Covid Compliant
Due to Covid all sessions are now taking place via Zoom. So it's easier than ever to get involved.
Welcome To The Band Academy
The Band Academy is about taking a unique approach to learning and performing music. We specialise in Guitar, Bass and Singer-Songwriting. I don't know who said it but I love the quote "Music is the sound of emotion". Learning music is about developing enough skill, enough artistry enough physical and technical freedom to allow yourself to express yourself.
If we start here with this expansive and exciting pursuit of musical expression then who knows how good you could be and how much enjoyment you could have learning and playing music with The Band Academy.
So What Makes Us Different?
I have been a teacher, instructor, and coach in various subjects and disciplines including music for twenty years and this experience has provided me with a unique approach and set of tools for helping my students advance.
The Band Academy can help you develop the technical ability to progress on your instrument and the theoretical knowledge to understand musical composition, we can also help you develop your creativity and confidence in performing.
What We Teach
You can learn many things with us, from music production to performing live, sight-reading and so on but the journey to discovering it all starts with one of our fundamental pathways.
Guitar
One of the aspects of Guitar that makes it such a beautiful instrument is the amount of ways you can play a note or a chord. Bends, vibrato, rakes, slides and trills all combine to give you the opportunity to create a unique sound.
Guitar Lesson One
Hold down the second fret of the fifth string ( also know as the A string ) with your index finger. Then strum downward on the top two strings the E and A strings. Play around with how hard and fast you strike the strings and see if you can create different feels from just this one simple exercise.
Bass Guitar
The bass is the backbone of any great band. The bassist is usually the underappreciated groove maestro that stands in the shadows just out of the casual observer's sight. But the bassist needs to hone a range of skills if they hope to make a band rock, groove and swing.
Bass Lesson One
Start on fourth string ( also known as the E string ) the fattest string on the bass and choose a 12 bar blues song like The Thrill Is Gone by BB King. Listen to the song and then play along and see if you find 3 notes that work with it. Quick Tip It's in the key of B so start on the 7th fret of the fourth string.
Vocals
I encourage everyone to sing because I believe it enhances one's ability as a musician greatly. I also encourage everyone to learn an instrument for precisely the same reason. That said, we can go into depth on ways to improve your vocal sounds from the get-go.
Vocal Lesson One
Listen carefully to your favourite artist and begin to mimic. Just take it a line at a time and be sure to listen more than you sing. Try to get a sense of their phrasing and how they are generating their vocal sound. Our ears can tell us so much and we can train them to hear more of the music that has always been there.
Songwriting
Songwriting is an incredibly fulfilling creative endeavour, and everyone does it differently. I teach songwriting for various reasons; one to encourage creativity, two as a way to understand music theory and chord progressions and three as another way of encouraging out the original music in you.
Songwriting Lesson One
John Lennon said "I'm an artist, and if you give me a tuba, I'll bring you something out of it. " So lesson one is no matter how little you know about your given instrument try to bring something out of it. Experiment and play until you have a melody of a few notes. Don't worry about lyrics or the quality of the tune. Just get the creative juices flowing.
When?
One To One's are at flexible times
Class Every Monday Starts at 18:30pm
Class Every Tuesday Starts at 18:30pm
Adult Beginners Welcome
Chops
Develop your physical technique and dexterity with exercises and practice schedules designed for you to improve in a focused and efficient manner. Technique for technique's sake is not what we are about, we keep things musically focused.
Creativity
Creativity is about running with an idea that has a buzz. It's about creating momentum and allowing inspiration to flow. Learn how creativity is exciting, invigorating, life-enriching as well as seeing how it can produce great musical ideas.
Performance
Performance for many is a real threshold. Learn how to become more comfortable in this area by taking small steps outside of the comfort zone until finally, you can fully express yourself no matter the audience.
Band
Experience what its like to be in a band and enjoy the positive social engagement that The Band Academy is all about. You will get the chance to put together songs and create sets for performing.
Music Theory
Gain a practical understanding of music theory in a way that frees up your creativity and musical instinct. Music theory is not boring it is a fantastic subject that will massively improve your playing and writing.
Record
At every stage, you should be recording yourself playing and singing music. A recording is a fantastic feedback tool to get a gauge for how you are sounding. It also lays the foundation for getting involved in producing singles and albums in the future.
Beginners Welcome
The Band Academy is designed for adult beginners in guitar, bass, vocals and songwriting. We are creating a culture which is about helping each other get better and welcoming new people. Its not about how good you are its about growing as a musician. We are all in the same boat!
It's all about creating a thriving community of friendly musicians that are continually improving in all areas of music, simply "for the love of music".