Course Highlights include:
- Record a 2 song demo CD
- Daily rehearsals with course musicians
- Life coaching and goal setting
- Discussion with panel of industry personnel
- Songwriting Workshop
- Daily stage work
- Daily singing classes
- Individual review of daily performances
- Dance classes
- Final concert
Other Details
Before the course begins you will choose 2 songs to record, which you will rehearse with the course musicians for the first three days and which you will also use to practice on stage in front of the rest of the group.
Recordings this year will be done in Ballyneddan Studios in Rostrevor, in a beautiful setting beside Carlingford Lough. The session will be engineered by Tom McFarland who recently recorded and produced, mixed and mastered the music for the television series Songbirds.
You will be accompanied by the course musicians and will have a copy of the CD to take home with you.The town hall in Warrenpoint has lots of rehearsal space and time will be allotted for daily rehearsals. As well as preparing for the studio recording and the concert, this will help you learn to work with musicians, how to set the keys for your songs, how to pick songs that suit your voice and how to get comfortable for performing.
Many people think that being successful in the music business is something that "just happens" to certain "lucky people". Not so. As with any other profession, it is necessary to plan your career, to set your goals and evaluate what you need to do to achieve those. In two sessions, Marie McStay will teach you about presenting yourself, building your confidence and setting your goals for life.
Later in the week, Jackie Hayden, director of Hotpress magazine, will be available to take this further and to show you that the music business is what it says - a business.Each year we endeavour to bring interesting people to talk to the course participants who'll give you information about agents, copyright issues, organisations that can help you.
This is chaired by Jackie Hayden. Previous participants include representatives from the Irish Music Rights Organisation, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Music Industry Commission, promoter Michael Magill and a representative from Channel 4s Ideas Factory - a resource to help young artists.Songwriting is a major source of income for all singers (for example, Dolly Parton has made her fortune from the 3000+ songs that she has written in her career), For this year's course South Armagh based singer songwriter Briege Murphy will lead a discussion about Songwriting and talk about how she writes her songs.
Briege has had songs recorded by Frances Black and Niamh Parsons, among others. Many singers on the course opt to record their own songs for their demo.Daily rehearsals on stage to prepare for the concert and to help boost your confidence.
Coaching with Fil Campbell
Each practice session is videoed to allow you to evaluate your performance techniques and help to improve your stagecraft.
A choreographer will come in for 2 classes - for a bit of light relief. This is a great opportunity to see what the pop bands go through for performance.
On the last night, now that the pressure of recording is over, we'll have a concert for parents and family. They're all welcome, free of charge. This will be a chance to see how far you've come in the 5 days.
A deposit of £100 secures a place and must be enclosed with application form.
Fees are non-refundable after the final payment date.
Failure to complete payment by the relevant date will result in non-participation in course.
A refund (less an administration fee of £40) is payable if you cancel up to 6 weeks before the course begins.
No refunds will be made in the event of failure to turn up or to complete the course. .
In the event that the course is cancelled, you will receive a full refund.
