“Cuz you’re like Free Fallin on the radio…Crank it up loud I love to sing along…You make me feel so alive ain’t it easy to see…There’s something about you…That brings out the best in me.”

Doesn’t that just make you wanna smile?? :) Best In Me is one of my favorite songs.   I wrote this one during the summer of 2011 with my good friend Ben Goldsmith. This feel-good tune got its start when Ben and I were sitting on the front porch of an old farm house strumming our guitars.  We started humming different melodies and before you know it, Best In Me was born, and we’ve loved it ever since!  Legendary country music critic, Robert K. Oermann loved the song too.  In fact, in a recent issue of Nashville’s Music Row Magazine, Oermann said Best In Me was a “hand clapping, banjo-propelled, sunny, toe-tapper of a single…sweet as candy.”  And really you can’t describe it any better than that! **(Fun Fact: the porch where Ben and I wrote this song, is the porch I’m sitting on in the music video!)** So without further ado, here is my brand spankin’ new music video for Best In Me.  Feel free to leave comments below and let me know whatcha think <3 

 (Directed by Alex Shofner)

Mick Jagger at Muscle Shoals

I’ve decided to go back into the studio.  And not just any studio…but one of the most historical, sought after, Grammy award winning studio’s in the entire world.  Muscle Shoals Sound Studios is located in Sheffield, Alabama, just a few hours south of Nashville.  If you are a fan of classic music of the 1960’s and 70’s…or even Grammy Award winning music of today…well there is no doubt that you have loved a song or an artist that has recorded (and found immense success) at this studio. 

I have been looking for some way to challenge myself as an artist…a way to expand my horizons and open my eyes and ears to new experiences. I learned of this studio only a few short months ago and scheduled a tour.  The moment I walked through its old doors, I felt the magic and KNEW I had to record there.  If you’re a fan of the Rolling Stones, then you’ve surely heard their classic hit “Wild Horses.” 

Lynyrd Skynyrd at recording at Muscle Shoals

The Stones not only recorded the song at Muscle Shoals, but Mick Jagger WROTE it while sitting in the bathroom stall of the studio.  The original console that is still used today has recorded Led Zeppelin, Paul Simon, Cher, Linda Rondstadt, Bob Segar…the list goes on.  More recently, the Alternative duo The Black Keys recorded there, which resulted in them winning not just one, but SIX Grammy awards for their album Brothers 2010. 

Now take a moment to imagine all of these amazingly talented artists, singing, playing, and creating unforgettable music inside the walls of this studio.  I cannot accurately describe the feeling when you walk in those doors, except to say that it’s truly magical.  I could FEEL the energy and creativity rush towards me and welcome me in.   I knew instantly that this is where I needed to be.

Cher outside the studio

So, wiithout further ado, I am happy to announce that in two weeks, I will be bringing myself and my guitar to the historical Muscle Shoals Sound Studio to record a song.  Just me and the guitar.  No band, no frills.  I want to challenge myself not to hide behind over-production and crazy instrumentation.  I’ve always dreamed of letting my music speak for itself and I was never brave enough to do so until I stepped into this studio.  I am so excited to be there and even more excited to share the finished product with you.  I’m starting off with one song, but my ultimate goal is to record my next album, in its entirety, at Muscle Shoals.

I will be documenting my every move in the studio so I can share it with you.  I wish you could all come with me!! (Especially all of you classic music lovers.)  I know for a fact that you would appreciate all of the history there.  But because I can’t bring you all in, I’m going to bring the music to you.  Take a minute and check out this fascinating video about the history of the studio and its owner, Noel Webster:

This is something I made for my dream wall. It's a constant reminder to myself to keep going even when things get tough and to never, ever, give up.

What an amazing week it’s been! Since I arrived in Chicago this past weekend I have been able to visit 5 schools in 5 days and perform in front of over 2,000 students with my Fingertips Program.  The response from all the students has been so amazing! :)  (If you’re not familiar with the Fingertips Program, it’s basically an inspirational school assembly where I mix music and motivational speaking.  I am giving real world advice to students on how to make their dreams a reality.  We also touch up bullying and how treating each other with respect plays a big role in how far you can get in achieving your own big goals and dreams.)  When someone asks me about the program, that is normally how I explain it.  But somehow I can never get the true essence of the program across to a person until they see the amazing response from students after the fact.  If you are wondering what kind of impact the Fingertips Program makes on students, just take a look at my facebook fan page (www.facebook.com/katiequickmusic).  You can scroll back for pages and pages and read the amazing messages from students….many of which have brought tears to my eyes.  I can’t explain the happiness I feel when I read them!! It just makes my day :) 

