Lauren Toyota highlights 14th annual Reel Music Festival

The Durham College (DC) campus was alive with the sound of music last week as students in the Music Business Management (MBM) program held their annual Reel Music Festival from April 2 to 5. The festival, in its fourteenth year, is organized entirely by students as part of their curriculum and features a song writing competition, educational conference, film showcase and several artist performances throughout the three days.

The festival was developed for MBM students to assist with providing hands-on experience in event planning along with giving insight into the music industry. As well, students are offered opportunities to engage in networking opportunities through the various events.

 This year saw a number of music industry professionals making appearances at the event, highlighted by MBM graduate and MTV Canada host Lauren Toyota who returned to DC to moderate Songs Revealed, the annual song writing competition developed to showcase local talent to a panel of industry professionals. Durham College president Don Lovisa and Oshawa mayor John Henry were also in attendance for the song writing event.

“Just as DC showcases its art students, this event is a showcase for MBM students,” said MBM student Danielle Feraday. “It’s showcasing everything we’ve learned in our classes this year and helping teach us real world aspects along the way.”

Additional highlights from this year’s festival included live performances throughout the Oshawa region at local establishments including The Hub, Wasted Space and EP Taylor’s; Prescription 2 Rock, a clinic on the music business hosted by Dale Russell from Canadian rock band the Guess Who; and several seminars such as The Power of Branding, Planning Live Music, The Current State of the Music Industry and DIY Musicians.