One of the most useful elements of OCA study visits is the chance for students to gain an insight into real-life creative scenarios and experience the complexities of day-to-day professional practice. In addition, study visits can often sow the seed for further projects and opportunities.
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With in-person study visits, especially those involving singing, off the cards due to the pandemic, we had to think somewhat outside of the box to get a composition workshop together in 20/21! With a handful of singers within the student body of the music department, we decided to give a ‘Virtual Choir’ project a try.
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Sometimes during study we can hit a stumbling block which we can’t immediately solve by ourselves. When this happens, please don’t suffer in silence or let your studies fall by the wayside. Instead, reach out to your fellow students or your tutor if you’ve hit a brick wall and don’t know how to overcome it. […]
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Working with ancient texts and dead languages might give one cause enough to steer away, presenting the composer with all sorts of challenges in interpretation and performance. Add into the mix historical instrumentation and such projects could easily lose focus, become too academically dry, or even a pastiche of itself. The key, in my opinion, to the successful combination of old and new, is that the composer needs to respect what both sides have to offer any potential soundworld and then somehow keep them in balance.
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Join OCA Music tutors Carla Rees, Chris Lawry and fellow music students for an informal web chat from the comfort of your own home. The chat will start at 6.00pm on Sunday 18 August 2019 and continue ‘live’ for at least an hour and a half. The chat will also remain open after that time for follow up conversations, or for those unable to be online at that time to catch up and read.
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Join OCA Music tutor Chris Lawry and fellow music students for an informal web chat from the comfort of your own home. The chat will start at 6.30pm on Wednesday 29 May and continue ‘live’ for at least an hour and a half. The chat will also remain open after that time for follow up conversations, or for those unable to be online at that time to catch up and read. The chat will provide an opportunity to ask questions, share ideas, inspirations and music, to highlight best practice in critical listening and compositional skills, and to engage with the wider OCA music community.
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In late July, OCA music students from across the UK and Europe met up at the MAC Birmingham for a day of music making and discussion with music tutor Chris Lawry and saxophonist and publisher Keri Degg. The day was focussed on writing for saxophone with a particular emphasis on composing music for educational and examination purposes. Students got to hear their compositions workshopped and received feedback and advice from tutor and performers, as well as bound scores and recordings to take away for further study.
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Join OCA tutor Chris Lawry and saxophonist, composer and publisher Keri Degg on Saturday 29 July 2017 for a composition workshop at MAC Birmingham. The day will consist of advice and discussion on writing for saxophone and getting pieces published and will feature performances and feedback of student compositions.
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A news item from this week probably quietly slipped past most people, announcing the death of soprano Marni Nixon. For those unaware of her body of work, I can assure you that you most probably have enjoyed the fruits of her labour at some point, and perhaps without even knowing it!
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Whilst preparing a piece for the recent Composition Workshop, Jerry Mayle decided to pursue a slightly different path than what was originally called for. Jerry asked tutor Andy Glover-Whitley in advance about the possibility of making changes and he got more than he bargained for in the process…
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