Review: Music Composition Workshop at MAC Birmingham

Earlier this month, during what appeared to be Birmingham’s monsoon season, sixteen OCA music students, along with tutors Andy Glover and Chris Lawry, braved the rains and gathered at the MAC building for an intensive study day. Interesting points raised on the day, along with student compositions, will form a series of blog posts starting soon. 

Participant John Godwood explains the brief for the day:
This was the first music study day for some time and was much anticipated by the students who had been invited to submit one or two compositions for the workshop.
The briefs were:

• a piece for string quartet inspired by Les Folies d’Espagne by Marin Marais
• a piece for flute and piano inspired by one of the folk songs The Captain’s Apprentice (arranged by R. Vaughan Williams) or Lovely Joan (arranged by Martin Carthy)

In the morning, the Take Four String Quartet performed seven students’ compositions and discussed these with the composers, giving helpful suggestions on how to make the writing clearer, more effective and more practical for the players.
In the afternoon, The Buchner Duo (Andy Glover, flute, and Charles Matthews, piano) played five compositions based on one or other of the folk songs. After discussing possible improvements with the composer, they performed each piece a second time, incorporating amendments agreed between players and composer.
The compositions were very varied and much enjoyed by all present. All the students were very appreciative of the day and left inspired, exchanging contact details to keep in touch. We hope that study days will become a regular feature of the OCA music courses, particularly in light of recent news of the launch of an OCA music degree.
 

Student and observer Jerry Mayle continues:
It was my first workshop and I went having no preconceptions about what it would be like. For me, the day was an opportunity to learn and meet others, who were studying the OCA composition courses.  Attendees came not only from all over the UK but also from mainland Europe so Birmingham was a good choice for location and the MAC in Cannon Hill Park was a very nice venue, even in the morning rain.  Everybody was extremely friendly, talking from the start, and there was no need for those potentially awful “round the house, ice breaking sessions” that so often start workshops.
We all had the opportunity to submit pieces but there was no compulsion to do so. I guess the message I want to get over here is, you will get a lot out of the day as an observer and you will get even more out of it as an active participant!
All participants had their pieces played and received feedback from, Andy, Chris and the musicians. Then there would be a reprise.  The feedback was given in a really positive encouraging way and it was good to be able to talk with the musicians and get a better understanding of the constraints of the instruments. There is such a difference between reading something in a book and actually hearing it from the performer and having them show you where the difficulties lie.
What was also of incredible value was being able to hear the piece played by humans rather than a number crunching processor… it takes flesh and blood to breathe a soul into a piece of music.

It was also good to get copies of the scores of the pieces. There were several times where I thought, “Hey that’s good. How has (s)he done that?” Having the scores meant the “how” was there in from of my eyes.  It really was a great opportunity to learn from each other.
One final impression: I mentioned that it was raining in the morning. It subsequently developed into a beautiful day – allegory if you will –  and sitting on the wall outside the park basking in the evening sun waiting for my lift I thought, “What a fantastic way to spend a day; in the company of talented , friendly composers and performers all of whom want to share.”
So, if you have not been before and are thinking about attending the next workshop, do come.

Here are a few of the comments from other students who attended the day:
“A very instructive day and has got me motivated again about learning this very hard art. Most impressed with what the composers came up with. Again, thanks for all the trouble taken to print the scores so we could hear with the eye as well as the ear.I look forward to the next such event!” Andrew C.
“It was an inspirational day. Thanks so much to Andy and Chris for organising. Thanks to everyone who shared their compositions – without which the day wouldn’t have happened. Lovely to meet fellow students and enjoy deep discussions about Sibelius (software)! Looking forward to the next one.” Marie L.
“To say that I thoroughly enjoyed the day on many levels is an understatement. I think the knock-on effects will be appreciated by me for a long time, or at least until we have another one! I would love to have regular study visits, and will be there each time.” Fionagh B.
“Being new to the course, I approached this with a little trepidation, but everyone was very friendly
and sharing. All was well organised and all that origination, photocopying, folding and stapling….it really helped to have clear printed copies of everything.” John C.
“For myself I found it very valuable, I have been interested in writing for strings for some time, and have been doing my best to understand some of the techniques. Having a tame string quartet on hand was very valuable, and reassured me a lot that I was on the right track since they seemed to understand what I meant.” Fiona C.
“I had the privilege of experiencing some wonderful compositions by other students. This was very inspiring and motivating: the event showcased what my longer term investment into music studies could lead to. For me it made everything seem less theoretical and more practical, tangible.” Vasilis G.
“Just a big thank you to Chris and Andrew and for all the hard work that everyone put in to produce such wonderful and varied music and make Saturday such a memorable day. I hope that this is the beginning of many more such days and an inspiration for everyone to get their work played and forge more links.” Chris B.
Study visits are an important part of OCA life and are put on regularly at venues around the country. Students interested in attending should consult the Study Visit Diary on the We Are OCA website for the latest notifications.

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