I truly love putting on these assemblies for students.  It makes me feel like I am doing something worthwhile again!  After I left teaching I have to admit I struggled a lot.  I would wonder what I was doing to help make the world a better place if I was only chasing after my dream of making music.  I knew that some way I had to get back and work with students again…..but this time not give up on my music.  The Fingertips Program has been the absolute perfect way to combine my biggest passions, music, education, and inspiration.  Not only do I get to bring a positive message to young people, but I end up getting inspired in return. I always leave a school feeling so refreshed and invigorated, ready to take on the world!  My ultimate goal with the program is to BE THE EXAMPLE of someone who was able to use hard work and determination to follow their dream.  And because of the kids I never want to give up!!  I love the fact that I am accessible to students through email, facebook, etc and that the students trust me enough to open up about their goals, dreams, and even their fears.  I can’t tell you how humbled and honored I am when I get an email from a student who has been getting bullied telling me how much the program inspired them…gave them confidence…and didn’t make them feel so alone.  I am truly the most blessed girl in the world.  I want these students to know to know that they make me want to be a better person.  On the days when I feel like giving up (because, yes, I have those days too), I know that I can keep going because of them. 

This weekend I will make my way back to Nashville, daydreaming all the way home about how amazing the week was and about all of the positive feedback I’ve been getting from students.  I will feel so extremely thankful for all of the love I feel after working with them.  I will visualize my goals for the future and keep them there in my mind, planning my next steps on how to make them a reality.  Right now, I am going to make a promise to you…I will not give up on my dream.  I promise to work hard and stay positive and strong and not listen to the negative things people say.  I will believe in myself even when no one else does.  I will listen to my heart and follow where it tells me to go.  I will not be afraid to be different or to stand out or to be an individual.  I will never.give.up. That is my promise to myself, and you.

Can you make that promise to?

Until next time….xoxo

Katie

Sweetheart of the Chicago public school system has got to be singer-songwriter Katie Quick. This former sixth-grade teacher had the gumption to leave her position to follow her dreams; she’s in the good company of other past educators who became singers, most notably Roberta Flack, Art Garfunkel, Gene Simmons, Sting and Sheryl Crow. Now, Miss Quick’s ex-students are surely a-buzz about her sophomore album, “Valley Between Love.” Self-produced along with Chip Hardy, this country-pop crossover is cascading with catchy, melodic choruses sung straight from her open heart.

The artist has a hand in writing all fourteen songs here, and she really resonates when delivering uncomplicated, image-filled lyrics. The title track is country-soul optimism with a vintage vibe, and a strong, belted-out performance. In happy, radio-friendly rollicker, “Best In Me,” Quick sings the praises of her love interest, “You’re the comfort I’ve been craving/You’re the calm to my storm/You’re my never ending weekend/You’re the one I’ve waited for.”

The best of Quick comes through on the bittersweet “Chicago Summer Nights,” with its intimate string and piano arrangement, where she wistfully remembers: “I rode shotgun at 17/How I loved that passenger seat/Eyes closed face into the warm midnight wind/My lungs filled with freedom/And grand plans of leaving/Not knowing that one day/I’d look back in time and say/ I miss Chicago…” She’s got dynamics as much as she’s got honesty in her voice.

By Janet Goodman

http://www.musicnewsnashville.com/katie-quick-%E2%80%93-valley-between-love

Video: Hamlin Students Dream Wall Winners!

Video: Personalized message from me to you, Hamlin!

1.  Create your personal DREAM WALL.

• To create your dream wall, write down your dreams and goals on notecards or small pieces of paper. Post them somewhere in the house where you can see them: on your closet door, refridgerator, on a poster board, wherever you want!

2. Have someone take a  picture of you next to your DREAM WALL…..smile! :)

3. Post your DREAM WALL picture on my facebook page….www.facebook.com/katiequickmusic.

• IMPORTANT: Underneath your picture, make sure you post your name, grade, and SCHOOL. (If you do not do this, I will not be able to tally up the points.)
• To post a picture on facebook, go to the “Share” section directly underneath the row of pictures on facebook. Click, “Photo“, then “Upload a Photo“. 

4.  The school with the most DREAM WALL pictures posted will win a personalized youtube video message (and song) dedicated to your school!

5. The contest ends next Thursday, November 3rd at 11:59PM!!!! Get started on your Dream Wall today!!! xo

***PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS AT SCHOOL….even the teachers and principal! Let’s get everyone involved and see what school can win the DREAM WALL CHALLENGE!! Good luck!!

