Young people are being offered free technology training at a Cumbrian music venue.
Youngsters aged 14 to 18 can find out more about lights, sound, filming and streaming at a series of five-day workshops at Upstairs@TheGather in Ennerdale.
Young volunteers don’t have to be skilled in music or drama to take part the only requirement is having an interest in technology.
The project is supported by Arts Council England.
Organiser Peter Maher said: “The young people arrive as novices. They get three days intensive training from university undergraduates to bring them up to speed with the rudiments of operating performance technologies then, on day four, they meet their musician mentor and work with them over the final two days culminating in a performance on the last day.
“On day four they will be working at a professional recording studio with their musician mentor to learn the complexities of sound recording. The musicians will be working with Tom Tyson, at the Music Farm Studio, Egremont where the students will witness the impact of recording technology.
“The musician mentors, who are all experienced professional musicians , will then provide guidance based on their work in live music shows. They will help them understands that it’s not just about equipment, but rather about developing a professional relationship and meeting the technical demands of the performer to produce the best from that performance.”
The musician mentors are singer-songwriter-guitarists Chris Cleverley and Katie Spencer and saxophonist Snake Davis and guitarist Gareth Moulton.
Peter added: “The participants will go from zero to technically competent in just five days, working with a professional musician for two days. They will also learn about studying at university from their undergraduate tutors and about the potential lifetime of work – or hobby -available to them in this field.
“Over the three workshops we aim to have helped 18 young Cumbrians to see a different future for themselves in the arts, even if they are not musicians or actors.
“There is a paucity of such technical skills in the UK and we suggested this to Arts Council England as our model to try to build a new, technically competent generation.”
Applicants will have one of three workshops to choose from but they will need to guarantee their attendance for the whole five days.
- Workshop 1: Tuesday May 28 to Saturday June 1 (with performance 7pm June 1)
- Workshop 2: Monday July 22 to Friday July 26 (with performance 7pm July 26)
- Workshop 3: Monday August 19 to Friday August 23 (with performance 7pm August 23).
For more information, email [email protected]
