Our Women in Music online short course is happening next week! Get to know the hosts
Next weekend (20-21 June & 27-28 June) we’re hosting our latest Women In Music short course. This time, we’re online!
Women in Music: Empowerment and Employability is designed for anyone identifying as female who wants to enhance their knowledge, network and toolkit with the aim of being employed in the music industries in any capacity. The 4 day course (spread across two subsequent weekends) will be hosted by industry experts and AMS friends Melisa Kelly and Karlyn King, and is available for anyone living in Scotland over 14 years of age.
On the first day we’ll be covering why the course is necessary and start to reflect on what valuable skills and experience we already have and want to gain, with modern industry context. The second day will focused on creative CV and mock interview skills, while day 3 deals with situations and intro’s to music management. The final day will feature a masterclass with Melisa Kelly (who is a professional singer and songwriter and also teaching day 2).
Melisa Kelly
Melisa Kelly has been working in the music industry for over ten years and in that time she has been a performer, a writer, and a tutor. Her band ‘Melisa Kelly and the Smokin Crows’, have played up and down the country including festivals Eden, and Kelburn Garden Party. Their album ‘Devil’s Luck’ which was solely written by Melisa, featured players from Jools Holland’s R’n’B orchestra and was mastered at Abbey Road studios by Geoff Pesche. She graduated from the Academy of Music and Sound with a BA Hons in Performance Industries (First Class) and went on to tutor for AMS in Vocals, Songwriting, and Employability. Melisa is currently writing her next album and is in the final semester of her Masters from UWS in Songwriting and Music Composition.
Karlyn King
Karlyn King is a Popular Music academic, lecturer and researcher who teaches all over the UK. She leads on modules such as Artist Development and PR, Sound and Culture and Popular Music Debates with a special interest in rock n roll history, here at AMS and at colleges across the UK. She is currently working on a PhD at University of Birmingham exploring the enduring format of vinyl.
She is a regular panel speaker and conference presenter on all things vinyl, including a recent event with UK band IDLES. In her spare time, she has toured as a singer/songwriter/guitarist and works for a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Dates announced for Scotland online short courses!
We’ve updated our new free short-course schedule for summer!
Check out dates, times and more details on the courses below.
• 1st June – Sound Production
• 8th June – Sound Production
• 8th June – Hip-Hop and Rap with Steg G
• 20th June – Women in Music: Empowerment and Employability with Karlyn King and Melisa Kelly
Each class is open to anyone currently living in Scotland, and of course, is completely free.
You can apply via the link below or contact our Scotland teams:
[email protected]
Our Scotland online short courses are now live!
Our Sound Production and our Hip Hop and Rap Songwriting and Beat Making Workshops (with the legend that is Steg G) are now all online!
We recently announced that all our upcoming short courses (originally set to take place in Scotland in the coming months) had been validated to be delivered online. It's with great excitement we can reveal that the first few of these courses have been finalised for delivery online arrived, and are available to apply for now!
They are taught courses – you will learn through streamed group classes and 1-1 individual lessons with our experienced tutors - all music industry and education professionals.
And the best part - they are completely free for anyone living in Scotland.
If you have any questions please get in touch. You can get in touch with AMS Edinburgh or Glasgow on their pages on our website, or find us on Facebook here.
Apply now on our dedicated page.
Our Free Short Courses are now being developed for online delivery
A Good News Story!
In the light of recent developments there have been a lot of cancellations, the most recent being the annual Glastonbury Festival, and a lot of changes makes for some very negative reading. So here's a good news story! Our short courses that are delivered in Edinburgh and Glasgow have been approved for online delivery.
Short Courses from the comfort of your home...
Currently we run short courses in Sound Production, Synthesis, Rap & hip hop, Working in Live Music and Women's Employability in Music. Read more about all the courses that will be available here.
All online courses will be free of charge - and will hopefully give students and the wider public the change to learn something new and channel some positive energies during all this self-isolation.