 

The former Chicago inner-city 6th grade teacher penned her original song “Fingertips” to tell her students that they could accomplish anything in their lives if they set their minds to it, singing to them, “You’ve got it all at your fingertips.” Quick followed her own advice and set an example for those children when she moved from her native Chicago to Nashville in March 2010 to follow her aspirations for a career in music.

A chance meeting in Nashville during the summer of 2010 soon brought Quick to Central New York and a concert that she said changed her life.

Quick met Colleen Bennett, founder of the KEYS Program — an outreach for child cancer patients that enriches the lives of the youngsters through the therapy of music — along with KEYS volunteer Donna Mucks while they were in Nashville to promote their endeavors. Bennett and Mucks saw Quick on stage and were immediately impressed by her music and her camaraderie with her audience. When they introduced themselves and explained what KEYS was about, Quick became a dedicated supporter of their efforts, even donating “Fingertips” for inclusion on the “Hearts of Hope” CD for the kids.

“I love the KEYS Program,” Quick said in a telephone interview this week from Nashville. “It is a phenomenal program and I love that they use music to heal. I believe in the power of music therapy and I’m happy to be a part of this.”

Quick came to Verona to play a concert at the Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High school on Oct. 9, 2010, and took the time while at the school to also meet with students for question and answer sessions about her musical work. The 600-plus students and adults in the audience were enthralled both by Quick‘s music and her inspiration, and many budding musicians were encouraged by her example. And even if their aspirations didn’t include music, that was OK too, Quick told them — everybody couldn’t sit around playing music all day or nothing would ever get done, she said.

“When you figure out what your thing is, it is your obligation and duty to do it,” Quick told the audience during the performance. “You will make everybody in your part of the world happier, you will be happier, and you will contribute to making the world a better place.”

While both students and adults alike were wooed by Quick during that visit, the performer herself admitted she was just as touched by the experience as her audience.

“That show at VVS really changed my entire direction,” Quick explained. “It was one of the best experiences I ever had — I can’t even describe the feeling. Before that I had a void where I used to be a teacher and I was missing that, and then being at VVS brought that back and changed my life.”

“It was an awesome, inspirational performance,” Bennett said of that first Quick appearance in Central New York.

Quick returned to VVS on May 20 for a special benefit concert for the Hearts of Hope Project, a partnership between the VVS Entertainment Industry class and KEYS, where VVS students and KEYS volunteer musicians recorded a CD of their songs to be given to kids undergoing cancer treatment. They also collected new and gently-loved stuffed animals for those care packages, and Bennett said they have 5,000 of the gifts ready to be delivered to the youngsters.

Since her first visit, Quick has used that VVS event as a model for other performances combining entertainment and education, creating the Fingertips School Program, a mixture of song, education and inspiration.

“Follow your heart and your dreams,” she tells the children during the program, proving to them through her own example that anything is possible. Quick is bringing the Fingertips School Program on a tour from Nashville to New York, and one of the stops will be the VVS Middle School for another meeting with students. Her CAC concert will be a mixture of musical performance and a taste of what she does with the program, Quick said.

Quick has released two CDs, “Be The Change” and “Valley Between Love” over the last two years, and both will be available at the Sherrill performance. She promised no matter where her music career takes her, she will never turn her back on the students she performs for and interacts with.

“It doesn’t matter to me if I go on to win a CMA (Country Music award), schools will always be a part of my life,” she said. “Nothing ever gives me the same feeling as performing for kids.”

Bennett said the admission charge will be a free will offering to benefit KEYS, there will be a bake sale to benefit the VVS Music Boosters, and some of the affectionately-nicknamed “KEYS Kids” will be at the show. She offered her thanks to the city and Recreation Supervisor Sara Getman for making the event possible.

The concert is Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. The CAC is located at 139 East Hamilton Ave., just east of the intersection with Sherrill Road.

For more on Katie Quick, or to book a school visit with the Fingertips Program, log on to: www.katiequick.com/fingertips

For more on KEYS and the Hearts of Hope Project, call 363-6446 or log on to: www.heartsofhopeproject.org

By MIKE JAQUAYS
Contributing Writer, Oneida Dispatch
Twitter.com/mikejake1164

On October 28^th, I will be presenting the Fingertips Program to Morrill School in Chicago. This is where I taught 6^th grade before moving on to pursue my music career. Morrill is an elementary school located in a very low-income area in the Gage Park neighborhood.  300 of the school’s students will be in the audience that day, all of them having earned a “ticket” to the assembly as a reward for good behavior and attendance.  It would be a dream to give each one of these amazing students a cd, especially considering it was students from this school who first inspired my song “Fingertips” and now the program.  I am looking for a sponsor (or sponsors) who would like the purchase the cd’s for Morrill in exchange for tons of great advertising.

