Education and Contemporary Urban Music

Workshop
This event has now finished.
  • Date and time: Friday 28 October 2022, 2pm to 8pm
  • Location: In-person and online
    The Department of Music, University of Leeds
  • Admission: Free admission, booking required

Event details

This workshop, held in the Department of Music at the University of Leeds, explores DJ skills in schools and beyond as well as exploring the variation of hip hop and related musics around the world.

This free event is part of the AHRC-funded Contemporary Urban Music for Inclusion Network (CUMIN) project at the University of York. Light refreshments and sandwiches will be provided.

In person attendance: Book now

Virtual participation: Book now

The day begins with a Keynote presentation from Alinka Greasley of University of Leeds, who is unusual in that she continues to play regularly with orchestras and other 'classical' ensembles and yet, on other nights of the week, she can be found DJing as 'DJ Linkz'.

This will be followed by a practical demonstration from DJ educator Jim Reiss (DJ School UK) explaining a range of DJ skills and the ways they can be used productively and effectively for teaching and learning in both schools and extra-scholastic environments.

An international set of speakers then explores the variations of hip hop in China (Ya-Hui Cheng, University of South Florida), in Mexico (David Guardado) and Sweden (Johan Söderman, University of Gothenburg) mixing educational foci with some analysis of the music itself from Dr Cheng.

A panel discussion follows this looking at DJ education from the point of view of school-based teachers (from the Pupil Referral Unit to the mainstream school) and peripatetic DJ experts, featuring Austen Smart (Future DJs/Virtuoso), Adam Bell (Springwell Academy, a specialist school for young people with SEMH needs), Pete Dale (academic and former school-based music teacher) and Jim Reiss (DJ School UK).

The day concludes with a discussion and performance from Mr Switch and members of his orchestral group Symphonica, alongside University of Leeds student musicians.

Free sandwiches and snacks will be available at 6pm, at which point the (paying) bar will also open and tea/coffee will be available at several points during the day.

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