Itinerary & Guide
A hassle-free experience
Besides providing a fun and very unique experience, we aim to make our events as effortless as possible so you can relax and enjoy watching your kids record their masterpieces!
Please read the following guidelines to ensure you get the most from your time at ALT STAGE.
Choosing your songs
We recommend booking at least a week in advance so all the participants can learn the songs.
It usually takes an hour or so to record a song, but varies depending on how well rehearsed they are and how they are to be performed, i.e. as one group, or with solos or in smaller groups. With this in mind we recommend choosing between 3 and 4 songs as one or two might not work on the day.
Tip: Choose songs with a strong sing-along chorus that everyone knows. Here’s some examples of songs that work well:
- Firework by Katy Perry
- That’s What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction
- Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepson
- Price Tag by Jessie J
- We Are Young by Fun
- Got A Feeling by Black Eyed Peas
- Locked Out of Heaven by Bruno Mars
- Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars
- Can’t Stop The Feeling by Justin Timberlake
- Shake It Off by Taylor Swift
- Roar by Katy Perry
- Symphony by Clean Bandit
- Black Magic by Little Mix
- Shotgun by George Ezra
- Wings by Little Mix
- Mamma Mia by ABBA
Please be aware of the lyrical content of your songs! You may be surprised how risqué and innuendo some can be and we have had a few raised eyebrows (and have even raised our own) when the words are printed out! We can adapt the lyrics in most instances for you, but it’s worth checking them first.
Tip: For their main song it’s always good (we think!) when they each have a line or two of a verse to sing solo (or in pairs for the less confident) and then everyone joins in for the choruses. It’s good if they work this out between themselves in advance of the party so they take ownership of the song and all know what they are doing and have a good chance to practise. We are always here to help so don’t hesitate to ask for advice.
If you know your song choices at the time of booking please enter the title and artist in the field ‘Song Titles and Artists’ on the booking form below. If you have not chosen your songs at the time of booking please let us know your choices by email quoting your order number as soon as possible.
As soon as we know your song choices we can source the backing tracks and lyrics, then email you a link to download them as an MP3 and PDF. We recommend you forward the link to the parents and carers of the other participants as soon as received, so the rehearsals can begin!
The Big Day
The agenda and recording techniques will vary slightly between studio groups, but the information below will give you a good idea of what to expect.
- Please ensure everyone arrives on time but no earlier than 15 minutes before your allocated session start time as we’ll be sound checking and testing all the equipment. It’s often not possible for us to run over your allocated time slot so it’s important that we’re ready to start promptly.
- Plan your route and allow enough time to get to the studio. Ensure you take our contact details with you as per our booking confirmation email to call us if you are delayed.
- Dress to impress! There will be lots of photos to be taken so why not get the kids to dress as their favourite pop star.
- Props, such as inflatable guitars, are a nice touch but can be disruptive for the recording session, so if bringing props, please hide them away until the recording is complete for a photo shoot at the end.
- Once the session begins our engineer will walk the children through their songs. The better rehearsed they are, the more they will get done and more options they will have. We can’t stress enough that everyone really does need to know the songs well in advance. The longer we spend practising gives us less time to record.
- The participants will have words in front of them on the day. Please bring a copy of your words we have sent out, especially if you have made notes on them. Please print them single sided, unstapled and unfolded. They need to sit on a music stand to minimise noise while recording.
Adding guests after booking
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If your names not down…
Please bear in mind that ALT STAGE is a professional, commercial sound recording studio. The equipment we use is first class and very very expensive but unfortunately not at all child proof.
We ask that at least one accompanying adult must remain present throughout the entire recording session. Depending on group size it’s useful to us if there’s 2-3 present just to keep the children in check as they can quite understandably be very excited.
Please do not bring babies or children under the age of 7. A crying baby makes the sound engineer’s job near impossible. Pets are also not permitted on our premises.
Any equipment damaged due to negligence will be chargeable to the event organiser.
We can only accommodate a maximum of 15 children with 3 accompanying adults, so to avoid disappointment please refrain from bringing unlisted guests.
Cancellations
We all know that not everything goes to plan. That’s why if you need to cancel your session for any reason, we will not charge you. We can easily move your session to the next available date convenient to you. Please read our Terms for more information.
Download your masterpiece
Once the session has finished our engineers set to work on the post-production of the children’s recordings. By the next working day you will be sent a link to download professionally mastered MP3’s of all the songs.
- All you need to do is share the link with everyone you would like to hear the songs.