Whether you decide to donate 300 cds or 30, for every one you purchase, a sticker with your company name and logo will go on the front of the album.  Your company will also be listed on my website as one of the sponsors!  I am hoping there is someone out there that can help provide these students with music and help bring even more success to the Fingertips Program. If you or someone you know may be interested, please contact me at katiequickmusic@yahoo.com.  Thank you for your support!!

Katie

The famous Tracy Butler and I after the interview :)

If you have never had a chance to be inside a news studio, it’s so fascinating. Everything is fast paced and timed to the second. The stage manager is running back and forth giving cues to everyone in the different rooms of the studio. You never really know if the staff are talking to you or talking to people in their headsets (yes I responded to the camera guy when he was obviously talking to someone he was hearing in his ear piece…lol) I don’t know how they keep track of it all! I have to say my favorite part of ABC studios has to be the crazy robotic cameras. I mean these things freaked me out at first! I was in the studio at first warming up by myself, and all of a sudden these cameras start rolling around pointing at me with no one behind them! I could’ve sworn the room was haunted, but nevertheless they were controlled by humans in another room I soon came to find out. Haha :) Anyway, the interview and performances went great and it was another awesome experience for me. I want to give a shout out to everyone at ABC for helping get my music out there to even more people. It’s because of opportunities like this that I’m able to reach an even bigger audience. If you missed the segment, you can watch it by clicking on the link below! Enjoy!

Being a tourist in my hometown :) Outside ABC Studios after the show!

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/video?id=8355192

“You’ve got the sun and you’ve got the moon at your fingertips…you’ve gotta do whatever it takes to get your hands on it…and I know if you work real hard you can do anything…cuz you’ve got it all at your fingertips.”  (Click here to listen!)

What is FINGERTIPS?

FINGERTIPS is a groundbreaking arts and education program created by former teacher and Nashville singer/songwriter, Katie Quick. A unique educational concert experience that combines live music with storytelling, humor, student participation, and inspiration, Katie encourages each student to set goals, discover their dreams, and follow them.

She tells the story of her beginnings as an inner-city school teacher who used her music in the classroom as a way to motivate and inspire students.  Although a dedicated and talented young teacher, Katie had dreams of an even bigger audience and wanted to show her students that if you believe in your dreams anything is possible. She left teaching to pursue her music career and has since independently built up such an impressive international resume that even the biggest names in the music industry are taking notice.  FINGERTIPS was created to prove to students everywhere that with hard work and a positive attitude anything is possible.

Students will not only be treated to a one of kind concert-going experience, but they will also get the chance to personally interact with Katie through a question and answer session as well as a meet-and-greet. Parents, teachers, and administrators all over the country have been singing the praises of Katie Quick and the FINGERTIPS Program.  Here’s what they’re saying…

“Katie’s presentation was a perfect blend of oratory and musical performance.  The students were riveted throughout the afternoon. She ended the session by graciously answering students’ questions. They continued talking about her performance for weeks.” -Loretta C.  (principal)

“From the first minute, Katie was engaging, honest, and entertaining. She started off with a song, then she talked a little bit about her life experiences and gave the students “real life” advice. She handled the unscripted moments that occur with a large group of children and young adults with grace and ease – she answered their questions honestly, she encouraged them to sing along and have fun, yet always kept things under control. It was readily apparent that she had been a teacher – and a good one!” -Sue K. (teacher)

“I have to admit this particular musical event probably touched me more than any other — and I think the more than 600 people who came out that evening would agree, because I’ve never seen such a warm feeling of affection between an audience and a performer.” -Mike J. (reporter)

“Katie’s presentation was inspiring and entertaining.  I am grateful my children were able to hear her positive message about believing in yourself and working hard to make your dreams a reality all while enjoying a talented performance of her exceptional songs.” -Rebecca M. (parent)

 “Katie’s program has given my daughters a better understanding and appreciation of music in a hands on, fun way! They came home from school the day she was there so excited and energetic and filled with enthusiasm for Katie and her music.  She even inspired one of daughters to take up guitar lessons! Katie’s love of children and her music shows in everything she does! Thank you Katie for inspiring others to live their dreams!” –Gina T. (parent)

To contact Katie Quick about coming to your school, click HERE.