East Sussex Academy of Music

Transcription

1 eastsussex.gov.uk/music East Sussex Academy of Music A level Music & Music Technology BTEC Level 2 & 3 Music Offered by East Sussex Music Service in partnership with Lewes Sixth Form, Sussex Downs College 2015 Entry

2 I feel that ESAM is a very supportive and creative environment for young musicians Jenny Sturt Cello Jenny was part of a string quartet that performed in front of her Majesty the Queen on her visit to Lewes Brewery, October 2013

3 Welcome! The East Sussex Academy of Music (ESAM) is a unique place. Join us, and we guarantee you will be excited and challenged by the experience. In this brochure you ll find out more about the excellent facilities on offer, what you will study, and the range of ensembles you can join and the success of our students. There s nowhere in the whole of Sussex offering our level of performance opportunities, and we have an impressive 76% pass rate between Grade A* C. This is a great time to be coming to ESAM. In the last few years we have added BTEC Level 2 and 3 courses in Popular Music to complement the traditional classical based A Level Music, and we have also upgraded to industry-standard Macs and software. In 2013 we enjoyed a successful tour of Belgium and we plan to tour Paris in June On top of all this, we offer the atmosphere of camaraderie and peer support you get from the kind of large-scale and small group music-making that goes on at ESAM. Nick Houghton, Head of East Sussex Academy of Music Who chooses to come to ESAM? Students looking to take music making to the highest level we are the only institute in Sussex offering a Pre-Professional Certificate in Music Performance as an addon module to Music A-level or BTEC Level 3. Students interested in expanding their musical knowledge and understanding, and wanting to study music in its widest context the music A level set works cover 400 years of music. Students who would like to develop their skills with music technology or pursue a career in contemporary pop music. Students who may not necessarily be thinking of music as a career, but who have reached a certain standard of playing, singing or composing and who love music. There is so much opportunity to perform and to compose with likeminded students. I couldn t recommend a better music department. Elliot Windsor Studying A-Level Music, Guitar and Voice

4 Pre-Professional Certificate in Music Performance This is a fantastic opportunity for musicians hoping to go on to study at music college or to develop their performance skills to a higher level. Students are tutored in small ensembles (for example string quartet, vocal trio or rock group) by teachers who are themselves professional performers. The student ensembles give three concerts per year. This course is taught on one timetabled lesson per week, and will not clash with other subjects or take the place of a full A level. Ensembles Please note: the Pre-Professional Certificate in Music Performance ( Pre-Pro ) is offered as a specialist addition to Music A Level it is not a standalone qualification. The ensembles are at the core of what makes ESAM so special. Ensemble simply means together and that s what you will do: make music together with others just like you. All rehearsals take place on Wednesday afternoons, and there are concerts three times a year involving all the ensembles. Academy Choir: All music students sing with Academy Choir, which can mean seventy singers or more! Directed by John Hancorn Academy Orchestra: Symphony orchestra with music based around classical repertoire. All instrumental students are expected to audition for the Orchestra. Directed by Nick Houghton and Maeve Jenkinson Academy Voices: a small choir for serious singers. Academy Voices sing at Chichester Cathedral each year. All first-study Voice students are expected to sing in Academy Voices. Directed by John Hancorn Academy Session Orchestra: session orchestra is inspired by the full production performances of artists such as Michael Buble and Adele and the cinematic world of John Barry. It marries traditional rhythm section instruments with a prominent sax and brass section along with a large string section. The repertoire reflects popular music over the last 50 years. Directed by John Evans

5 Music A Level AS in 1 year, AS and A2 in 2 years Examining board: Edexcel Solo recital although only one solo recital is required for the exam, at ESAM you will perform up to four recitals per year, which gives you more experience and the opportunity to produce your best possible performance. Understanding music you will study a range of set works that are certain to expand your musical horizons. Classroom listening, learning and written work is enhanced by trips to hear professional performances. 92% pass Composition/Harmony AS students have their compositions performed and recorded by professionals. A2 students study (alongside composition) traditional harmony the skill at the heart of all fine composition. Instrumental lessons In addition to the course work, ongoing instrumental and vocal tuition is essential and is available through our team of academy teachers who work within East Sussex Music Service. All our academy teachers are professional trained and/or currently working in the industry as freelance musicians. Entry expectations Fluent readers of music Grade 5 theor y recommended. Accomplished instrumentalists/singers Grade 5 ABRSM Theory and Practical recommended. Audition required upon application. 76% A*-C Music Technology A Level AS in 1 year, AS and A2 in 2 years Examining board: Edexcel The course will teach you to sequence MIDI and audio, record live instruments and produce CDs, and compose and arrange using industry-standard software (Logic) on our new Macs. All Music Technology students receive mentoring from professionals currently working in the industry. AS Music Technology Sequencing a well known pop song Your own live multi-track recording Your own sequenced arrangement Study of pop and jazz styles since 1910 A2 Music Technology Combining sequenced and live performance Multi-track recording up to 24 live tracks Your own composition using music technology Manipulating recordings and analysing production techniques Entry expectations: Some degree of ability in music performance and reading music. A knowledge of Logic software would be an advantage. Students can sign up for our Grade 5 theory course. Audition required upon application.

