Category Archives: Education

O2 Shepherd’s Bush Hosts Institute Graduation

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Planet-Musician

The O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire played host to The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance graduation ceremony and celebration on Sunday 23rd October 2011. This event, which grows bigger every year, was held to recognise and celebrate the successes of several hundred graduating Institute students.

As ever there was more than just an official award ceremony, with performances from six top Institute acts, followed by an enthralling headline set from the amazing Soul Coalition. And the venue was full from start to finish with graduates, their families and friends and many others who had come to enjoy the event.

Pete Whittard, Director at the Institute, had this to say on the day:

‘We are extremely proud of all our students graduating this year, who have worked extremely hard to achieve their qualifications. Although making a career in the music industry is challenging, I have no doubt that the immense amount of work these graduates have put in already, in both study and practice, will stand them in good stead and give them a huge advantage as they go forward and pursue their goals.’

For more information on this event or courses at the Institute, contact us directly:

 

Posted in Education, Events, News

Mars Volta Drummer Holds Masterclass at the Institute

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Planet-Musician

The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance was thrilled recently to play host to Mars Volta drummer David Elitch, who held an exclusive drum masterclass for Institute students.

David has been teaching for 10 years and is one of the most in-demand private teachers in the Los Angeles area. In addition to teaching privately he also conducts drum clinics at San Jose State University and The Drummers Collective in Manhattan, NYC.

Having just finished the Virgin/Capitol band Kill Korps record with producer Logan Mader  (Soulfly, Machine Head, Devil Driver), it is a wonder he has any time to conduct masterclasses at all! Throughout his career David has also worked with Garth Richardson, (Rage Against The Machine, Mudvayne) Josh Wilbur (Lamb of God), Jason Suecof (Trivium, Bury Your Dead) and Sean Beavan (NIN, Marilyn Manson).

Recently, David was asked to go on tour with Grammy award winning band The Mars Volta, touring throughout Europe, Australia and New Zealand playing for as many as 55,000 people while supporting Muse on the Big Day Out tour.

The masterclass was naturally a sell-out and immensely enjoyed by all who were lucky enough to attend. You can check the Institute website for videos and idents from David!

For more information on this event or courses at the Institute, contact us directly:

Posted in Drums & Percussion, Education, Events, News

Drum Channel Released Alex Acuña, Richie Garcia and JR Robinson DVDs

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Planet-Musician

Drum Channel has just released three new drum and percussion tuition DVDs. Explore the concepts of time, feel, groove and style with the Time Machine himself John JR Robinson. Delve into the secrets of the Cajon with multi percussionist Richie Gajate-Garcia and indulge in a captivating concert and interview from the

Acuña-Hoff-Mathisen-Trio as Alex Acuña says “I have not felt this way since I played with Weather Report.”

The John JR Robinson: The Time Machine DVD (US $24.95). JR is one of the most recorded drummers in history having played on records that have sold in excess of one hundred million copies. In this new DVD he takes a detailed look at the elements he considers the most important part of a drummer’s career; Time, Tuning, Miking, Click Tracks and Technique. With over three hours of content this DVD set also features guest appearances by the great Quincy Jones, David Foster, Abe Laboriel Sr, Luis Conte and John’s band – Native Son comprising of Michael Thompson, Bobby Watson, Morris Pleasure and Greg Mathieson. There are also 4 bonus tracks and a behind the scenes session with Quincy Jones.

Play Cajon Now – Richie Gajate-Garcia DVD (US $24.95) Richie Gajate-Garcia is a drummer, percussionist, clinician and educator, voted one of the top rock percussionists in Drum! Magazine this year he also is the percussionist of choice for Disney studios. Richie is a master and innovator on the Cajon and uses this tuition DVD to show you how to make your Cajon sound like a drum set as you master contemporary rock and Latin beats. With over an hour of amazing performances you will see his hybrid kit – a unique drum-percussion set up which revolves around the Cajon – and hear how he can make it sound like three drummers while Richie gives detailed explanations of how he approached his percussion parts in the demonstration tracks, including the instruments used and his setup.

Acuña-Hoff-Mathisen Trio In Concert DVD (US $24.95). Voted the best Latin/Brazilian Percussionist for five consecutive years in Modern Drummer’s Readers Poll, Alex Acuña has a vast knowledge and expertise of percussion rhythms. His South American and Caribbean roots, combined with his understanding of contemporary and classical music make him a complete and skilled master musician, one of the most sought after of our time. Best known for his work with artists such as Elvis Presley, Diana Ross and the band Weather Report he is a player that exhibits innovation, energy and pure heart. Flanked by two Norwegian geniuses, keyboardist Jan Gunner Hoff and guitarist Per Mathisen, Alex has assembled a world class performing trio that will captivate you with the high quality sounds, colours and textures they orchestrate. This DVD comes with a bonus CD. Available November 1, 2011.

Available through Drum Channel or your favourite drum retailer. Go to www.drumchannel.com to find out more.

