Callum Beattie, Rory McLeod, Loft Studios confirmed for Gateshead Masterclasses
The Academy of Music and Sound Gateshead have announced a series of masterclasses
led by professional musicians and industry leaders for the coming months.
Up-and-coming Scottish singer-songwriter Callum Beattie will be leading a class on
20 November, Newcastle based recording and mixing pro Anth Mills, Rob Meek and
the team from Loft Studios.
(Just added!) AMS Gateshead will host on Friday 15th November, an epic masterclass with Rory Mcleod – ex-circus clown and fire eater, and one man soulband, poet and storyteller. The event is FREE for CURRENT/EX STUDENTS, and is also open to the public for only £5.
Rory is a modern travelling troubadour using tap shoes, acappella, harmonica, guitar, trombone, spoons, finger cymbals, bandorea, djembe and various percussion instruments! He’s also a seasoned traveler, having explored places such as the middle East, Gambia, Cuba, Central America, Australia, North America, Canada, Europe and other nooks and crannies of the earth. ????
While on 20th November, Callum Beattie heads to AMS Gateshead for a masterclass. Managed by the team behind The Kooks, Michael Kiwanuka, The La’s, and Cast, the former Edinburgh busker recently signed a recordings deal with 3 Beat/Universal. Callum’s debut album is scheduled for release in 2019, In the meantime, he can be heard on the new single from High Contrast and is currently supporting Robbie Williams and The Kooks on there European tours. This event is also free for current students or AMS alumni, with a generous £3 entry fee for members of the public – who are also warmly welcome to take part! MORE INFO HERE.
Rory McLeod | 15th November | AMS Gateshead
Callum Beattie | 20th November | AMS Gateshead
Fancy playing at Bearded Theory 2020?
We need acts!
Bearded Theory Spring Gathering is back at Catton Hall in Derbyshire across the weekend of 21st/22nd/23rd/24th May 2020. The Academy of Music & Sound run an annual stage there called the One Big Showcase. The idea is to promote unsigned and up and coming acts to give them a leg up onto the festival ladder and increase their exposure.
Are you an unsigned band or act that fancies the idea of playing to sell out festival crowds?
2020 will be the third year we have been at the festival and once again we’re opening up a competition for unsigned bands and artists to perform on our stage!
We offer a showcase slot on our fantastic stage, free entry for you, your band and crew, and substantially discounted guest tickets for your guests, full light and sound crew, backline amps and drum kit, a manned merch area to sell your wares, stage technicians, a backstage space and facilities to get show-ready and also pro photos of your performance to use as you wish.
The One Big Showcase tent is in the main area of the festival, a short walk from the main stage.
If you really go down well we will also be pushing 4 acts to other larger stages for a slot at the 2021 festival! Previous years acts have included Devonshire up-and-comers Pattern Pusher, plus The Kubricks, Tres Kings, Katy Hurt and HAWXX.
While you’re here, why not check out our review and photos from this year’s One Big Showcase event.
The Boring Bit….
It’s over 18’s only. However we will consider an under-18 entry if you have written consent from a parent or guardian to confirm you are able to find your own way to and from and around the festival.
If you have played the One Big Showcase stage before in 2018 or 2019 then you are not eligible, it’s someone else’s go this year!
Entry is via our sign up form below, entries will be taken until December 31st 2019, judges will be in touch via email to invite those that are successful to perform.
Photos and more from the 2019 AMS Graduation at Guildhall Exeter
Last week we said goodbye to the AMS Class of 2019 with a Graduation marking the end of their musical education. Whatever their next steps, be it further education, masters, or stepping into the world of work, in a competitive industry, we wish them all the best with their futures and whatever they decide to pursue next.
The ceremony took place at the Exeter Guildhall, as we welcomed AMS students from across the country, as well as AMS Online, our digital learning platform, to celebrate their achievements and even award to some special congratulatory awards to some outstanding students.
Scroll down to check out some of the photos from the day and a full list of 019 graduates. Visit our Facebook gallery for more photos - and tag yourself!
