Category Archives: music

‘DIJ-I-TL-EK-SPER-UH-MENTS’ – MA Sound and Image Exhibition

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5-8PM    FRI 7 AUG 2015    CHATHAM HISTORIC DOCKYARD, ENGINEERS WORKSHOP AND OUTDOOR SITES, PICK-UP A MAP FROM EITHER ENTRANCE

DIJ-I-TL-EK-SPER-UH-MENTS bring together works by MA Sound and Image students from the School of Music and Fine Art at the University of Kent, Amie Rai and Angela McArthur. Their work explores issues of technology’s symbiotic influence on us, the changing status of reading and our relationship to the spectacle created by novelty and immersion.

Amie Rai’s practice investigates our bodily relationship with technology and the way in which the fleshly and organic negotiate and interface with the technological. Her current work explores reading and narrative structures in the digital age and proposes ways in which reading can become a more embodied and material act. She uses existing books to reformulate new narratives through sound, image and material interventions.

Angela McArthur’s work meanwhile exposes the allure of novelty in technology, questing our notions of control, and the corporeal contract we enter into, via immersive experience – an eternal present which is sensorially active yet reflexively mediated. She questions ‘memorabilia as a substitute for historical memory, resisting binary oppositions in trying to understand our “pleasure in playing with the undecidable’ (Ranciere, c 2009).

 

Over 100,000 plays for Medway Music Graduates!

Music Technology BSc (Hons) graduate (2015) Greg Hummell, from the School of Music and Fine Art, released his first single, Turning Tides, earlier this year – and it has already had over 100,000 listens!

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Greg Hummell & Drew York founders of Apidae (Photo by Piers Bailey)

Available from: http://www.apidaemusic.co.uk and featuring lyrics and haunting vocals from Drew York, who graduated from a Music Tech BSc in 2014, also from the School of Music and Fine Art, the stunning track was featured earlier in the year with a special mention in Q magazine as one of 5 songs to watch for and hear: http://www.qthemusic.com/8184/five-songs-to-hear-this-week-phantom-runners-stoneghost-toundra-apidae-hawk-eyes/

The signing with Dumont Dumont, a record label based in Stockholm, came about after Greg put Turning Tides up on SoundCloud as a demo, and it was picked up by a couple of blogs including HillyDilly and Pause Musicale, which led to discovery by Dumont Dumont, who then got in touch about working with them on a release – and Turning Tides became their label debut.

Greg performs in a number of local bands, in different roles including guitarist, drummer and vocalist, and also co-established and managed a record label for the University in the latter two years of his degree.

Founder of electronic project Apidae (the name derives from Greg’s surname, which is German for Bumblebee, and Apidae, a collective term for bees), his joint project with fellow university student Drew York first came into being in 2013, in the first year of Greg’s Music Tech degree, when he started remixing local bands to hone his skills as a producer. From there, he started writing original material and putting together a live show.

Greg, who credits his time at University as a big factor in supporting his career launch – “an incredible experience meeting so many like-minded people, and being inspired by lecturers and speakers” – also feels the local music scene has been a huge influence.

To keep in touch with further exciting developments for Apidae, follow @ApidaeUK on Twitter

Emma Murton recognised for her Outstanding Contributions to Music at Kent

The Canterbury Festival Music Prize, which is awarded to a University of Kent final-year student who has made an outstanding contribution to music was presented to Emma Murton, who graduated from the University of Kent in 2015 with an MDrama specialising in Creative Producing and has recently joined the University staff in the School of Music and Fine Art as Receptionist and PA to Kevin Dawe, Head of School.

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Winners of 2015 Music Prize together with those presenting the award.

A multi-talented musician, Emma is a harpist, singer, conductor and producer, and was this year’s student conductor of the Chamber Choir, who she also sang with. A mezzo-soprano, Emma has sung with the University Chorus and Cecilian Choir, and was harpist with the Symphony Orchestra and Lost Consort.

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Emma Murton also received an award for “Outstanding Contribution to Arts and Culture”.

Emma also received an award from the University this year at the Kent Student Awards, 3rd place for “Outstanding Contribution to Arts and Culture”.

“Kent has been a fantastic place for me to get involved in creative projects from theatre to music making, all of which have been enjoyable and broaden my experiences. And the School of Music and Fine Art in the Historic Dockyard campus is a lovely place to work, with talented and creative people. I’m excited for the term to start!,” says Emma.