Posted in Drums & Percussion, DVD, Education

Hit US songwriter to deliver exclusive masterclass at the Institute

Posted on October 3, 2011 by Planet-Musician

The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance is delighted to announce that Ralph Murphy, hit songwriter, publisher, author and former President of the Nashville Songwriters Association, will deliver an exclusive series of masterclasses and workshops on Thursday 27th October at their facilities in London.

Ralph has enjoyed considerable and continuous success over five decades, consistently charting songs in an ever-changing musical environment. He has had hit records with many UK and US acts, including Crystal Gayle, Cliff Richard, Randy Travis, Don Williams, Kathy Mattea and Shania Twain. He has achieved platinum records as a producer, written the widely acclaimed ‘Murphy’s Laws of Songwriting’ articles and book which are widely used as part of the curriculum at many colleges, universities, and by songwriter organizations, and he has achieved success as the publisher and co-owner of the extremely successful Picalic Group of Companies.

Widely regarded as the top songwriting coach in the world, Ralph is in worldwide demand for the lectures on songwriting which he has delivered around the globe. Ralph has served as President of The Nashville Chapter of the Recording Academy and has been a NARAS National Trustee and President of the Nashville Songwriters Association International. And as if that weren;t enough, he has served as Vice President for the USA and International organisation ASCAP, the Songwriters Guild of America and is a member of NSAI, NARAS, CMA, CCMA, SAC, SGA.

During the course of the day, Ralph will be delivering several different sessions exclusively to Institute students, including his famous masterclass on how to have a hit on US radio. Aspiring writers will get to play their material and receive analysis and critique live in session.

For more information on this event or courses at the Institute, contact us directly:

Posted in Education, Events, Music, News

MOBO Award Winning Songwriter delivers exclusive masterclass at the Institute

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Planet-Musician

The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance was delighted to welcome Mobo award winning vocalist and songwriter Shola Ama to their London facilities this week to deliver an exclusive interactive masterclass to students.

Shola has won a Brit award for ‘Best British Female’ and two MOBO awards for ‘Best Newcomer’ and ‘Best R’n'B Act’. She is a world class recording artist, with a string of top ten hits under her belt, having worked with some of the biggest names in the business. Her debut album ‘Much Love’ has sold over 1.2 million copies worldwide.

Throughout the Masterclass – which was filled to the limit with aspiring songwriter students – Shola talked about her music industry experience and challenged attendees to write a song within a set brief and timeframe. After the event, she commented: “I love meeting and working with such talented and inspiring young students; it is a great opportunity to share what I have learnt from my experiences within the industry with the next generation of aspiring musicians!”

For more information on this event or songwriting courses at the Institute, contact us directly:

Posted in Education, Events, News

Rockschool’s Hot Rock Drum Series Hits The Road With Craig Blundell Drum Clinics

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Planet-Musician

Rockschool, in association with Music Sales and Roland UK, is pleased to announce a three date UK tour of Craig Blundell Drum Clinics. During the workshops Craig will be demonstrating the music available to learn in the Hot Rock Drums Grades 4 & 5 using the Roland TD-4 and TD-9 electric kits as well as the HD1 kit, Octapad and Handsonic.

Rockschool is Europe’s No.1 rock music exam board with qualifications covering the principals of rock music and much more. Music Sales is an international family of wholly owned companies with interests in the five main areas of music including music retail (Musicroom). Roland is a world leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of musical instruments including electronic percussion kits. Craig Blundell with over thirty years playing the drums is currently considered one of the best drumming clinicians and educators around. His stylish performances and own brand of entertainment have won him rave reviews across the world.

The demonstrations are based around the groundbreaking Hot Rock series – this incredibly popular series for Drums covers a wide range of artists. During the sessions Craig will be demonstrating tracks featured in  Grades 4 and 5 Hot Rock books including songs from Metallica / Lars Ulrich (Master of Puppets / Fuel), Foo Fighters / Taylor Hawkins ( All My Life), AC DC / Phil Rudd (Whole Lotta Rosie), Kings of Leon / Nathan Followill (Sex On Fire) and many more.

Simon Pitt, CEO of Rockschool says: ‘Hot Rock is a great way of playing hit tunes in our exams and this series for Drums and Guitar has been going great guns since 2009.  We are delighted to be teaming up with Roland and Music Sales for these clinics.  Craig is a great drummer and we expect these events to be well attended’.

The drum clinics will be held from 3pm to 7pm in the following Musicroom stores: -

  • Bristol: Tuesday 8th November 2011 – Musicroom Bristol, 30 College Street, BS1 5TB
  • Lincoln: Wednesday 9th November 2011 – Musicroom Lincoln, 161-162 High Street, LN5 7AF
  • Edinburgh: Thursday 10th November 2011 – Rae Macintosh, 8 Queensferry Street, EH2 4PA

The HD1 Roland beginner drum kit is convenient, compact and stylish – perfect for home, school and studio use with most components mounted on one stand for easy setup and transportation.

There will be special offers on the Hot Rock series of books in the Musicroom stores on the day of the demonstrations plus an amazing competition to win a HD1 kit and a full set of Grade and Hot Rock books.