Music Degree Graduates 2019
Oliver (Ben) Glass, Exeter - BA Hons First Class Bethany Goudie, Online - BA Hons First Class Matt Stevenson, Exeter - BA Hons First Class
Hayley Brown, Exeter, BA Hons 2:1 Natasha Cope, Exeter, BA Hons 2:1 Rebakah Cunningham, Southampton - BA Hons 2:1
Edward Drover, Exeter - BA Hons 2:1 Ross McTeague, Exeter - BA Hons 2:1 Paul Moger-Taylor, Exeter, BA Hons 2:1
Jordan Morris, Exeter - BA Hons 2:1 James Trickey, Swindon - BA Hons 2:1 Niamh Tucket, Exeter - BA Hons 2:1
Oliver Goodchild-Horne, Exeter - BA Hons 2:2 Jasmine Kendrick, Swindon - BA Hons 2:2 Joshua Thomas, Exeter - BA Hons 2:2
Brendan Tucker, Exeter - BA Hons 2:2 Jared Steadman, Exeter - BA Hons 2:2
Foundation Degree Arts
Josh Boulton, Exeter - Merit
Kara Gelder, Exeter - Merit
Maddie Wilson, Exeter - Merit
Florence Peckett, Exeter - Merit
"We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the
changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty."
- Maya Angelou
Throughout the ceremony there were several speeches from Academy staff, plus a formal Address from Dr Miceal Barden, Dean of the Faculty of Arts from the University of Wolverhampton, who also presented the Degree Diplomas. The Academy Principle Steve Ryan made some congratulatory remarks, and the AMS Graduation Awards were given out to those winning students, Beth Goudie for Songwriting and Matt Stevenson for Studio Production. Laura Wright, the Centre Manager for AMS Exeter gave a warm closing speech.
Graduation season and award announcements
It's graduation season at AMS and to mark the occasion, as usual, we have given out awards to some of this year's outstanding students.
It was very hard to choose, as there have been some exceptional students, projects and performances this year, but in the end our panel of industry experts and AMS tutors whittled it down to three dedicated students.
There were three prizes on offer, one for songwriting talent and output, another for production based skills and achievements, and a final award for performance. Check out the list of winners below.
The Shaun Baxter H.E. Award for Performance - Steven Moore, AMS Gateshead.
Steven was nominated by Tom Pottage (2nd marker), for his University Ensembles "Other Ensemble" - a performance of Ney Rossauro's Marimba Concerto. His performance was described as "absolutely astounding" and "one of the best performance submissions I've ever seen from an AMS student." by Pottage. Shaun Baxter commented, "the whole performance was absolutely top class."
"This candidate executed concert-style repertoire, requiring virtuoso-level knowledge and technique, with composure and assurance. His performance, displaying a very demanding but impressive four-mallet marimba technique, continued to excel even when placed under the harsh microscope used to scrutinise any lead instrument in a large ensemble."
The Rev Hammer Award for Songwriting - Beth Goudie, AMS Online student
Beth studied BA (Hons) Professional Music (Performance) with AMS Online, and is set to graduate this summer. Her debut album out in July, adding to an impressive set of recent achievements. After receiving the news of her win, Beth commented: “Receiving the AMS Graduation Songwriting Award has been such a special addition to what was already an incredibly rewarding year. As a songwriter, an award like this is a real honour and encouragement as it gives me a new level of confidence as I move forward in my career. My time with AMS has added so much to my professional and personal life and it’s an experience I would recommend to any musician. Thank you so much to everyone at AMS for providing such an enriching opportunity, it’s one I will be forever grateful for.”
Beth was nominated by AMS Tutor Kimwei McCarthy, who spoke about Beth’s songwriting portfolio: “An astoundingly crafted EP of songs, which appear simple of first listen, but are in fact meticulously arranged, so that every note and every syllable fuse and ignite. These songs sound ancient and yet current, showing that they speak to something timelessly human in us”
Rev Hammer commented saying, her songs are "Utterly charming recordings. The sparseness of the approach works perfectly with the lonesome feel and longing of the message. I particularly liked the lyrical content of songs such as Hiraeth, Bouncy Castles, Ashes and Home. Bouncy Castles in a particular felt perceptive and wry and encapsulated the song writers dream of making the personal global. All in all a very rewarding and enriching listening experience with the beautiful recording of the voice adding both poise and fragility.