For information on the University of Kent 2015 Music Awards click the following link: http://blogs.kent.ac.uk/music-matters/2015/07/09/awards-ceremony-recognises-outstanding-contributions-to-music-making-at-kent/

Under Siege at Rochester Castle showcases Medway Music on Sunday 19 July

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Young musicians and performers will be showcasing their talents for the eighth year running in Rochester Castle Gardens – on the same stage that famous names like Status QuoPeter AndreBlue and Billy Ocean will have been performing to huge crowds only days before.

Part of Medway’s Festival of Music, Under Siege offers the opportunity for local gifted performers aged from 13 – 19 the chance to perform on the Castle Concerts’ stage to as many as 4,500 people, with music that encompasses a range of genres that includes rock, pop, and classical.

The gates to Rochester Castle gardens will open at 12 noon on the day and the show, which is FREE to attend, will begin at 1pm and end at around 3.30pm.

Alan Mash, from the School of Music and Fine Art at the Chatham Dockyard campus of University of Kent said: “I am thrilled to be involved in Under Siege again this year – it is one of the highlights of the Medway Festival of Music.”

Under Siege is organised by Medway Council in partnership with the University of Kent and MidKent College.

School of Music and Fine Art Open Day – 2015

Saturday June 20th from 9am – 2pm – Visit the School of Music and Fine Art at the Chatham Historic Dockyard

On Saturday the 20th of June, don’t miss the chance to visit the School of Music and Fine Art at the Historic Dockyard and explore our exciting courses in Fine Art, Music and Audio Arts, and Event and Experience Design. Our Open Days are designed to give you a real flavour of what it is like to live and study at the University of Kent.

Things to do:

  • Take a guided tour of our fantastic specialist music and art facilities
  • Experience our unique campus at the Historic Dockyard
  • Meet academic staff and chat to current students
  • Learn about our excellent student support
  • Your chance to ask questions – and find out more

Due to the popularity of our open days, we ask that you book a place online. Online booking will open approximately four weeks’ before the event.

How to make the most of it

Have a look at our top tips and FAQs for an enjoyable and successful day. We have also included approximate timings for talks and activities to help with your planning. We normally book sunshine and blue skies for open day but please bring a waterproof jacket, just in case!

For further information, please visit: http://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/visit/openday/essentials-medway.html

London St Pancras to Margate Train Journey Inspires Art Work

Downloadable as an App, the work by composer/artist Claudia Molitor from the School of Music and Fine Art will also go on display at the Turner Contemporary 20 June – 13 September

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The Sketch of the Score for Sonorama     Picture by Lucy Dawkins.

Informed by trains, journeying and the disconnect between looking at the passing landscape and hearing only the interior sounds of the carriage, the piece – titled Sonorama  – is described as ‘filling the gap between the visual and sonic realities of train travel’.

Imagining the journey as the ‘score’, Claudia Molitor’s  cycle of works, collected interviews, readings and British Library archive material respond to the social history of the route. The tracks cover topics as diverse as visio-centricity, Roman history and hop-picking – all relating to a different point or area between London St Pancras and Margate.

The App, which features contributions from flautist Jan Hendrickse, poet Lemn Sissay, saxophonist Evan Parker and writer Charlotte Higgins, will be free to download at the App store from 19 June – 30 September 2015.

‘Meditation Mix’ joint winner of the 2015 Barbara Morris Prize for Learning Support

The Barbara Morris Prize 2015 has been awarded to the Meditation Mix, a project initiated by the School of Music and Fine Art in collaboration with the university’s Wellbeing Team and Student Learning Advice Service (SLAS) resulting in the production of an innovative meditation CD.

The project aims to provide practical strategies for students to help them manage stress and anxiety which are increasing issues in higher education. The selection panel said, “This was felt to be an original and innovative initiative which brought together staff and student skills, and provided a showcase for cross-disciplinary talent, as well as a useful form of student support. The involvement of different professional groups and a number of Schools was commended.”

Thanking everyone who worked on the project, Louise Frith, Student Support Officer for SMFA said, “The project is still ongoing; two apps are currently being developed by two MA computing students using the recordings, and a PhD research project looking at what is happening in the brain when students meditate will begin soon.”

