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Rap & MC Pathway Lyrics, bars, bass, education Welcome to ACM

You already know how to rap. We’re here to help you do it better.

Write better • Record better • Perform better

Understand the music business, so you can build your brand and reputation and create a sustainable, long-term career.

You’re not a country singer. You’re not a metal band. We get it, and we’re not trying to treat you like something you’re not.

We’ve got tutors who know what they’re on about; masterclasses from successful rappers and MCs; and opportunities to learn beatmaking and engineering, to network, and also to get attention from record labels.

We’re just trying to make you…

2 Contents

Foreword ...... 5 Study In A One-Of-A-Kind Environment ...... 6 Course Overview ...... 7 What Can You Expect To Learn ...... 8 Learning Points ...... 9 Songwriting Camps ...... 10 Benefits Of Collaboration ...... 11 Leadership Team ...... 12 A Message From ShaoDow ...... 13 Metropolis ...... 14 A Message From Metropolis CEO Richard Connell ...... 15 Metropolis Blue / Metro Sound ...... 16 Collab ...... 17 MC / Rapper Career Options ...... 18 World-Class Facilities ...... 19

3 4 Foreword As ACM has grown from a single campus to nine buildings across three cities, we have focussed really hard on listening to our students as well as working deep inside industry in real time. So I could not be more proud of the team at ACM that has put together this incredible programme for lyricists, rappers, MCs, and those of you who want to make beats. You know that you can really only get to where you want to be by collaborating – so that is what this is all about, and I cannot wait to see what happens next.

For you to be part of it, you have to get on board – and I hope that when you read about what we are putting together, it inspires you to come and see us, see what we can do for you, and be part of the next chapter of this journey, which will underpin your future as a professional in this incredible industry.

Remember: whether you say you can or think you can’t, you are going to be right – so say you can, know that you are as incredible as anyone else, and let us help you build that platform for you to be the very best you could be.

I am looking forward to meeting you.

With Best Wishes,

Kainne Clements Executive Chairman, ACM

5 Study in a one-of-a-kind environment. When you choose to study with us at ACM, you can look forward to an immersive, award-winning education that matches the highest quality of teaching with unparalleled student experiences. We work with the biggest names in creativity and technology, such as Ableton, Roland, and Pioneer, to provide state-of-the-art performance, recording, and learning environments designed to fulfil your creative ambitions and get you inspired. When we’re not using the facilities for our own teaching purposes, students are able to book them for their own performance and recording needs via our mobile app, myACM.

You’ll be surrounded by likeminded and supportive friends who are equally dedicated to pursuing a career in the creative industries. You’ll get to work together, learn by doing, and build lasting relationships with fellow students across a wide range of complementary study disciplines. Our courses represent every corner of the industry that you one day want to work in, making ACM the perfect environment in which to build a network that’ll have your back as you enter the creative industries, together.

6 Course Overview

ACM’s Technical Studies for Rappers and MCs course investigates each strand of a rapper’s profession, including the study of the “4 Weapons of Rap” (lyricism, flow, delivery, and originality).

You’ll get to analyse music theory, study the ideologies behind skilful artistry, develop your analytical skills for long and lyric writing, and receive integral guidance on how to hold audiences through effective performance and how to captivate listeners with the art of freestyle.

Study at ACM and press play on your success story, master the art of dominating stages with flawless bars, and learn how to turn what you do for fun into a professional career.

7 What you can expect to learn

Mastering Your Craft Artistry

• Being the best MC you • Performance skills can be • Stagecraft and presentation

Songwriting How to Navigate the Industry • Lyrics • Rhythm • Entrepreneurship • Theory • Creating and developing • DAWs your brand • Arrangement • Networking • Collaboration • Merchandise

8 Learning points Level 4 to Level 6 journey

• Intro to DAWs Giving you the • Songwriting tools you need LEVEL 4 • Business Skills to succeed • Vocal Studies

Find yourself as an artist • Advanced Songwriting Developing LEVEL 5 and Artistry your own • Performance Skills sound and artistry

Craft your own pathway and • Specialism create your own • Advanced Techniques LEVEL 6 professional • Entrepreurship and portfolio for Career Development industry

9 Songwriting Camps

Songwriting camps are held each term mic, stage piano, guitar and writing as standard across all campuses. materials.

