Two Music Workshops in One Day for Lower Sixth

As part of activities week here at Leighton Park, our Lower Sixth music and music tech students were treated to two workshops on Tuesday 23^rd June!

The morning was spent with the Jasmine String Quartet from the Royal College of Music, looking at composing and expanding their composition work. And in the afternoon saw them engage in popular songwriting with Chris Milne, a principal lecturer on the popular music course at Leeds Conservatoire.

The Jasmine String Quartet often work with composers, and today they came along to help our students better understand how to write for strings. They took them through hearing and analysing a high-level quartet right up to more contemporary pieces. The students also gave their own pieces to be performed by the quartet so they could hear them in a way they hadn’t before.

Then it was time for a change of tune with the second workshop focusing on pop music. Chris Milne did analysis with students on one of Sabrina Carpenter’s commercial hits, unpacking it and showing what makes it a catchy song. Following this were one-to-one sessions with some of our songwriters about their pieces, providing feedback on how their work has elements of commercial hits. And when students weren’t in one-to-ones, they were tasked with rewriting the chorus to the song they’d analysed.

Rosemary Scales, Director of Music and Media, enthused: “The first workshop was revolutionary! The students are so used to hearing their work on a computer, so to hear it on real instruments meant they could not only experience it properly but also get some perfect feedback. I was watching them during the quartet, and some of them are really budding composers, so were transfixed on all the different techniques on show. This afternoon has also been interesting because they knew what song he was unpacking quite well. So it would be great for them to realise the huge crossover between classical and pop. It’s all the same techniques just a different style, so today should hopefully reveal that!”

The workshops were definitely inspirational, as Sophie (Lower Sixth) shared: “I’ve really enjoyed today! I think it’s just enhanced everyone’s enjoyment and knowledge of the subject. Composing isn’t really my strength, so it’s been interesting to get more insight into that. I’ve learnt a lot and I feel more confident going into composing next year. It’s been really enjoyable to listen and learn about different styles of music from industry professionals.”

Ivan (Lower Sixth) also had to add: “They have both been so amazing and I’ve learnt so much. The quartet inspired me to learn more about string instruments as well as add more of them into my music. And even though song writing isn’t my go to, this songwriting session will teach me something I’m sure I can apply to my music.”

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