As soon as the model for online delivery has been devised details will be available, so keep an eye on these pages for updates.
Hip Hop and Rap short course added to Glasgow programme! Full details of Short Courses 2020
A range of new short courses has been added to AMS Scotland's 2020 programme.
The new short courses will take place in our Glasgow & Edinburgh centres and includes a Hip Hop and Rap workshop, Women's Empowerment and Employability in the music industry talks, and a Digital Synthesis and Sampling course.
Joining the short course team is Steg G, who will be delivering our very first Rap and Hip Hop Workshop covering; lyric writing, beat making, performing and production techniques.
We're very excited about this new addition – and look forward to welcoming Steg to our team. Hip Hop and Rap is a huge part of music culture, and we are looking forward to including it in our short course provision. The course is designed to help you with your lyric writing, song structure, production skills, music theory basics and music production techniques with access to industry-standard music production equipment and software.
Other new courses include the follow up to January's Women Employment in the Music Industry workshop; the second instalment of this series will take place in April.
See the full short course programme, includes dates and locations, below.
SOUND PRODUCTION 1 BEGINNERS
Our free Sound Production short course offers a comprehensive introduction to everything you need to know about recording techniques. This includes recording live instruments, MIDI recording, layering, mixing, mastering and more. With access to industry-standard audio equipment and software, as well as expert tutors to get you up to speed, the course is a perfect introduction to the modern recording industry.
- Glasgow dates (2020)
Monday 30th March to Friday 3rd April – full-day classes (Mon- Fri, 10AM – 5PM)
One week intensive and concluding on Friday 3rd April. - Edinburgh dates (2020)
Sunday 5th of April – full-day classes (every Sun 10AM – 5PM)
For 6 weeks concluding on Sunday 9th May 2020.Apply HERE
SOUND PRODUCTION 2 ADVANCED
Building on the skills and knowledge from our first Sound Production course, this new programme will explore the fundamentals of recording theory and best practice. These classes are focused on exploring the dynamic range of recorded material and equalisation techniques applied to various genres and styles. Towards the end of the course, we will also be exploring employability within the creative industries and various opportunities while working towards a professional portfolio.
It is highly recommended that you have completed Sound Production 1 before applying for the follow-up course
- Glasgow (2020)
DATES TBC - Edinburgh dates (2020)
From Saturday 4th of April – full-day classes (every Sat for 6 weeks, 10AM – 5PM)
For 6 weeks concluding on Saturday 9th May 2020.Apply HERE
WORKING IN THE LIVE MUSIC SECTOR SONGWRITING WORKSHOP
These creative classes will focus on improving your songwriting techniques, lyrical writing techniques and also help with improving melodies and chord progressions. As part of the course, you will have to perform your original material in front of other peers which leads up to a final performance towards the end of the course.
- Glasgow Dates (2020)
DATES TBCApply HERE
RAP AND HIP HOP SONGWRITING / BEAT MAKING WORKSHOP
Newly added: Our Hip Hop, Rap, & Grime workshop will include making your very own songs, lyrics and exploring various production methods around beat making. This free short-course will provide an introduction to the essentials delivered and curated by award-winning Hip Hop artist, Steg G. By the end of this course, you should feel more confident with your lyric writing, song structure, production skills, music theory basics and music production techniques with access to industry-standard music production equipment and software.
- Glasgow Dates (2020)
Monday 6th of April - Friday 10th April – full-day classes (Mon to Fri, 10AM – 5PM)
Concluding on Friday 10th of April.Apply HERE
WOMEN IN MUSIC EMPOWERMENT AND EMPLOYABILITY
Our Women in Music: Empowerment and Employability Course are designed to give you the knowledge, practical awareness and confidence to create your own opportunity’s in life and within the music industry. We want to help you feel confident and use your voice where “Girls should be seen not heard” is still a dominant mentality. Join us and meet like-minded women, tailor your CV and gain priceless interview skills.
