FREE MASTERCLASS & OPEN DAY

Access to Music organised a fantastic free Masterclass & Open Day at the RNCM in Manchester on Saturday 30 August 2008. As well as gaining the expertise of some of the UK's leading session players, the audience also heard about our exciting Foundation Degree and brand new Session Musician Training Academy (see below).

Five top session players were brought together to provide free masterclasses on guitar, bass, drums, vocals and keyboard, plus a special rhythm workshop. For the audience of aspiring musicians this was a fantastic opportunity to learn the tricks of the trade from practicing professionals, while also finding out more about how our courses can help musicians develop a sessioning career.

 

CLINICIANS

JIM DAVIES: GUITAR
Prodigy's former live guitarist, Jim Davies was responsible for the live guitar on such seminal dance crossover tracks as Firestarter, Breathe and Fuel My Fire, performing at gigs from Glastonbury to Australia . He also added guitar to their albums Fat of the Land and Always Outnumbered. Jim is also well known for his contribution to Pitchshifter, for his latest band project, Victory Pill, and for his collaboration with breakbeat act DJ Hyper. Jim is a regular contributor to Total Guitar, the UK's biggest selling guitar magazine, and to online sites such as Musicradar and is an endorsee of the RNCM foundation degree.
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NIC FRANCE : DRUMS
Nic is one of the UK's top session drummers and a highly-experienced clinician. He is flying in to do this workshop following a gig with Terry Callier in Dublin! Nic has played with Dave Gilmour (featured on Dave Gilmour Live DVD), Pete Townsend, Annie Lennox, Tanita Tikaram, Bill Withers, Thomas Dolby, Working Week and Nigel Kennedy. His background is in jazz with Loose Tubes and he has played for legends including Ronnie Scott, Alan Holdsworth, Ian Carr's Nucleus, Jim Mullen and Andy Sheppard. He has also worked on film soundtracks including Absolute Beginners and has even appeared on a TV drum clinic with Billy Cobham. Catch him for free at the RNCM!

STEVIE WILLIAMS : BASS
Stevie has worked with Nic France playing with Tanita Tikaram and Jim Mullen and we aim to provide an additional rhythm workshop to the day's proceedings featuring these two players. Stevie's session career took off after a stint playing jazz on the transatlantic QEII. He has since worked with foundation degree endorsee, Snake Davis, as well as the Hothouse Flowers. He has done session work for TV and advert jingles and is the organiser of the fast-growing Bass Day held at the RNCM on 9 November.
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PAUL MORAN : KEYBOARDS
Paul has just finished touring the States with Van Morrsion. He has worked with many big artists including George Michael, Sister Sledge, Monty Python, Pepsi and Shirley, Gilbert O’Sullivan, The Tyrrel Corporation, Alvin Stardust, Tony Hadley, Barry Manilow, Pete Townsend, Joe Walsh and Irene Cara. He has written several tracks for Bronski Beat and co-produced and co-wrote the album, 'Toyah’s Dreamchild' with X-ert Productions . Commercially he has worked extensively for Carlin, composing many library tracks and signature tunes: credits include 'One Foot in the Grave', the theme for Sky Sports, as well as several high profile television and radio adverts. He has done drum 'n' bass library work and runs his own Hammond-driven jazz group.

DANE CHALFIN: VOCALS
Dane Chalfin is one of the UK's leading non-classical voice specialists. His clients include signed artists, TV and film actors (Peter Kay, Coronation Street, Emmerdale), major theatrical productions (Cats, Mamma Mia, Saturday Night Fever etc.) and tours, record labels and management companies, educational establishments and business people. He is one of a select few voice practitioners who officially consult with the NHS to help rehabilitate professional voice-users who have had a voice injury. He provides training for singing teachers and vocal coaches and has written voice programmes for top arts universities. Dane is a director of The British Voice Association and is a Senior Lecturer in Contemporary Vocal Technique at Leeds College of Music.
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SESSION MUSICIAN TRAINING ACADEMY (SMTA)

The Session Musician Training Academy (SMTA) provides a unique opportunity for aspiring applicants for the Foundation Degree to develop and refine their musical skills in preparation for application and audition. In effect it performs the same function for rock and pop musicians as the Junior RNCM.

Suitable for musicians aged 16 and above, the 10-week Session Musician Pre-Foundation Course runs on Saturdays from late September until March 2009. It provides an intensive musical experience aimed specifically at developing your instrumental skills to Grade 8 equivalence within a session musician context. Input includes small-group instrumental skills tuition (in either guitar, bass, drums, vocals or keyboards) plus group rehearsal and performance and general musicianship. Sessions are delivered by music industry professionals at Blueprint Studios in Manchester.