Lamp House Music, based in Haddington, are to welcome three first-class musicians to teach at the music hub’s first ever Summer Schools.

Two week long programmes are being held in the first summer since Lamp House Music opened (28th April 2012).   Week 1 – beginning Monday 16th July – is fully booked with Week 2 – Monday 6th August – currently having only two spaces left.

Three Master Classes will be taught – Guitar, Vocals and Drums – with Lamp House Music collaborating with the Bridge Centre and John Gray Centre who will each host a workshop.

The Musicians, who were approached specifically for their skills, experience and reputation, will spend the morning delivering their Master Class then the rest of the day continuing to work closely with the children, assisting them with the songs they will be writing as well as developing and improving their musical skills and technique.

Finally a workshop in Music Production will be delivered at the end of the week enabling the children to gain an insight into the recording and mixing process.

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Biographies:

Heather MacLeod – Vocals

Heather has over 20 years experience as a professional singer, arranger and teacher. A founder member of The Bevvy Sisters and lead singer with The Loveboat Big Band, she also arranges and performs backing vocals for many other session projects. In her teaching side of life, she has had involvement with the famous ‘Feis’ movement and with schools and communities as well as at festivals, mostly with Folk, Blues, Jazz and Gospel material, workshopping both solo performers and bands. She also has years experience teaching technique, and performance privately in a one to one setting.

Vini Bonnar – Drums

Vini has been playing drums for over 30 years and has performed extensively throughout the UK. After graduating from Napier University in 2005 with a B.A (Hons) in Popular Music, he was assistant manager at Drum Central before he started teaching drum kit at the Academy of Music and Sound in Edinburgh where he has been for the last 4 years.  Vini has played and recorded with various bands since the age of 17 including Bombskare, Cloth Cat, Neil Dixon, Chancer, Engines of Vengeance, Reachout, Mangomad and The Marrs Effect.  With an extensive knowledge of all styles of music and rhythmic theory he tailors his lessons to suit each student’s individual needs.

Chris Aien – Guitar

Chris is a professional musician and tutor, who has had experience of teaching students with a wide range of ages, abilities and social backgrounds.  He has taught one-to-one lessons as a private tutor and also facilitated larger group workshops as a specialist youth worker for various music organisations in the East Lothian and Edinburgh areas.  Chris has studied a variety of different genres of playing, and the theory that goes behind them, including rock, pop, metal, jazz and acoustic.  He also recently completed the HND Music course at Jewel and Esk College.  He currently plays in a number of alternative rock bands and in a guitar duet that plays jazz music for function events.

 

Gavin McDougall – Production

Gavin has been studying HND in Sound Production at Jewel and Esk College for the past 2 years.  He works primarily with local youth bands involved in all genres of music. Working with East Lothian’s Greentrax Records, Gavin assisted in the recording, mixing and mastering of the Haddington Pipe Band’s first CD.  Gavin is also a drummer and has taught children of all ages and abilities. He has played in the Edinburgh Military Tattoo and gigged with the Red Hot Chilli Pipers.

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Each week the ten children will form two bands, each band will be given their own rehearsal studio and together they will write, rehearse, record and produce a song.  Throughout the week the children will attend Master Classes as detailed above.

At the end of the week the bands will perform their track and record it, learning the art of production and technology to enhance their sound.  This in turn will be recorded on to CD for each participant to take home.

Spokesperson Callum Maguire said,

“We’ve worked hard over the last few months to produce a thrilling programme of music, fun and creativity for the children.  We approached musicians who we knew to have extensive experience in teaching as well as having successful careers as musicians themselves.  But despite their experience the tutors are still young, cool and enthusiastic – perfect role models that kids will find inspiring.  The Master Classes alone will be fantastic, but I think everyone will have a ball throughout the whole week!”

 

Lamp House Music’s Summer Schools are available to children age 10+ and will run Monday to Friday, 10am-3pm each day, weeks beginning 16th July 2012 and 6th August.  Cost for the full week is £100.