Beth's prize includes a free recording day at Studio 54 in Exeter, at her graduation ceremony. Two other awards, one for Performance and another for Production up for grabs, though details on winners are yet to be announced. Head to the AMS Online website to read more.
The AMS Music Production Award - Matt Stevenson, Exeter
Matt was nominated by tutor Rob Dymond. After much deliberation it was decided that Matt deserved the award due to the professional quality of his music for production project:
Overall this production is well arranged for the Idiom, as well as showing that Matt has a good grasp of mixing audio, mastering, sampling and recording instruments. Musicians have been directed well and perform to a very high standard in his work. Rob said, "each track is competitive in terms of loudness without losing dynamics and the low end definition is where this project shines, it would be suitable to be played on large speakers in club or at a dance music festival." Careful considerations have been made throughout his work in terms of processing, saturation, stereo width and balance. Rob also said, "I very much look forward to hearing this music within a professional context in the future."
The Academy celebrates 25 years in music education with a showcase of music and talks at Exeter Phoenix
What a way to celebrate 25 years in music education! We celebrated our 25th year in music education this summer with a full 12 hour programme of events, showcasing the strengths of the Academy of Music & Sound in Exeter. This was the very best of AMS past a present presented in the context of the contemporary music scene. 2019 - year that commemorates 25 years of the organisation as a whole, and 15 years in Exeter.
The day started with a panel discussion on many areas of the current music industry. The panel consisted of Kate Graham from Soundlaunch, an Arts Council funded music initiative in Exeter, Exeter Street Arts and OxJam rep Becky Grinham who also spoke about Tour Management and Journalism. Also present was Glasdenbury Festival founder Emma Twamley, up-and-coming singer songwriter Sadie Horler, producer, composer, studio owner John Waddell, and studio technician, producer and artist Ben Green, who chaired the discussion,
The discussion was broad and insightful, with many areas of the contemporary music industry covered, discussed and interrogated. The panel discussed with great energy over a two hour session, live performance and potential monetisation of creative output, as well as how to sustain a creative career. The talks were attended by local students and musicians alike, insights were shared and experiences of how diverse the industry can be were laid bare in what was a very frank and honest appraisal of where we are in the music industry in 2019. Those that attended will have gained an insight into what it takes to be successful within the music sector in 2019, and indeed how that very success can be measured in real world contexts. New relationships were formed between panelists, and those that attended.
Moving further into the afternoon the focus shifted to live performance. Students from the Exeter centre Level 3 Diploma performed as duos or soloists in the café bar. The sense of comradery was there for all to see, as friends sang along with each others songs, and encouraged all those that were performing. Outside on the deck some of the Foundation Degree production students were performing dance and DJ sets in the sun, and helping to set the scene for the evenings’ performers to take to the main stage.
The main stage music event kicked off at 6.30 with students from the Exeter Rock Club playing a 30 minute set. The Rock Club operates from the Exeter Academy of Music & Sound on a Saturday morning each week in term time. Students aged between 12 and 16 were given the opportunity to play the main stage, full lights, PA and smoke machines added to their experience and some very tidy covers opened the main stage.
Next up were the Music Diploma students. The groups made seamless changeovers between acts (using two drum kits) laying out a diverse set of soul, funk, reggae and rock. There was a wonderful mixture of female and male talent working together as a team to provide 45 minutes of thoroughly engaging music with excellent crowd interaction and superb standards of singing and playing. There were so many highlights, but the dual guitar solos in ‘Hotel California’ and incredibly convincing vocal work on ‘Whole Lotta Love’ really stood out. They all excelled and we're so excited to see what they do next. Many of these students are going on to study at Foundation or BA level with us.