A typical ACM songwriting camp would During the day and breaks, industry be held over one or two days, often guests are invited to meet our students with a theme or specific genre focus. to give advice and critical feedback, Sometimes we would be working to and the day ends with a playback up-to-the-minute industry briefs for celebration, with final comments from the world’s leading artists looking for the ACM team and industry panel to new songs; on other days, we would help the teams assess and reflect, encourage experimentation, mixing and actions given to continue fine- diverse genres and vocal styles. tuning their work, some of which would hopefully be at a level high enough to For one-day camps, the order of actually pitch to industry opportunities. the day would start with a welcome and introduction, setting out the Business students would be involved in parameters, etiquette, and schedule, the planning, links to industry, artist/ and placing the students into small producer/songwriter liaison, and groups of artist (singer/rapper), following up the results and possible producer, and songwriter (lyricist/ placement. topliner). Musician students would help on the The groups will then move to their writing day as session musicians, or breakout spaces, set up by Technical in other workshops connected to the Services students, which would include camp, preparing live arrangements a Mac equipped with the latest versions for additional studio recordings or live of industry standard DAWs, a condenser performances.

10 Time management skills Benefits of As every project has a specific deadline, writing camps help instill the importance Collaboration of time management in the creative mind. They also provide the perfect framework Inspiration for students to develop a disciplined work Collaboration allows us to feed off ethic and crucial organizational skills. others’ inspiration and creative energies, which act as catalysts for our Commitment own creativity. Dependability and commitment to a shared creative endeavour can promote Learning harmonious workflow, and create a sense There is no better way to develop of balance in terms of the distribution your craft than actively learning from of input, making it more likely that an others in a practical and hands-on ongoing partnership will be formed in the environment. People will give their process. tricks away during a session – and you can learn to master those tricks too. Decision-making skills During collaborative sessions, decisions Communication skills must be based on the bigger picture and The ability to communicate with others not one’s personal preference. This is in a non-aggressive way, and adapt particularly important when working to your style of communication in order a specific brief that requires a specific to connect with different personalities, outcome. Decisiveness itself is equally is intensified in creative collaboration. vital; a group’s inability to make decisions Precious ideas and big egos can call can quickly lead to a lack of flow and a for great diplomacy. Furthermore, loss of collective confidence. the musical language of the extended collaboration group enhances Flexibility communication skills across all Flexibility and adaptability are not always disciplines, helping students internalise inherent skills in the songwriter’s toolbox the 360-degree language of project – but they are valuable when aiming to development. achieve a defined goal in a collaborative environment. Diversity Collaboration increases your chances Politics of creating completely new material, Songwriting camps expand your industry and can enable you to work in different network by helping you to meet new musical genres. This allows you to collaborators with their own networks – expand your creative toolbox, while as well as labels, managers, publishers, working with talented and interesting etc. The chances of becoming a part characters whose skillsets complement of someone else’s journey to success your own. are increased through this expanded network.

11 The Leadership Team The leadership team are a diverse group of highly experienced individuals from across the creative industries, each specifically recruited to lead and ensure continuous development here at ACM.

Every member of the team holds an influential position within the , and uses a wide range of skills, experience, contacts and know-how to ensure that our learning experiences are progressive and immersively connected to the real-world creative industries.

We are a team of experts with high-status reputations that open doors, and have literally been there, done it, and are still constantly interacting with the music industry.

We collaborate together to identify exciting opportunities and create student pathways that combine to form a multifaceted structure, ensuring innovative learning at a world-class level.

BBC Introducing, the BRITs, MIDEM, The Great Escape, Tileyard, the BMAs, and the UMAs are just some of the industry events that we support, attend, and collaborate with.

Learning by doing is key at ACM, and earning by doing is also encouraged and facilitated while you study through our many platforms.

Working alongside an exceptional team of highly skilled tutors, we are collectively leading the way in music industry education here at the heart of ACM.

12 A message from ShaoDow

I am ShaoDow, a professional rapper, manga author, occasional ninja and now ACM course leader.

I’ve been making a living from my music for almost ten years. The journey hasn’t been easy, but it’s always been on my own terms. I’ve made mistakes (loads!), made progress, and made art – and through it all, I’ve had to learn so many skills and life lessons that I never would’ve thought would be applicable to a rapper.

I’ve invested my own money into my career and learnt how to manage myself, book my own shows, and coordinate my own releases, all whilst trying to write lyrics and make music. I’ve largely been self-taught, but I WISH I’d had someone who understood what I was trying to achieve to help me along the way, and I wish there’d been a course like this when I needed it.

Regardless, I persevered. I won the Hardest Working Artist Award at the AIM Independent Music Awards, I’ve had music on the Shutdown playlist, and I’ve opened for , Skepta, , Tech N9ne, KRS-ONE, and 6LACK. I also wrote and released a manga book, toured in Europe and Asia, spoke in The Houses of Parliament, built a fan base and had fun (I even appeared on Ninja Warrior UK!).

