The Recording Studio and Music Technology A Level
Record
Artforms’ own Music Technology Studio is a recording, teaching and training studio under one roof. The spacious live room can easily accommodate a choir, orchestra or other large group of musicians. Leeds schools and music groups that choose our facility will be benefiting from the high level of experience of our three in-house engineers, gained on both sides of the control room glass as engineers, producers and performers.
The important difference for schools is that they are also experienced and enthusiastic teachers who specialise in adding an educational dimension to the recording process. Having worked with a huge variety of ensembles in nearly every style of music imaginable, the team are as happy recording a classical orchestra as they are a steel band, a choir, a brass band, a folk group, or an indie band.
Produce
We offer a complete recording service from initial track laying to final product - CDs duplicated and printed to your specification with full colour photography and artwork design or a high-quality Internet-ready demo. We specialise in fast turnaround, often enabling schools to record their end of term production and have it ready to sell to the audience on opening night – a great way to boost school funds and add a valuable musical experience for pupils.
Learn
We also offer training courses and workshops for students at all Key Stages and Inset for teachers on a wide range of music and technology related subjects: learning music through computer software, composition, music publication etc.
Develop
Over twenty years experience means we are uniquely placed to advise schools on the development of educational resources for music technology, whether it is equipment for teaching and learning, teaching materials or advice on major investment and room design. Heads of department in the Building Schools for the Future programme can draw on our experience to effectively work with planners, ensuring that sound recording rooms on the drawing board are fit for purpose when realised.
Advance
When Edexcel launched their A level qualifications in Music Technology in 1996 many schools found it a difficult subject to offer owing to the expense of equipment needed to deliver a worthwhile course against the small number of specialist students interested in following it and the specialist teaching involved.
We realised that a centrally placed course could bring in students from all over the City and give them the opportunity of studying using facilities already in place. Keeping the size of teaching groups small has allowed students more tutorial time with teaching staff and has resulted in higher achievement for our students throughout its 13 year history.
Our A level Music Technology course has also been able to provide extra opportunities for students, due to our high profile advocacy for music and the Arts across the City. We have been pleased to be asked to provide recordings of the preliminary heats of the Leeds International Piano Competition on two occasions as well as providing live webcast facilities for the Leeds Sinfonia in their last two concert seasons. These extended activities enhance the learning experience for our students and are part of the reason why such a large percentage of them successfully follow Music Technology courses in Higher Education and on into the professional music industry.
Many schools are now delivering successful Music Technology courses based on the Edexcel specification either singly or as Consortia, but for those who find they cannot offer the subject in-house for whatever reason, the Artforms A level course continues to offer a high quality and road proven alternative.
Further Information
For further information about the recording studio, A level music technology and the services we offer, please contact Nic Shipp on tel: 0113 230 4074
