Heftel Family » Music

your song played on the space shuttle

Kawika Heftel — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 20:07:52 +0000

Hey all you musicians out there! If you have a space-themed song, or want to write one, NASA wants you to submit it to be played on the last two space shuttle missions as the crew’s wake-up music!

Go here to submit your song: https://songcontest.nasa.gov

You have til January 2011.

You can also vote on other songs to be played.

Here is the official notice, from the email that NASA sent me this morning:

If you like music, the space program and are a little nostalgic, NASA has the perfect opportunity for you. For the first time, the public can help choose songs to wake up the astronauts during the last two scheduled space shuttle missions.

Traditionally, the songs played to wake up the astronauts are selected by friends and family of the crews. For the last two scheduled missions, NASA is inviting the public to visit the ” Wakeup Song Contest” website to select songs from a list of the top 40 previous wakeup calls or to submit original tunes for consideration.

Original songs must have a space theme and be submitted to NASA by 4 p.m. CST on Jan. 10, 2011. The songs will be reviewed by agency officials and the top finalists put to a public vote. The top two songs will be used to wake space shuttle Endeavour’s STS-134 crew. Endeavour’s mission is the last scheduled space shuttle flight. It is targeted to launch on Feb. 26, 2011.

Good luck, songwriters!

new studio pictures

Kawika Heftel — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 02:25:21 +0000

Attention, world! Heftel Studios has moved to a new location, and it’s looking FABulous!! Here are some great photos of the new location, which is in Provo right by Deseret Industries (more info available at http://www.heftelstudios.com). If you’re in the area, call 801-417-0514 to come check it out!

spring recital pictures

Kawika Heftel — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 07:16:03 +0000

I was in a recital with my illustrious voice teacher, Anjanette Mickelsen! Here are some pictures from that momentous occasion. P.S. Anjie is an AWEsome voice teacher – if you are in the Salt Lake or Provo area and thinking about improving your voice, I HIGHLY recommend her. Her website is http://www.afmvocalstudio.com.

Thanks for looking!

The Evolution of PC Audio

Kawika Heftel — Thu, 20 May 2010 19:13:01 +0000

Check out the following video for a tour through the history of game audio on the PC. Music courtesy of “Secret of Monkey Island.”

endoora artist opportunity

Kawika Heftel — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 04:17:48 +0000

Just got this in my email the other day:

CASTING – MUSICIANS

Casting for a reality docu-series for the formation and journey of an international teen band. Record deal with major label already secured. Looking for 5 band members ages 18-22 (18 – 22 that can play younger). Must be extremely camera friendly, an idol in the making. Must be very comfortable in front of the camera and have real ability to play instruments and/ or sing. We’re looking for musicians with their own unique style and sound who absolutely live for music. International travel required. This is a rare and very special opportunity to turn your dreams into legitimate international stardom.

Singer: 18-22 male.

Bassist: 18-22 male or female.

Guitarist: 18-22 male or female

Keyboardist: 18-22 male or female

Drummer: 18-22 male or female

Please contact Matt or Dana at 323.460.5658 or via email:

matt@liquid-theory.com or dana@liquid-theory.com to schedule an audition time (Los Angeles)

Auditions are being held from 1.20.10 – 2.5.10

It’s a great opportunity for musicians, share it with your friends! You have to have an Endoora account to apply. If you don’t know what Endoora is, click here to find out!

buy my piano

Kawika Heftel — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 22:27:38 +0000

This is a beautiful dark-brown Schumann baby grand piano. Shanae bought it for me when we got married as a wedding present. I’m so sad to let it go, but we are moving and can’t take it with us. I’ve been playing for 18 years so I had to have a good piano to play on, and so when we got married we looked through many pianos together and this is the one I finally chose. We bought it used but it is in good condition. There is some cosmetic damage from previous owners that is visible in the pictures, but the action is great and it still plays and sounds like new. It is in need of some tuning. Please, if you are in the Provo, Utah area and are in need of a piano, come check it out! We are asking $2500 or best offer.

biggest drum kit ever

Kawika Heftel — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 18:45:35 +0000

How many drums do you REALLY need in a drumkit? I stumbled on the following picture today:

This picture comes from Terry Bozzio’s website (click here for drum specs, click the image to go to Terry’s site). This is officially the biggest drumkit I have ever seen! How does one even play such a beast? I also stumbled upon the following video today. This is a timelapse video of what it takes to set up the kit. I definitely admire the guy for being able to play so many drums, but there is no way I would be able to have the patience to setup that kind of a kit (to say nothing of the skill required to actually play it).

music from sand

Kawika Heftel — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:23:36 +0000

Okay, this is really cool. I stumbled on a video today of a guy who made a song entirely out of sampled recordings of sand. That’s right, he recorded sand in all sorts of ways and then used those samples to make music! Check it out on vimeo:

song about hope

Kawika Heftel — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:29:15 +0000

This song expresses my faith in and my hope for humanity. It is my hope that my music can bring hope and a little more brightness to a world too often darkened by cynicism, doubt, and fear. If you like it, please comment below!