Written by Trevor Newnham
Thursday, 26 November 2009 13:41
ATOM SPARK
MUSIC IN SCHOOLS OUTREACH PROJECT
“Thank you for the one-day music workshop you provided for my GCSE music pupils.
I know they really benefited from the day and the hands-on experience
really switched themon to a type of music not so familiar to them in school.”
Head of Music - Emerson Park School
Atom Spark is a series of one day intensive music making workshops aimed at secondary school pupils of mixed ability, with the emphasis on creativity and performance. The various workshop models have many positive attributes, such as:
Enhances group/team working skills
Encourages creativity and musical expression
Breaks down cultural barriers
Builds confidence in areas such as composition and performance
Informative and educational
Intensive format ensure participants are engaged and challenged
Opens eyes to possible careers in the music industry
Reminds participants that music making is fun
COMPOSITION & PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP
Whole Day Workshop
This model is geared towards pupils who play, or want to play, pop/rock instruments such as guitar/bass/drums/keyboards and vocalists, and is comprised of three sections.
BRIEFING / BAND FORMATION – The tutor team introduce themselves, and where possible, play a sample piece for the pupils. Clear aims and objectives are then set out for the workshop day before the pupils are divided in to three or four, depending on numbers, band groups. Equipment and rooms are allocated to each band as well as an ATM mentor/tutor.
WRITING AND REHEARSAL – Each band group is then guided through the various stages of song composition, with the mentor imparting knowledge on subjects such as form/structure, musical genre, stylistic interpretation, dynamics, lyric writing etc. When the composition is complete, the students then rehearse the piece ready for the performance toward the end of the day.
PERFORMANCES – Late in the afternoon all of the band groups come together in a designated performance area to play their pieces to an audience for the very first time. Performances and audiences may differ from school to school. Some schools move into the hall and bring in other classes/year groups for an audience, while others use the larger of the classrooms and the bands play for each other.
TECHNOLOGY AND MUSIC WORKSHOP
Whole Day Workshop
This model is geared towards students who have experience or an interest in creating music using technology alongside traditional song-writing skills. Using software packages such as Reason and Logic to create and record original works.
BRIEFING / PRODUCTION TEAM FORMATION - The tutor team introduce themselves, and where possible, play a sample piece for the pupils. Clear aims and objectives are then set out for the workshop day before the pupils are grouped and allocated machines and instruments.
THE CREATION STATION - The groups, with assistance from tutor team, create sections for the piece and record them accordingly. Some groups will consist of producers only and therefore work together to create beats and sample sounds. Others will be comprised of both producers and instrumentalists who can fuse modern beat making techniques with the recording of live instruments such as drums, bass, guitar, keyboards and vocals.
THE PLAY-OUT - Later in the afternoon all of the groups come together in a designated performance area to air their new pieces to an audience for the very first time. Performances and audiences may differ from school to school. Some schools move into the hall and bring in other classes/year groups for an audience, while others use the larger of the classrooms and the groups play for each other.
LYRIC WRITING WORKSHOP
Half Day Workshop
This model does exactly what it says on the tin and can work for both large and small groups. During this workshop our expert lyricists will take the group through a variety of lyric writing techniques, such as:
Fold and share technique
Word rhyme
Hum it first
Hook writing
Use of language
Opening lines
Themes
Cliché
Tutors will play and dissect examples of good lyrics at the beginning of the workshop, and use backing tracks as a vehicle to enable participants to perform their own lyrics at the end.
RE-WRITE A CLASSIC
Half Day or Whole Day Workshops
This is a great lyric writing workshop. When I’ve delivered this model before I used the song ‘Hey Jude’ by the Beatles. The group of students decided to re-name it ‘Hey Dude’ and wrote new lyrics which chronicled their own life experiences.
This workshop works as a whole or half-day duration workshop, and is a great add-on to the lyric writing workshop above. The students get a chance to perform their song at the end of the workshop to either a pre-recorded backing track or a live band. (The live band is a nice add-on, which consists of a separate group of student instrumentalists learning the song while the lyricists are busy composing in another room. Both groups then come together for a final performance at the end of the workshop).
SPECIFIED STYLE STUDY
Whole Day Workshop
For this workshop student groups are given a style/genre of music to study for the day. For best results the selected styles should be as different as possible from the students comfort zones. Ie, latin, jazz, reggae. The style selection can be tailored to fit in with GCSE curriculum requirements.
During this workshop the participants will:
Listen to pre-recorded examples and dissect.
Learn about prominent artists.
Mimic/recreate the stylistic sounds on their instruments.
Play a simple piece in the chosen style.
Compose in the chosen genre demonstrating stylistic interpretation.
Perform the pieces at the end of the day.
Our workshop models can be moulded to suit your student requirements and packages built to cater for all of your needs. We are open to new ideas and are happy to deliver special bespoke workshops.
For further information on workshop packages and prices or simply wish to book, please contact
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
, or by telephone on 0208 536 5394.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 06 January 2010 11:26 )
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