Tag: London College of Creative Media

London College of Creative Media (LCCM) recently hosted the inaugural, grand final of the Mathew Knowles Scholarship competition. Taking place in front of a sold-out audience at the college’s iconic Music Box venue, five students battled it out to win the enticing prize of free tuition for up to three years of studying. The competition is named after Dr Mathew Knowles, the GRAMMY-Award winning US music executive. Knowles is also known as the mastermind behind the success of Destiny’s Child and his daughters Beyoncé and Solange and he is a visiting lecturer at LCCM. After a show of talented performances and a tight competition, the Mathew Knowles Scholarship was awarded to the postgraduate producer Felix Clarke. “Winning the Scholarship was a huge honour, a bit beyond comprehension. I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to study something I’ve dreamt of my entire life.” On receiving the scholarship from Mathew Knowles, he quipped: “It’s crazy. Destiny’s Child was one of the first CDs I ever bought. It’s come full circle!”

The finalists, India Shinton (producer and performer), Angel Seka (producer and performer), Jevon Langridge (drummer), Opeyemi Martins (music business) and Felix Clarke were judged by a top-tier panel of music experts, Columbia Record A&R Lashawna Stewart and songwriter for PINK, Michael Kay, as well as Dr Mathew Knowles. Commenting on the scholarship and the grand final, host and LCCM creative industries liaison JD Donovan said: “The Mathew Knowles scholarship was a fantastic year-long initiative, with more than 100 young musicians and applicants putting themselves forward. We showcased some incredible talents and provided an incredible final night of entertainment and positivity. How the judges narrowed it down to two finalists, Felix and India, I just don’t know.”

Elsewhere at LCCM in October, the college hosted its first graduation ceremony since the pandemic. Hosted at Hilton London Bankside’s beautiful “Bankside Ballroom,” with more than 100 students and 300 guests, the ceremony was led by LCCM’s Programme Administration Manager and Master of Ceremonies Andres Castellanos followed by Principal Anthony Hamer-Hodges. Dr Mathew Knowles also took to the lectern, delivering the Honorary Valedictory speech, having earlier hand-signed a motivational letter for every graduate.

LCCM graduates include BRIT Award winner Tom Walker, and fellow artists and writers Rhys Lewis and Chiara Hunter. Other former students making waves include Marie Dahlstrom, JOY (ANONYMOUS), Sans Soucis (just signed to Decca Records) and Nathan Challinor, the latter for his co-writes with BBC Sound of 2022 finalist Baby Queen. LCCM’s custom-built teaching and artist development facility The Music Box in Central London features a 120-cap entertainment venue and multiple recording studios. Major artists including Kojey Radical, Moses Boyd, Amber Run, Novelist and Kara Marni have spent time rehearsing or recording from The Music Box in recent months, as well as meeting with LCCM students.

London music college( LCCM) has launched its inaugural Scholarship Day. Open to any applicants and split into a range of disciplines, the prize consists of a full fee bursary for the duration of the winner’s chosen course.

Applicants will audition on 25 September at LCCM’s iconic Music Box venue at 41 Union St, London, in one of three disciplines: performance, production and music business at undergraduate or postgraduate level. In the audition, candidates will demonstrate their talent, ideas or passion projects to convince the panel why they will make the biggest impact on the industry in the years ahead and deserve the free place to further those ambitions. The three finalists will then go to the grand final in the second week of term, overseen by a panel of music industry professionals and experts.

“We’re really excited to welcome talented individuals to the Music Box to impress us with their skills and musicianship,” says Pat Cotton, programme leader for undergraduate music. “Making a scholarship available on merit is such a fantastic opportunity and will really help the college support the development of more young musicians.”

The Scholarship Day follows on from LCCM’s successful Music Industry Insiders Day in August and will be another celebratory ‘open-door’ style afternoon, with tours of the building, a welcome talk from principal Anthony Hamer-Hodges, student performances and careers advice.

“We’re really thankful to senior leadership and the LCCM board for backing our vision and drive to get more talented young people to the Music Box and ultimately, to make them into true LCCMers,” says Evie Asio-Okwalinga, Youth Music Officer at LCCM. “It marks a real line in the sand and proves our mission to create an achievable pathway to sustained career success, and it will be a real hit with our Youth Music network.”

In the evening, the JMNI Jam night will return. Open to all, even if you’re not auditioning for a scholarship, you’re welcome to come along to the Music Box, join in and get up on stage with some of London’s best musicians for a jam.

LCCM, the London music college has again ranked top for overall student satisfaction amongst contemporary music institutions teaching music performance and music business in the National Student Survey (NSS) 2021.

On 14 August 2021, London College of Creative Media is opening its doors to anybody who is thinking of a career in the industry.

The ‘Music Industry Insiders Day’ event will be hosted at LCCM’s iconic Music Box campus, where potential students can attend one of the college’s ‘Box Talks’ events with DJ Semtex – DJ, presenter, A&R and the host of ‘Hip Hop Raised Me’ podcast.

People thinking of a career in the music industry will have the opportunity to experience industry-relevant masterclasses, taster workshops in performance, song writing, music production and music business as well as receiving advice from key trade organisations including Ivors Academy, Incorporated Society of Musicians and the Music Publishers Association.

“Our Music Industry Insiders Day is perfect for those avid musicians and entrepreneurs of tomorrow who want to make their mark on the music business, whether it’s as a performer, songwriter, producer, executive or anything in between,” says JD Donovan, LCCM’s Industry Liaison. “Not only will the day be informative with workshops and tours of our state-of-the-art studios, but also fun as we welcome back people to the Music Box after 18 months!”

Attendees will meet leading LCCM staff and tutors, as well as current students and alumni, and watch the first year’s Music Business Management and Music Performance students’ joint event, ‘LCCM Worldvision,’’ which celebrates the college’s performers from around the world.

Registration and tours will start at noon with a welcome talk and then a student performance at 12.30 pm. At 1 pm, potential students can take part in a songwriting workshop or Music Business Management taster session before a Performance workshop at 2 pm. The ‘LCCM Worldvision’ performances (Level 4 student project) or Music Production drop-in session will be at 3 pm, followed by the Production workshop at 4 pm and the Box Talk with DJ Semtex at 5 pm.

Throughout the day, where COVID-19 guidelines will be in place, admissions advisers and current students will be on hand to answer questions and there will be all-day access to stalls from LCCM’s music industry partners. In addition, there will be an open-door policy in certain rooms in the Music Box and free soft drinks and snacks from the Venue Bar.