6 BTEC Music BTEC Level 2 Diploma (1 year GCSE equivalent) This course gives you the knowledge and understanding of how the music industry works, the organisations that make up the industry, how they are interlinked and the job roles within them. Alongside this mandatory research based topics are 3 practical units: An Introduction to Performance An Introduction to Music Recording Managing a Music Product All 3 interlink enabling the students to record and promote the manufacture of a CD and organise and perform at its showcase launch. BTEC Level 3 in Composing or Performance (Certificate 1 year, Subsidiary Diploma 2 years A Level equivalent) On the BTEC level 3 course you ll learn the key knowledge and practical skills needed for your potential chosen career as a freelance musician. At audition, students are guided towards either a composing or performing pathway. During the certificate year, the students complete their specialist unit in either Contemporary Songwriting Techniques (Composing) or Music Performance Techniques (Performing). After that, the following units are studied across both pathways: Live Music Workshop Aural Perception Skills Working and Developing as a Musical Ensemble The Sound and Music Industry Composing Music Entry requirements: GCSE or BTEC L2 required and Grade 5 standard and above on main instrument. Audition required upon entry. Students performed at the Towner Art Gallery, Eastbourne, as part of a fundraising event to raise money for St. Wilfred s Hospice pictured with David Dimbleby (Summer 2014)

7 What next after ESAM? Music is a well respected A Level qualification. Most of our students progress of onto University to study not only Music but a range of subjects including in recent years Medicine, Law, English, Histor y and Maths. Many Pre-Professional Certificate students gain places on the most highly rated university degree courses for Music such as Cambridge, King s College London and Royal Holloway University, as well as prestigious conser vatoires such as the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music. In addition, a number of our students have gained places on pop music degree courses at Brighton Institute of Modern Music and Leeds College of Music or become successful freelance musicians. Academy staff Nick Houghton BA (Hons), PGCE, FRCO is the head of East Sussex Academy of Music and has worked in the department for over 10 years. Having begun his music career as a chorister at Coventry Cathedral he is also an organist, pianist and conductor of the Lewes Singers and the East Sussex Community Choir. He is a professional continuo player and accompanist and has also been an A Level examiner for Edexcel. John Evans M.Mus, BA (Hons), ARCM (DipPG) is the Academy s BTEC co-ordinator. He is an award-winning composer, arranger and guitarist. John has written for the BBC and Channel 4 TV shows as well as arranging for Sinead O Connor, Tom Chaplin and playing for The Divine Comedy. As a guitarist, he regularly plays in West End Shows and works as a session musician and arranger. Stuart Wagstaff BMus (Hons) is Lecturer in Music Technology and has been working for the academy for 10 years. He gained his degree in Popular Music performance at the London College of Music, and has been playing rock and pop bass for about twenty years in various bands across Sussex. Claire Brooks BA (Hons), PGCE is Lecturer in Music Technology. Since graduating from Sussex University, she has taught music for 14 years in Kent and Sussex. Claire is a jazz and soul vocalist and a member of the Islington Gospel choir. She is currently taking an MA in Music Therapy at Roehampton University, London. John Hancorn GTCL, LTCL has been ESAM s Choral Director for over 10 years now. He studied at Trinity College of Music and has a well established career as a professional singer, having extensive performing and recording experience in the field of opera, oratorio and consort singing. John is active locally as Music Director of the East Sussex Bach Choir and the Sussex Baroque Players. Rachel Fryer M.Mus, BA (Hons) PGCE is ESAM s Head of Piano and is active both as a soloist and accompanist. Rachel performed extensively for the late Sir Yehudi Menuhin s Live Music Now! organisation, and has worked as tutor and coach on the National Young Pianist s Course, for the National Youth Orchestra and on many summer music courses. Jess Ainsworth is the Academy s administrator and concert organiser. Jess was a student at Sussex Downs College and ESAM between where she studied Music A Level (Cello and Voice) and Performing Arts. After college, she spent time travelling and worked with children. She is currently in her fourth year working for the Academy.

8 Performing at St Anna Church, Belguim Summer 2013 Contact us East Sussex Academy of Music Performing Arts Centre Mountfield Road Lewes East Sussex BN7 2XH Tel: Getting more copies of this leaflet You can get all our leaflets in large print, easy read format, in Braille, on audio tape or CD, or in other languages. Please phone (calls may be recorded). They are also available in PDF form, which you can download from our website at eastsussex.gov.uk Find us on Facebook: facebook.com/musicatesam Academy Administrator: Jessica Ainsworth Head of East Sussex Academy of Music: Nick Houghton Acting Director of East Sussex Music Service: Lucy Morgan-Jones