The team will receive an award of £2,000 in recognition of their work, and certificates will be presented to all winners by the Vice Chancellor at a lunchtime ceremony on Wednesday 7th October. More info on the project can be found: https://www.kent.ac.uk/smfa/news.html?view=1265

Sound#Hack Creative Music Tech Event Saturday 27 JUNE!

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The School of Music and Fine Art are hosting a fantastic event as part of the Ideas Test Digital Learning events programme created in partnership with Royal Opera House Bridge to bring music tech and performance to young people from Swale and Medway, with students and teachers discovering new skills and composing and performing with feedback from an industry panel.

“This is going to be about discovering new talents and inspiring new career pathways, and also helping educators and parents recognise creative technology career pathways. We wanted to develop an event culture that always has performance, exhibition and a dynamic learning culture at the core,” comments Kevin Grist, one of the event producers at Ideas Test.

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This small-scale pilot event, from 10.30am-5pm, will see students and teachers learning together, working with professional digital musicians, discovering new skills and uncovering some different approaches to taste and excellence in performance. Participants will compose and perform music, with artistic feedback from an industry panel from AudioActive’s In the Lab team.

The event will start with a digital music performance including live coded pieces made with Sonic Pi.

This will be followed by sessions where participants, educators and live coders work with Audio Active and University of Kent’s music team and music students to develop their own pieces, either on their own or in groups. The afternoon session will enable people to present their ideas, showing rough code or snatches of ideas.

Look out for an online webinar after the event with ROH Bridge, to talk more about the event itself and how it touches on issues and opportunities that digital music tech bring to the classroom.

Workshops will include:

  • AudioActive, featuring DJ Skitz and other artists including live vocal looping and beat production
  • Sonic Pi, exploring the use of live coding to compose music
  • University of Kent, exploring mixing for 5.1 surround sound
  • AudioActive’s In the Lab will feature an expert panel giving artistic and technical advice on music created throughout the day

Places are limited to 15 spaces for teachers and 25 spaces for young people. To confirm your space please register via EventBrite before Saturday 13th June 2015, at 5pm.

http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ideas-test-presents-soundhack-featuring-audioactives-in-the-lab-tickets-17259580871

PhD Scholarships for September 2015 entry

The School of Music and Fine Art at the University of Kent is delighted to be offering up to THREE fee waiver PhD scholarships (Home/EU rate) for PhD students (September 2015 entry).

We warmly welcome applications from all doctoral research applicants who have applied or are applying to the School of Music and Fine Art at the University of Kent for entry in the academic year starting September 2015. Please visit Kent’s postgraduate pages for comprehensive information about how to apply for postgraduate research study. These Scholarships are only open to applicants whose proposed first supervisor is in the School of Music and Fine Art.

In order to be eligible for these scholarships, applicants should apply for, and subsequently receive an offer of, a place at the University of Kent for one of the following PhD courses for September 2015 entry.

  • Fine Art (Practice as Research)
  • Music and Technology
  • Music (Research)
  • Music (Composition)
  • Music (Performance)

The Scholarships are available to UK, EU and overseas students and will cover tuition fees (at the home/EU rate). They are offered for one year in the first instance, renewable for a maximum of three years subject to satisfactory academic performance.

Details of the application process can be found here Deadline for all elements of an application is 30 June 2015.

 

£10,000 Bursaries for exciting Creative MAs

Kent creatives can now apply for a £10,000 bursary to study locally. The University of Kent has been awarded a total of 232 new £10,000 postgraduate bursaries, the sixth largest allocation in the UK, for students admitted to taught Master’s degree programmes at Kent in September 2015. Allocations will be made by mid-July 2015.

Based at the Chatham Historic Dockyard, the School of Music and Fine Art offers MA’s in Fine Art, Music Technology, Music Composition and Sound and Image, with students benefitting from a thriving research environment and strong research profile.

Students have access to state of the art facilities and equipment as well as all the support and learning resources of a major, research-led University. The School hosts a regular programme of seminars, symposia, conferences and other exciting events in a dynamic and vibrant environment.

There is no fixed closing deadline for applications to most postgraduate taught degrees BUT you are recommended to apply as soon as possible and no later than three months before your intended start date. Most taught degrees begin in September although some may offer the opportunity to start in January.

For more info go to: http://www.kent.ac.uk/smfa/postgraduate/index.html