eventually resulted in an up-tempo song with a lively rhythm. This year, the production is also inspired by the woodpecker in Donald Duck that comes in and pecks every now and then. Singers David Persson and Josefina Berglund Ekholm are soloists.”
Many people get tired of Christmas music played from the end of November until the New Year. Is new Christmas music needed to balance the classics?
“Of course, you want to listen to your favorites that embody what Christmas means to you. But there's always room for something new that might become a new classic, so it needs to be replenished. This contribution is also, in terms of lyrics, a love story with a happy ending. It may be needed in these times.
Do you feel like as a music producer, you should have contributed to a Christmas song production at some point?”
“Well, ha ha, yes, maybe it should be part of the foundation. It's about finding the feeling in all types of songs, and that applies especially to Christmas songs with bells, etc. The production of this year's Christmas song is a part of the songwriting course where you do everything in the process from how a song is created to how it is produced and finally released to the market. Second-year students are responsible for marketing, PR, and launch.
One of those students in the second year is Mona Nylin, who has worked on marketing and launch.
“It's always fun to work with PR and marketing!" says Mona Nylin, a second-year student in the music production program. "Especially to reach out with the music, which is a big part of being a music producer nowadays. I think a video teaser can create interest, so I will take that idea with me and use it for my own releases in the future. Creating personal contact with the media, I believe, is the 'recipe' to cut through the 'noise.'”
Okay, Carl Utbult, how will you best enjoy this year's Christmas song?
“Christmas should be celebrated in the presence of family and friends, and it's perfectly fine to dance into Christmas together with them with this song, recorded by the string orchestra at the school in addition to the students in the music production program, the first year.”
This year's Christmas song, 'Med dig blir julen' (Christmas with You) from Ingesund School of Music, will be released on December 8 on Spotify, and a video can also be seen on YouTube."