First Person then took to the stage for their set of original songs mixing grunge, rock and occasional reggae with flair and style. They are a stylish outfit, with an eclectic set of original songs. The members are from the Foundation Degree and BA Top-up courses – they also played on the One Big Showcase at Bearded Theory 2019.
The Quinces were on at 2100, with frontman Robbin Hann having graduated from the BA (hons) course last year. A rowdy garage band from Torbay, playing plenty of festivals this summer with their brand of orignial indie rock. The main stage was now well and truly jumping with the energy these guys bring to their performances.
The finale was a set from Patter Pusher. First in their regular lineup of drums, bass/guitar, keyboard and vocals, and then as a super group with added Academy of Music & Sound alumni for the finale.
Patter Pusher are developing quite a following, and their brand of catchy synth pop and rock got the audience at the Phoenix jumping shortly after 2145. The band has a great energy, an infectious desire to please those watching, and this comes across in swathes to all those watching. There are many smiles at a Patter Pusher performance, from the guys in the band to all of those watching and even their tech!
After 30 minutes of original material the regular trio of Ben Green, Alex Johnstone and Ben Connibear were joined by AMS alumni Dan Cosgrove on bass, Becky Grinham on vocals, Rohan Knowles on guitar and Tom White on percussion. The now larger band had an understandably fuller sound, and this ramped the party atmosphere up several notches! By the time Exeter centre manager Laura Wright joined the party for the finale with her tenor sax the audience were putty in their hands.
The grooves and moves were plentiful and the professionalism and outpouring of great vibes were there for all to see.
Here’s to another 25 years!
View all the photos from the event here:
Student Beth Goudie wins Songwriting Prize at Academy of Music & Sound
AMS Online student, Beth Goudie has won the Academy of Music and Sound Songwriting Award at the annual AMS Graduation Awards. The awards, which take place every year, are open to both AMS Online and AMS (Academy of music and Sound) UK students, and give out awards for Songwriting, production and performance.
Beth studied BA (Hons) Professional Music (Performance) with AMS Online, and is set to graduate this summer. Her debut album out in July, adding to an impressive set of recent achievements. After receiving the news of her win, Beth commented: "Receiving the AMS Graduation Songwriting Award has been such a special addition to what was already an incredibly rewarding year. As a songwriter, an award like this is a real honour and encouragement as it gives me a new level of confidence as I move forward in my career. My time with AMS has added so much to my professional and personal life and it’s an experience I would recommend to any musician. Thank you so much to everyone at AMS for providing such an enriching opportunity, it’s one I will be forever grateful for.”
Beth was nominated by AMS Tutor Kimwei McCarthy, who spoke about Beth’s songwriting portfolio: "An astoundingly crafted EP of songs, which appear simple of first listen, but are in fact meticulously arranged, so that every note and every syllable fuse and ignite. These songs sound ancient and yet current, showing that they speak to something timelessly human in us".
Listen to Beth play her song Bouncy Castles live on BBC Radio Wales below.
'Bouncy Castles' in a particular felt perceptive and wry and encapsulated the song writers dream of making the personal global. All in all a very rewarding and enriching listening experience with the beautiful recording of the voice adding both poise and fragility"
Judge, Rev Hammer
Each year the AMS Graduation Awards, which cross over both AMS Online and the wider Academy of Music and Sound centres, give out awards for the best performer, producer and of course, songwriter from all the BA students.
AMS Principle, Rev Hammer, was the judge this year for the Songwriting award, he was looking for a song with a strong chorus or hook line, a memorable melody, a song which has both universal and personal appeal, in essence a song which may be around in twenty years and still sung then.
It’s fair to say then, that Rev was impressed with Beth’s talent. Of Beth’s recordings, he had this to say: "Utterly charming recordings. The sparseness of the approach works perfectly with the lonesome feel and longing of the message. I particularly liked the lyrical content of songs such as 'Hiraeth', 'Bouncy Castles', 'Ashes' and 'Home'. 'Bouncy Castles' in a particular felt perceptive and wry and encapsulated the song writers dream of making the personal global. All in all a very rewarding and enriching listening experience with the beautiful recording of the voice adding both poise and fragility".