For further information visit www.rockschool.co.uk.

Posted in Drums & Percussion, Education, Events

Guitarist and songwriter Bryan Baker hosts exclusive masterclass at the Institute

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Planet-Musician

The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance was proud to welcome one of the most innovative guitar virtuosos, Bryan Baker, to the UK for an exclusive masterclass at their London facility on 8 September 2011.

Bryan’s career has spanned the globe since he began performing at the age of 13. Today he is considered one of the world’s most accomplished virtuoso musicians. Classical, jazz, electronica and most certainly rock, are all genres Bryan has mastered and shares with audiences all over the world.  During the course of this masterclass he covered the principle topics of rhythm, melody and energy, and how they are often overlooked and under-investigated by most musicians. And students were able to learn how to elicit these elements more effectively from their own playing.

Prior to the masterclass, Guitar Techniques conducted a filmed interview with Brian, at the Institute, which will feature on the cover CD of a future edition of the magazine.

Bryan’s LA based rock band Black Baptista has just released its album debut titled “Thread the Needle” July 2011. He has also compiled his experiences in Principles of Music, a book which delves into original and thought provoking methods of improvising and composing, as well as his philosophical look at the totality of a musical experience. He is currently touring the UK and the Netherlands with Bob van Luijt.

For more information on this event or courses at the Institute, contact us directly:

Posted in Education, Events, News

Lick Library ‘The Modes’ features tracks in the style of Slash, Van Halen, Via, Satriani and more

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Planet-Musician

Lick Library have launched a DVD series covering The Modes; one of the cornerstones of music that have been used for centuries as a compositional tool and as a source for improvisation. Understanding The Modes will greatly improve your ability to improvise lead solos as well as increasing you’re your whole musical knowledge so you will be able to improvise, compose and recognise modal music

The guitar style of Slash is used for the Ionian mode lessons including; Ionian Mode patterns, seven three note string patterns, learning how to create chords using this mode, plus play along with three licks in the style of Slash which demonstrate sequences, bending and double stops.

Each DVD in the series features tracks in the style of a different guitarist and includes a guitar jam track and licks in the style of either Slash, Van Halen, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Carlos Santana, Yngwie Malmsteen or Michael Schenker.

Each DVD in the series is only £16.99 (RRP), or get the complete set The Modes 7 DVDs Perfect Partner set (RRP £94.99 a massive saving of over £20.00)

These DVD lessons are taught and presented by renowned guitar teacher Danny Gill, a former pupil of Joe Satriani. To find out more visit www.licklibrary.co.uk today and place your order now. Better still join the community and enjoy discounts on all their products.

Posted in DVD, Education, Guitar

Triumphant BBC Commission for Institute tutor

Posted on September 21, 2011 by Planet-Musician

Maurizio Malagnini, a leading member of the teaching faculty at London’s Institute of Contemporary Music Performance, has recently completed an extremely high-profile commission for the BBC. Maurizio composed all music for the series ‘Body Farm’ (BBC1 9pm Tuesdays), which premiered last week to 5.5 million viewers. To complete the commission, he produced and recorded an incredible 240 minutes (that’s 4 hours!) of music in 91 days.

At the Institute, Maurizio teaches the Arranging and Composing modules on the BMus honours degree programme. Students who enrol on the degree course therefore benefit directly from the teaching and experience of people like Maurizio, who is an outstanding professional musician, composer and educator with an incredible CV.

Paul Kirkham, Director at the Institute, had this to say:

“We are extremely proud of Maurizio who has once again demonstrated what an outstanding musician and composer he is. Although we are a school of contemporary music, we believe it is important that students on our degree courses have the opportunity to learn from and work with classically-trained professionals, as this gives them a unique insight into music and enhances their opportunities for employment post-graduation.”

For more information on this story or details on how to enrol on a course at the Institute, contact the following:

Posted in Education, News

Composer of ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ joins Institute teaching faculty

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Planet-Musician

The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance is delighted to announce the appointment of Pete Cunnah to its already-outstanding teaching faculty.

Pete is a songwriter, producer and musician best known as the lead singer and songwriter with D-Ream whose worldwide hit ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ was recently voted by Time Out as one of the 100 most influential songs of all time. As an artist/producer he’s sold in excess of 3 million records including 12 top 40 singles and two top 5 albums.

He has produced, remixed and written with artists as diverse as Duran Duran, Honeyz, Deborah Harry, Steps, EMF, Graham Gouldman, Rob Davies, Steve Craddock and Motown legend Lamont Dozier. Pete is also a regular guest speaker at BASCA and PRS for Music events.

Pete Whittard, Director at the Institute, had this to say:

‘We are delighted that Pete Cunnah, a professional with an incredible history of success and credits at the highest levels, has decided to join our teaching faculty. Pete brings with him a wealth of industry experience which will be of huge benefit to our students and we are looking forward to working with him into the future.’

For more information on this story on about course sat the Institute, contact the following:

Posted in Education, News