The Notting Hill Arts Club has unveiled the opening of its Notting Hill Academy of Music, a new music industry school backed by Patron Trevor Nelson MBE, the BPI, SONY Music, Warner Music, SJM Concerts, Method Management (Disclosure/Sam Smith), Metropolis Management, Relentless Records and SONY/ATV Music Publishing.
The Academy aims to educate, elevate, inspire, and develop its students. With the ambition to become a disruptive force in music education, the Academy will open its doors to new students in January 2016, with a unique offering in music industry courses designed and delivered by award-winning professionals and top educationalists in the field.
The Academy is a boutique finishing school in the creative cultural hub of Notting Hill, designed to encourage innovative thinking and above all, employability. Class sizes have been kept deliberately small in order to attract and deliver the best talent through the limited spaces available, where the Academy’s aims will be achieved through a unique provision of quality content, knowledge and contextualised learning via unrivalled access to industry placements as part of the programme.
Courses will range from 6-12 months, and award MAs in Future of Music, as well as Certificates of Higher Education in Music Business Entrepreneur from September 2016. The Academy will launch the first of its short-term courses in A&R and Song Writing in January 2016, which will be taught and backed by industry experts. Applications for these are already open to all entrepreneurs, performers, artists, producers, songwriters and future business executives. The breadth of modules will mirror the diversity of roles within the world of music, and will include:
– A&R Music Development, a critical exploration of the relationship between artist and repertoire development in the music industry
– Disruptors DIY and Entrepreneurs, a module concerned with the critical evaluation of entrepreneurial business structures and finance
– The Art and craft of Song writing; this module aims to give students insight and perspective on the nature of the creative process, and to identify and explore ways in which it can be stimulated, amplified and enhanced in the creation of contemporary songs
– Music Business Today, which aims to provide the foundation for an appreciation of the general workings of the music industry and its institutions
– Music in the Digital Age, exploring the implications of newcomers like Spotify and You Tube Red, who continue to shift the balance of power away from the traditional gatekeepers involved in music and media
– Copyright in the Digital Age, focusing on the successful management of intellectual property to provide a powerful competitive advantage
– Future Media, paying close attention to the importance of client account handling and creative direction
– Marketing PR and Promotion, highlighting the importance of these functions as a tool for developing talent
– The Art of Communication, concerned with the simple act of transferring information from one place to another, whether this be vocally, visually, using body language or via the written word
– Music Psychology, exploring how the psychology of music and the consumer can specifically influence development within the creative industries
A host of current leading industry experts will lead these courses, including Ewan Grant, former Head of ACM’s Business School, where he was also the lead in artist development and headed up the industry link team. The team responsible has experience across top record labels, A&R, broadcasting, licencing and publishing, management marketing and live events, as well as extensive educational experience at leading Russell Group Universities, music examination boards and large qualifications bodies.
The industry work placements that will form part of the assessed programme are designed to offer students on-the-job learning within the major and independent sectors of the music industry, ranging from placements within recorded music and music publishing, to positions in management companies and trade bodies. The Academy will also be introducing its first bursary in November 2015, and will select students with the right passion, honesty, integrity, commitment and strong work ethic.
Trevor Nelson, Main Patron at the Notting Hill Academy of Music, said: “I’m thrilled to be working with the Academy and believe this is exactly what the music industry needs to nurture a new generation of British talent. For most, one shot is all you get, so at the Academy our ambition is to enable students to know what to expect when starting out. That way, we can develop those with a genuine passion for music so they can navigate their own way in the notoriously tricky world of music.”
Ewan Grant, MD at the Notting Hill Academy of Music, said: “Britain is a hotbed of musical talent, and we’re focused on giving those starting out a very real and useful insight into the industry. Our courses, tools and contacts will unravel the business side of the music world, giving our students the knowledge necessary to forge a career they otherwise may not have the means or guidance to pursue.”
The Academy will be hosting its first Open Day on Sunday 15th November, welcoming prospective students to learn more about the business offering at the school, and meet some of the industry experts that will be instrumental in leading the courses on offer. The Academy’s second Open Day will take place on Saturday 28th November 2015.
Find out more information here