Friday October 14, 2005

Soundjunction launches 18 October 2005

Interactive and inspiring online initiative takes young people on a journey of musical discovery

Over one hundred top musicians, teachers, students and music industry professionals have joined forces to help create a radical new website that allows young people to discover and interact with music on a brand new scale.

Developed by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music SoundJunction will be available both as a free website and as a CD-ROM ‘taster’, which is to be distributed free of charge to all UK secondary schools this October. SoundJunction draws on real music made by real musicians and embraces a diverse range of traditions and styles.

Featuring over 40 hours of audio and video, 1,000 pages of content and contributions from Jamelia's famed producer Colin Emmanuel aka “C-Swing” and Mercury Prize band Polar Bear's drummer, Seb Rochford, SoundJunction aims to inspire music lovers everywhere by providing the necessary information, tools and know-how to allow them to delve deeper into the world of music.

Richard Morris, Chief Executive of the Associated Board, remarks:
“The Associated Board has long recognised the potential of online technology to enrich musical skills, understanding, exploration and creativity. We are delighted that, in collaboration with Culture Online, we have now been able to realise these ideas in fashioning a practical and interactive resource for the widest possible audience of young people.”

Commissioned by Culture Online, part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, SoundJunction, which has been 18 months in the making, will be officially launched on 18 October 2005.

Mike Greenwood, Commissioning Executive at Culture Online, said:
"We wanted to commission a project that would enable anyone to take their love of music one step further. Many music-learning sites assume a certain knowledge of musical notation but that can act as a massive barrier for those people who don't have that experience. SoundJunction allows music lovers to create their own learning journey, which is purely motivated by fun and a sense of discovery."

The SoundJunction website and CD-ROM are based around three inspiring new pieces by composers from different musical traditions and a series of specially commissioned remixes.

Using pioneering new tools and technologies, SoundJunction will allow music lovers to:

• Listen to music specially written and recorded by over 40 top musicians, remix artists and composers.
• Explore music, take it apart, listen to different instruments and voices and find out how music works.
• Discover music and instruments from different traditions and continents. Find out about composing, performing, recording and producing music.
• Create their own music by remixing elements of the three SoundJunction pieces with other ‘sound bites’ from the comprehensive SoundJunction library.

Aimed particularly at young people who would not normally have opportunities to learn about making music, SoundJunction is easy to use and requires no prior knowledge or experience of music.

David Lammy, Culture Minister, said:
"A love of music transcends all social and cultural barriers. Whether it’s hip-hop or classical, music is the most powerful medium for sharing emotional expression. The joy of SoundJunction lies in its ability to enable users to delve deeper into this world of music, whatever their interests and irrespective of their technical musical experience. Like all good interactive resources, this project, commissioned by Culture Online, puts the user in the driving seat, so they can define their own learning experience according to their own personal choices."

SoundJunction will be showcased at an official launch party on Tuesday 18th October, 6pm at LSO St. Lukes, Old Street, London, EC1V 9NG where musicians, composers and key contributors will demonstrate some of its unique features. Richard Morris, Chief Executive of The Associated Board will be making a short speech, with further guest speakers to be confirmed.

www.soundjunction.co.uk



www.cultureonline.gov.uk




www.abrsm.org

Posted in: Ears :: News by bubblejam at 06:53 PM

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