- Edinburgh dates (2020)
Four day course, running over two consecutive weekends the 18th, 19th, 25th and 16th of April 2020Apply HERE
DIGITAL SYNTHESIS AND SAMPLING
Our Digital Synthesis and Sampling Short Course offers you the chance to learn how to programme and use an Axoloti synthesiser. On completion of our free course you will even get to keep your synthesiser! Our programme has been developed in-house using the Working in the Live Music Sector framework.
- Glasgow dates (2020)
DATES TBCApply HERE
AMS Edinburgh host Women's Employability in the Music Industry workshop
Free short course: Women's Employability in the Music Industry
The Academy of Music and Sound in Edinburgh is hosting a free four day course for anyone identifying as female looking for opportunities in the music industry.
The event is a completely free four-day course, running over two consecutive weekends the 11th, 12th, 18th and 19th of January 2020. The course is for anyone identifying as female who wants to enhance their knowledge, network and toolkit with the aim of being employed in the music industries in any capacity, whether it be performance, behind the scenes, journalism or event management.
The course will be hosted by Karlyn King, (BIMM, ICMP, University of Birmingham, UWS, AMS) who will teach attendees about gaining confidence in a competitive and harsh industry, how to find a musical direction, and female specific struggles and strengths in the music world and broader culture. The final day will be a masterclass with the wonderful Melisa Kelly of Melisa Kelly and the Smokin' Crows - the incredible blues band who killed it at our 25th Birthday Celebrations in Glasgow last week.
The course will take place at the Academy of Music and Sound, 88 Giles Street, Edinburgh EH6 6BZ. The deadline to book is Thursday 09 January 2020 at 23:55.
For further information, please contact [email protected] or call 0131 656 0600.
FREE Sound Production Courses
We are pleased to announce that we will be running FREE Sound Production Courses again this Autumn!
During this course, you will work towards achieving a BTEC Level 3 Award in Sound Production. This program will give you hands-on experience with Logic Pro X, microphones, midi recording and a host of other useful skills and knowledge that will help you in home recording or set you up for further study in Sound Production.
On successful completion, you will be awarded a BTEC Level 3 Award in Sound Production to evidence your new-found recording abilities and throughout the whole process, you will receive guidance and support from one of AMS’s specialist trainers.
Dates are as follows:
Thursday 28th September (6 consecutive Thursdays from 10AM -5PM ) finishes 2nd November
Saturday 30th September (6 consecutive Saturdays from 10AM -5PM ) finishes 4th November
Sunday 1st October (6 consecutive Sundays from 10AM -5PM ) finishes 5th November
Thursday 9th November (6 consecutive Thursdays from 10AM -5PM ) finishes 14th December
Monday 13th November (Monday to Wednesday for 2 consecutive weeks from 10AM - 5PM) finishes 22nd November
When completing the application form please specify which date you would like to attend so we can book you accordingly. Spaces are limited so make sure you book in early to avoid any disappointment. Please note that this course requires some academic work to be completed in order to gain certification.
If you have any further questions please call 0131 656 0600 (Edinburgh) or contact [email protected]
The deadline is Friday 10 November 2017 at 12:05.
AMS Edinburgh Taster Day
Our AMS Edinburgh centre had a fantastic taster day for students interested in performance courses on Saturday 5th November. Attendees were able to participate in a range of workshops, including, guitar, vocals and songwriting. The day was finished with great performances of the results of songwriting workshops, performances from current HNC students and from members of staff.
For more information about open days at any of our centres, you should contact your local centre directly.
Graduation Ceremonies 2016
Students and staff from our centres in Glasgow, Edinburgh & North East (Gateshead) gathered together on 9th September to celebrate the graduation of students from our BA(hons) Performance Industries course. Guests were treated to a guitar performance from Hamish Roberts before the ceremony began. Speeches from our Principal; Steve Ryan and Academic Director; Shaun Baxter preceded a speech from Dean of Faculty; John Pymm. Recipients of the award were presented by representatives from each of our centres.