For both music lovers and music makers, Composer/Producer James Bowers conducts four series of lecture/workshops.
Series One: In search of a deeper music experience.
This comprehensive survey explores the potential of a deeper musical experience from the point of view of an award winning television composer/producer. Learn how musical structures are created and how they express every aspect of human feeling. From primal rhythms to contemporary hip-hop to symphonic composition, students will gain new awareness into the magical inner workings of music, thereby making listening or playing a deeper and more rewarding experience. James will perform many musical examples during the first hour lecture, followed by an hour of directed live musical explorations of the workshop’s subject featuring students who wish to participate. This is an exciting and unpredictable experience!
Three course objectives:
A. Students will gain new insight into the inner workings of all styles of music.
B. Students will be invited to participate in the creation of simple musical forms in a non-threatening “no such thing as a mistake” setting.
C. At the end of the course students will have many new insights into how to further their own unique musical interests as listeners or creators.
Workshop 1: What is music?
Workshop 2: The Musical toolbox – An Overview.
Workshop 3: The Musical toolbox - Rhythm.
Workshop 4: The Musical toolbox - The notes we play.
Workshop 5: The Musical toolbox - Scales and the genesis of melody.
Workshop 6: The Musical toolbox – Harmony; The axis of now.
Workshop 7: The Musical toolbox - Timbre, Tone and Texture.
Workshop 8: The Musical toolbox - Musical instruments. An incredible range of instruments and their expressive capabilities.
Workshop 9: The Musical toolbox - Form; Songs, Symphonies and Jams. Dramatic shape. Standard devices. Tension-release.
Series Two: Creating music.
Workshop 1: Musical Styles – From ancient classical to post industrial punk. What makes a “style”? Form, technology, instruments.
Workshop 2: Composing and Songwriting. Creating mood and emotion, and standard forms.
Workshop 3: Arranging. How to arrange for different styles and instruments.
Workshop 4: Performance and skills. How to practice, and how to improve quickly. An even technique.
Workshop 5: Home Recording. The ultimate teacher.
Workshop 6: Jamming. An introduction to improvising alone and with others.
Series Three: JamShop – How to improvise.
COMING SOON: Home Studio Producer.
For the home studio recording artist using computer recording software like GarageBand. Learn how to record killer sounding tracks, get the most out of your gear, arrange like a pro, and make great sounding mixes. Learn about all the greatest new audio software and virtual instruments.
Each workshop is 2 hours long with lots of examples and live performances demonstrating the workshop subject featuring musicians from the group. Anyone interested in playing will need to pre-register with James.
For information on the workshops please contact James at james@jamesbowersmusic.com or call 970-459-4299
