The creative industries could be worth £128.4 billion to the UK economy by 2025 and help to create up to 1 million new jobs by 2030 according to an independent review of the sector published on Friday 22 September 2017. Following the UK government’s Industrial Strategy Green Paper in January 2017, the Independent Review of the Creative Industries was commissioned by Culture Secretary, Karen Bradley, and Business Secretary, Greg Clark, and led by Chair of ITV, Sir Peter Bazalgette. It outlines key recommendations for how the creative industries can underpin the UK’s future economic growth and highlights how the sector is continuing…
UK Music’s latest Measuring Music report has revealed that the UK music industry grew by 6% in 2016 to contribute £4.4 billion to the economy. The annual economic study shows that the music industry continued to grow last year across almost every sector of the business. Successful British acts including Ed Sheeran, Adele, Coldplay, Skepta and the Rolling Stones helped exports of UK music rise by 13% to £2.5 billion while music fans attending gigs, concerts and festivals pushed the contribution of live music to the UK’s economy up by 14% to £1 billion. As the umbrella body for the…
Musicians from Rocksteady Music School in Godalming, Surrey, travelled to Brussels last weekend to volunteer at a festival which brings together local communities and refugees through workshops, discussions and performances. Organised by Singa Belgium and Refugee Aid Serbia, Routes Festival offers a chance for interaction and recreation for refugees who have often endured perilous journeys to reach Belgium. The annual festival kicked off in Polykastro, Macedonia, on 12 August 2017 and visited Belgrade, Vienna, Berlin and Paris before the final date in Brussels on 16 September 2017. The Rocksteady team performed songs and ran a series of workshops involving children…
Acclaimed British violinist, Jennifer Pike, will curate three concerts exploring four centuries of Polish music at London’s Wigmore Hall on Saturday 14 October 2017. The programmes range from anonymous works from the sixteenth century to a new commission for harpsichord, violin and tape. Jennifer Pike, whose mother was born in Poland, will be joined by harpsichordist, Mahan Esfahani, violinist, Thomas Gould, cellist, Guy Johnston, lutenist, Elizabeth Kenny, flautist, Eimear McGeown, and pianists, Petr Limonov and Tom Poster. As part of her residency at Wigmore Hall, Jennifer Pike will also work with the Hall’s Learning Programme. Jennifer Pike said: ‘Polish Music…
The nominees for the 2017 Parliamentary Jazz Awards have been announced. Selected by a panel of jazz industry experts, musicians and members of the All-Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group (APPJAG), the nominees are: Jazz Album of the Year: Dinosaur – Together, As One, Shabaka Hutchings – Wisdom Of The Elders and Tim Garland – One Services to Jazz Award: Sue Edwards, Henry Lowther, Gary Crosby and Tony Dudley Evans Jazz Newcomer of the Year: Jacob Collier, Corrie Dick, Ezra Collective and Nérija Jazz Education Award: Tomorrow’s Warriors, Jean Toussaint and Andrea Vicari Jazz Media Award: Jazzwise Magazine, Kevin Le Gendre and…
Leading manufacturer and distributor of electronic musical instruments, Roland, has announced details of four new digital pianos. Launched on 14 September 2017, the pianos include the following features: FP-60 Digital Piano – a streamlined piano with premium sound and built-in speakers for home and stage. The FP-60 features Roland’s advanced piano technologies plus an onboard audio system with ample projection for performing in small venues. Many non-piano sounds are included plus Bluetooth® audio/MIDI support for working with Roland’s Piano Partner 2 and other music apps on a smartphone or tablet. Offering top-level piano performance and easy portability in a streamlined design,…
The Mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, and contemporary music college, Berklee, have announced that Berklee will set up home in the city’s historic Avatar Studios. Formerly known as The Power Station, the world-renowned facility – where artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Herbie Hancock, Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga, David Bowie, Madonna, Pat Metheny and Bob Dylan recorded iconic albums – was in danger of shutting down. Now, with the support of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) and the Economic Development Corporation (EDC), Berklee will renovate the 53rd Street facility, transforming it into BerkleeNYC, which, as…
Composer and multi-instrumentalist, John K Miles, introduces his ongoing project with City of London Sinfonia for children and young people with mental health issues. In March 2015, I was invited to lead a creative music project for City of London Sinfonia (CLS) at Bethlem and Maudsley Hospital School, which teaches and supports children with mental health issues resident at two London psychiatric hospitals: Bethlem Royal Hospital in Beckenham and Maudsley Hospital in Camberwell. The initial project took place at the Bethlem site and although I had previously led projects in schools, hospices, prisons, homeless centres, special schools and youth clubs,…
Supported by Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, One Dance UK, the UK body for dance, has announced its first ever conference season. Over the course of one weekend, three conferences – the Dance Teaching and Participation Conference, Choreographers’ Conference and Healthier Dancer Conference – will see a series of lectures, workshops and networking activities for dance practitioners, with attendees invited to create their own timetables, tailoring sessions to meet their individual needs. The conferences will run from 25-26 November 2017 in the Dance faculty of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in Greenwich, London. One Dance UK…
The Soundbeam Project has announced the arrival of Soundbeam 6, the latest incarnation of its award-winning ‘touch-free’ device which uses sensor technology to translate body movement into music and sound. Like previous incarnations, Soundbeam 6 gives children and adults, regardless of their impairments or disability, the opportunity to play music. With a wide variety of pre-programmed and easily accessible material to explore, users can expect: 11.5″ Touch screen interface with quick and easy navigation of functions Extensive library of high-quality instrumental and sampled sounds Simplified record and compose functions Pre-loaded musical and soundscape setups – each with embedded film, adding a…