Beth is set to be awarded her prize, which includes a free recording day at Studio54 in Exeter, at her graduation ceremony. Two other awards, one for Performance and another for Production up for grabs, though details on winners are yet to be announced. Stay tuned to AMS UK's main site for updates.
"As a songwriter, an award like this is a real honour and encouragement as it gives me a new level of confidence as I move forward in my career. My time with AMS has added so much to my professional and personal life and it’s an experience I would recommend to any musician."
- Winner, Beth Goudie
Read more about the awards on the AMS UK website, and follow Beth music on her social channels and Spotify Artist Profile.
AMS One Big Showcase at Bearded Theory 2019
The Academy of Music and Sound were back at Derby’s small but mighty Bearded Theory festival this year. Returning a stage packed with student talent, as well as a line-up of guest bands and artists specially selected among over 200 applicants* in a competition to play a slot on the AMS One Big Showcase Stage. The AMS stage - unmissable in bold red and blue stripes - offering an exciting line-up each day of the event, and gathered festival crowds offering everything from punk rock, to indie, acoustic and even some Ska to get your knees up to.
AMS Gateshead artists kicked things off on the Friday afternoon, with a wide array of styles covered including an acoustic set, and a DJ set. This was followed by an eclectic array of bands including award-winning country singer Katy Hurt, the sassy and wonderful Dana Immanuel and her Stolen Band, badass all-female punk rock group HAWXX, donning perhaps the most styling and statement-making attire of the entire event. South coast three-piece indie band Hot Plastic took to the red and blue tent shortly after. The Kubricks closed off proceedings on the Friday with a suitably skanky set which got the packed crowd buzzing in the intimate tent.
Saturday afternoon began, lit up by Exeter AMS student performers, including bands Violet Eye, Wish Hounds, First Person, plus Exeter based Shadow Project and AMS Southampton band Wooden Spoons. Guests Beth Porter and Pavey Ark, settled the revellers in for a mellow, dreamy afternoon, before Cuba Libre hit the stage, offering some funky rhymes and beats to truly get the crowd going. Candidates followed suit, and headliners Tres Kings closed the night with a polished performance stiking a bold balance somewhere between Arctic Monkeys and Jamie T.
"The guys from the Academy were really well organised before the event and made it really easy for us. We got to unload right by the back of the stage and the equipment on stage was brilliant. The sound engineers were exceptionally good and patient and got us a great sound! A great experience, we would love to return next year."
- Paul Bytheway, The Retrosettes
Sunday featured AMS Exeter band Athelas, as well as the ever-wonderful Kimwei and Connor Thomas. While the final installment of guests saw The Retrosettes, Dutch Mustard and headliners Bad Transmission see off the event in style.
Last year the One Big Showcase presented Exeter based outfit Pattern Pusher, made up of some our very own AMS lecturers. This year the the band were upgraded to the main stage of the festival itself - securing the opening slot of the event and opening things up on the sunny Friday afternoon. Big things are on the way for these guys, stay tuned.
"What a great success The One Big Showcase stage has been. Proper grassroots support with a policy of promoting top performing bands to the main and Woodland stages the following year"
- Steve Ryan, AMS Principle
Not only did the AMS students put on some memorable performances - perhaps even setting themselves up to follow the Pattern Pusher path and become main-stagers next year - but, behind the scenes student work in artist liaison, lighting and sound, as well as stewarding and merch sales provided some valuable industry experience, not to mention help with essential logistics, without which, One Big Showcase might not have been possible.
Of the success of the One Big Showcase, and its help to get independent bands and artists onto bigger, main stage venues along side the festival itself, AMS Principle Steve Ryan said: “What a great success The One Big Showcase stage has been. Proper grassroots support with a policy of promoting top performing bands to the main and Woodland stages the following year. No other festival offers this direct route as far as I know. Excellent policy.”
