What a fabulous day to showcase the latest developments in the music industry this was! Hosted by Mid-Kent College - in the shiny and impressive new Medway campus - this modern environment was the perfect setting for a day packed with demonstrations of cutting-edge music technology.
Students from Mid-Kent College, Havering College of Further and Higher Education, and local GCSE students from The Hundred of Hoo school streamed into the glass concourse to sign up for the day’s workshops and to eagerly queue for the opening of the trade stands.
Exhibiting at the event was: Ableton, Audient, Bose, IK Multimedia , JHS Guitars , Roland , Steinberg, Toolroom Records , The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance and The University of Kent .
Demonstrations and workshops ran throughout the day. These proved to be extremely popular with the students - they were all booked up before the event had even opened. And they were well worth booking in for!
First up in the theatre was Craig Blundell - percussion specialist, drummer and producer – demonstrating the wonders of Roland’s Hand Sonic , RC-50 loop station , the TD9 drum kit and the SPD-S sampling pads. Seeing a master at work on these incredible pieces of kit was an absolute treat. Craig Blundell’s technological genius, and immense percussion skill, provided the perfect opportunity for the young music students to witness the vast musical scope that such kit presents.
Up in the studio, Andrew Schravamade, Steinberg, had a heaving room of students gripped with a Cubase 5 demo. Andrew’s humorous delivery entertained, as he demonstrated the features of this software. Completely flattening the vibrato on a recorded track, he joked about the Cher-(DoYou Believe in Life After Love)-effect, asking the students to promise to never make such heavily-produced tunes, jokingly threatening to kill any who might be tempted; though he swiftly remarked “But you’ll probably have a no.1 hit, in which case I’ll be asking you to drive me around in your Porsche!” And, at the end of the session, with the promise of half-price software to students, the room quickly emptied out to the trade area where the students could have a play for themselves.
Other demos and sessions featured: JHS Guitars , The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance , masterclasses with Funkagenda and an Ableton and Novation workshop.
The day proved to be a huge success in bringing together members (students and staff) from within The Creative Way partnership, to share a learning experience in the technical and creative advancement of the music industry; and to widen the students’ gaze in respect of the possibilities within music-making, and within the available progression routes via Higher Education towards a career in music.
Partners working within the Music Industry Live project plan to continue such events in future years, allowing students and staff to continually keep abreast of music industry advancement, and to continue to build the very valuable industry links for the delivery of vocationally-rich curriculum.
Next Music Industry Live event – Tuesday 18th May at the Albany Theatre, Deptford. For more information email info@musicindustrylive.org
Lindsey Pugh, Programme Manager for Performing Arts and Music, The Creative Way, 11/05/10
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