#WeAreOCA
The Open College of the Arts' blog
Browsing Category:
Music
World premiere of 13 flute pieces by OCA students
Posted: 07/12/11 01:14 |
9 Comments
It was a great honour to be invited to lead the first OCA Music Workshop on 12th November. The day focused on compositions for solo flute, and students were asked to submit short pieces which would be discussed during the workshop. A fantastic group of 16 music students descended upon the OCA’s Head Office in […]
Read More
Contemporary Music – progress or …
Posted: 11/10/11 12:46 |
1 Comments
Contemporary music can cause passionate enthusiasm in some and complete bafflement in others. For many, there remains a sense of dread, and an expectation of the ‘squeaky gate’ incomprehensibility that has become the new music stereotype. For the general public, classical music is a niche market, and within that, contemporary music has an even smaller […]
Read More
Musical interferences
Posted: 17/08/11 03:43 |
4 Comments
Why I wonder do some musicians feel it is necessary to impose their own identity on the work of the great masters? Last week the Croatian born pianist and composer Dejan Lazić presented to the Proms audience the results of his six years of work translating the violin concerto by Brahms into a piano concerto. […]
Read More
I'm a fan
Posted: 14/02/11 03:26 |
2 Comments
You might be a football supporter, love Elvis’s music, read comics, enjoy charity shop purchases or simply be an ardent fan of a local band. Whatever your interests, someone, somewhere will have made a fanzine about it. You may have not come across many fanzines as they tend not to make it onto the bookshelves […]
Read More
It's all about pathos
Posted: 25/10/10 08:19 |
7 Comments
Does a composer write his or her best music at a time of joy, tragedy or tranquillity? There are persuasive cases to be made for all three. Indeed we should probably add a fourth option i.e. none of the above as there are plenty of composers who seemed able to turn out wonderful music on […]
Read More
The art of keeping a sketchbook
Posted: 23/08/10 10:42 |
9 Comments
An insight into a student-led collaboration between Music and Fine Art Over the last half year I’ve had the pleasure of visiting exhibitions of two artists local to the North East of Scotland. I was taken by surprise to find – among the seascapes of Frances Walker and Kate Downie – a similar little gem, […]
Read More
A new OCA Course in music on the way!
Posted: 21/07/10 02:15 |
5 Comments
Good news for current and potential music students at the OCA! We have commissioned Carla Rees to write a new Level 1 Music course. Gareth’s recent interview with Carla gives some fascinating background on her interests, including her pioneering work on the 21st century flute repertoire and developments with the instrument itself (alto and bass […]
Read More
News: courses coming in the next 12 months
Posted: 11/06/10 03:05 |
12 Comments
OCA is going to be further developing its curriculum in the next 12 months, and there are some exciting new additions to the existing suite as well as a couple of exciting additions to our undergraduate degree programmes. First, there is a new Textiles course at level 1 (HE4) coming in the next few weeks […]
Read More
Carla Rees
Posted: 07/06/10 12:55 |
2 Comments
Music Tutor, and soon to be author of the OCA’s second Level 1 Music Course: From The Present To The Past, Carla Rees talks to Gareth Dent about her work. I have many associations with the OCA; I came to the College initially as a photography student, and then later became a tutor on the […]
Read More
Now where did I leave my glasses?
Posted: 03/06/10 09:49 |
6 Comments
My reputation as a cool dude when playing jazz (pause for ironic jeers) has taken a bit of a hammering recently as I’ve had to start wearing middle distance glasses in order to see the charts. My optician tells me I’ll soon be needing multifocal lenses. Which brings me to Random Fact Number 742… In […]
Read More