Urban Music and Actor Musicianship

Subject:
Acting and Music

Led by:
Rose Bruford College

Project partner:
Lewisham College

Online resources:
To read the final report for this project, click here

Outline:
This project aimed to facilitate the progression of students with ‘non traditional’ music making skills into HE Performing Arts courses – in particular the Actor Musicianship programme at Rose Bruford College.

The work focused on integrating urban music making skills with actor musicianship performance techniques, which culminated in a performance project. Lewisham College staff and students had the opportunity to develop a strand of interdisciplinary work that both enhanced their current curriculum and the progression potential for students. It also allowed Rose Bruford staff to develop techniques and identify areas of their curriculum that could be adapted to the needs of students coming from FE.

While the original focus for this project was to develop curriculum for progression pathways into actor musicianship, it became apparent quite early on that there was some interesting work to be done in developing new practice-based provision at HE for students who show potential as creative practitioners, but who might lack the requisite skills for ‘elite’ performance training at a drama school.

This project is now moving into a second phase, from January 2010, to further develop practices and new curriculum design that could increase progression opportunities for FE students wishing to access drama school training and advance into creative careers.

Main contact:
Jeremy Harrison, Course Director: Actor Musicianship, Rose Bruford College - jeremy.harrison@bruford.ac.uk