View our photo gallery from the event here.
Student gets offer to compose music for a William Friedkin film
A current student of AMS Online has recently been offered an exciting deal to compose music for a film by William Friedkin, the American "New Hollywood" director, best known for The French Connection and The Exorcist.
Mik Davis, who is studying with AMS Online for a BA Hons in Music Production, spoke with us recently about his career progression since AMS, revealing exciting new plans to produce his first feature length film score for an independent film, financed by Universal Studios and produced by a Lancashire based film and media company.
The opportunity shortly after Mik completed his final 'Production Project' with us, submitting three tracks he used on this very assignment to the film company, who made him an offer within days. He's had to keep stum about the films title, but he can certainly tell us a lot about how he got there.
See Mik's piece for us below.
"Having worked in the music industry as a musician and music producer for the last fourteen years (at varying levels), I have had many wonderful and rewarding experiences, whether on stage or in the control room.
In recent years I had fallen out of love with performing and music production, this was mostly due to the simple fact that the music industry is a hard industry, and it’s increasingly difficult to earn a living from an industry, that changes so rapidly from day-to-day, where geographical location and expensive equipment is key to ‘getting ahead’ – or so I thought.
Instead, I chose to pursue a split career as a person-centred counsellor and as a tutor, teaching ESOL English - both rewarding experiences, both very far away from music.
An opportunity arose September 2018 when I was offered a BA Hons in Music Production (fast-track) with AMS, based on the vast portfolio I had built over the years, this meant that I entered as a non-traditional student and only had to complete the third and final year.
At first, I was cynical as to what I would get out of the course? Whether I would learn any new skills? Or if I even needed the degree at all?
In fact, it wasn’t until I recently completed the course where I could reflect and see how much I had actually gained and developed over the academic year.
Firstly, the course allowed me to submerge myself in music and creativity for a whole year. As a result of now completing the course, I have managed to re-establish my own music career as a producer and found my passion for music once more. I have a legitimate music studio ‘Atelier Noir’, which was developed as part of the ‘Independent Study’ assignment, without this assignment and the criteria I had to meet I would never have been able to realise my full potential as a producer and that producing music wasn’t about money, geographic location or owning expensive equipment – instead it was about producing good work, being enterprising and creative with the space and the equipment I had built up (no matter how dated), focusing on the unique selling point of the studio and myself as a producer, also entertaining a variety of recording opportunities that were offered and available on a day-to-day basis.
This approach has lead to securing a number of avant-garde recording sessions, that I would usually not have entertained, this includes producing a concept album for international best-seller Joanne Harris (Chocolat) and her progressive folk band ‘Storytime’ – I’ve also taken on a permanent contract recording voiceovers for and organisation called Gatehouse Awards for their international ESOL speaking and listening qualifications, although this project isn’t music based I have enjoyed the editing process and helped the organisation to build a library of recordings.
Furthermore, the most exciting news came May 2019 when I was offered a contract to produce my first film score composition for an independent movie financed by Universal Studios and produced by a Lancashire based film and media company, this opportunity came after submitting the tracks created and produced as part of my final ‘Production Project’ assignment. I submitted three tracks created as part of my final assignment for AMS – the film company pretty much got back to me the next day with an offer. I cannot disclose the title of the movie as I’m bound under strict confidentiality regulations - but I’m looking forward to writing and producing this project.
I would highly recommend AMS to any music producer of any age and level, who’re looking to focus on a music project and build a body of work – ok, so the writing elements of the course can be tedious at times, I personally found the written assignments particularly frustrating, but overall, the pros of completing this degree outweighed the cons. AMS have a great team of mentors that offer lots of sound advice, help and support throughout the academic year – my own mentors Robin and Kimwei were extremely helpful, encouraging and were always at hand with a solution, should any question or problem arise.
To conclude and reiterate, completing this degree has certainly helped me to realise my own potential and to identify areas for improvement and further development. For the first time in four years, having rediscovered my love and passion for music, I’m once again optimistic about the future, my own music career and where it may lead."