This summers Mad4Music was a hit with the kids and with all of us at the studio. We were amazed at the talent and in some cases natural ability that walked through our doors on Monday morning. I had only been working at Ivy Arch Studios for little over a week when I was asked to help teach a six piece band some songs of their choosing. As soon as I closed the door to the rehearsal room they were zooming ahead with the first song, working as if they had been working together for years! As the week went by it was getting harder and harder to tear both bands away from their work as they would practically inhale their lunch and be back in the rooms practising or writing new parts for original songs. By the time of the gig they had five original songs written between both bands and 3 cover songs learnt, which is no mean feat in a week, especially when you consider that some of the kids had never played an instrument before Monday morning. 

The gig (preview here)was hosted at the local community centre, The Sidney Walter Centre, and went down great. The Bands both thoroughly enjoyed it as did the parents and all of us at the studios. 

To follow this years success there will be more Mad4Music courses around christmas (see website for more info), but in the mean time there will be some exciting new jam sessions hosted at Ivy Arch Studios in conjunction with Rockschools UK. You can find out more about those here http://www.rockschools-uk.com

Katy’s Work Experience BlogHey Guys!My name is Katy from Worthing High School and for my work experience I have managed to grab a spot at Ivy Arch Studios. It hasn’t fell short of my expectations in any way, I learned so much in just my first day. Learning how to use lots of the specialist equipment was a great experience and I can’t wait to hopefully give some of it a go. There is so much going on here in the holidays, some things that I already knew about and some that I didn’t. For instance, Mad 4 Music, I knew about it but I didn’t really know how much goes on, a good 6 hours of tuition! It’s a great environment to be in, the people areal really lovely that I’ve met so far, and have really made me feel welcome for my short time that I will be here.Thanks for reading!Katy x 

We are running the Mad4Music courses once again due to popular demand!  They will be taking place in the october half term (27th to 31st) and are aimed to provide young people with the skills they need to succeed in music.  Master classes will be given for Guitar, Bass & Drums.  Budding song writers can also benefit from the song writing classes.  The course will cost £85 per person and we have a limited amount of places available, book soon to avoid disappointment!

The MAD4MUSIC showcase was a huge success!

It took place at The Cellar Bar, in The Beechwood Hall Hotel on Friday 1st August.

Ivy Arch Studios held “master classes” in Guitar, Bass & Drums during the week, and Song writing coaching for budding writers.

The 10 young students (12yrs-15yrs) from around Worthing had a chance to record their tunes, and then perform in a gig on the last day, attended by friends and family.

“The standard of musicians was really high” said Dominique LeVack, course leader, “and we hope to run these again in October half term. There is nothing like this in Worthing.”

The course was held at Ivy Arch Studios and supported by professional musicians Nigel Ball & Adam Winbolt and a Guitar Master class from Guitar Junction.

DVD’s along with a CD of all the bands recorded tunes are available to buy for £12 from Ivy Arch Studios.

In the meantime thanks for your support, it was a great laugh for everyone involved.

MAD4MUSIC Team.

Summer Holiday Courses for music lovers at IvyArch Studios start on Monday the 28th of July, and 11th of August. Courses run for 4 days from 10:30am until 4pm, and a concert locally for students to perform their work on friday at 7pm.

Age ranges 10yrs to 16yrs MAD4MUSIC offers instrument lessons including guitar, bass, keys, vocals, drums and song writting sessions. At the end of the week the groups will perform their original tunes to friends and family at a local venue. £73 per week.

Professional musicains are running the MAD4Music course, including Dominique LeVack and Nigel Ball, with support from IvyArch Studios staff. Call (01903) 536106 to book.

Mad 4 Music Courses Booking Now.

Open to 10-16 year olds - learn how to write a song & perform your own gig - follow the link -Mad4Music

Meanwhile improvement work to the studio is underway..watch this space!