At ACM, you’ll be given the tools you need to survive and succeed in today’s music industry. Of course, what you do with those tools is up to you. But you can at least be confident that whilst you’re here, there’ll be people who understand the passion, desire, and individual needs of an up and coming MC/rapper/lyricist/microphone champion.

I look forward to meeting and working with you.

ShaoDow AKA Shao Sensei

13 What do , , Stormzy, and Will.i.am all have in common? They are just some of the many global artists who have made music at Metropolis Studios. Established in 1989, Metropolis – located on ’s Chiswick High Road – is Europe’s largest studio complex, where over 50% of the UK Top 40 Chart is mixed, mastered, and/or recorded in an average year.

ACM students enjoy an access all areas pass to Metropolis for live performance events, industry conferences, and recording during downtime and masterclasses. Read more at www.thisismetropolis.com

metropolisstudios

14 multiple projects, means that I Message from understand what creative businesses need: Creative problem-solvers and Metropolis CEO innovative thinkers who can operate in Richard Connell a highly volatile environment, equipped with the smarts required to evolve and When I was about adapt. At ACM, we prepare our students 18, I realised that for this reality, thus future-proofing music was the their careers. most important thing in my life, The industry itself is deeply embedded and I wanted it into the ACM curriculum, creating to be my job as a unique structure that facilitates well. So I totally understand the sheer extremely valuable educational passion that drives this ambition. For experiences. Every week, the me, it began a career in music that has leadership team meets to discuss spanned over three decades. new developments in the industry and ways of reflecting those developments I have worked exclusively on the in our classrooms that very week. label side of the business, from small It’s real-world learning by doing, in independents all the way up to major real time – and this up-to-the-minute corporations. During this time, I topicality reflects the quick, flexible, was Vice President of Marketing for and incredibly innovative nature of the Columbia Records, General Manager creative industries. for the Sony Commercial Music Group, CMO of UK, and Managing We need to keep pace with the creative Director of Epic and Associated Labels. industries in order to prepare our I have worked with many acts from students for the speed at which they the Foo Fighters to Kings of Leon, must operate in professional creative Beyoncé, Pink, Bob Dylan, and One environments. ACM’s curriculum Direction, taking creative visions is different from other educational and broadcasting them to the widest options. It’s creative, not conventional, possible global audience. My role within and delivered by an institution that is the leadership team at ACM is to bring itself geared for fast-paced changes. all of this experience and network to the curriculum, and make sure that we not Change by its very nature is the one only remain relevant, but also support, thing you can count on when working enhance, and encourage our students’ in the creative industries, especially passion – the same passion that drove music production and artistry. I am me – every step of the way. proud that change is something an ACM student is encouraged not only to My experience of running hugely embrace, but also to lead. The one way effective marketing teams, delivering to predict the future is to invent it. global marketing campaigns on

15 Metropolis Blue

Metropolis and ACM have created an We hold bi-weekly label meetings exclusive record label initiative called alongside A&R workshops to discover Metropolis Blue, which is designed new talent. Our acts appear at regular to support all students who want to gigs and across industry events to release music. showcase and support the roster.

Metropolis Blue is run entirely by the We work hand in hand with all major students, for the students, across all labels and distributors, as well as pathways, and is split into divisions and platforms such as Spotify, enabling us roles to reflect the workings of a real to have a direct and consistent link into working label. From A&R to PR, design, industry. promotion, booking, law and more, there is a role for everyone – ensuring Each label division has a real-life that our students are learning by doing, industry mentor, and we hold regular in line with the ACM ethos. Metropolis Blue / Metro Sound workshops and masterclasses for Metro Sound is our new imprint label the team so they can receive expert for producers, DJs, and rappers. A guidance, knowledge, and experience collective for the next generation of from a plethora of real-life working underground and commercial music. professionals.

Our labels are a truly fantastic incubator for both creative and business talent.

metropolis.blue

www.metropolis.blue www.metro-sound.co.uk

16 The app that joins talent together and brings ideas to life …coming soon to AChhhM 17 MC / Rapper Career Options

Here are just a few examples of the many career paths related to the • Writing to a brief songwriting role in industry. • Lyricist • Sync / TV / Ad music composer • Artist • Ghostwriter • Songwriter • Host / MC

18 World-Class Facilities

ACM is proud to have formed strong industry partnerships with leading manufacturers and key brands at all of our campuses. These partnerships and relationships extend further than the provision of great gear for students to work with in classrooms and studios. They also involve knowledge exchange, placements, masterclasses, employment, and the process of feeding each partner’s state-of- the-art technology directly into the curriculum through co-written modules and electives with our top industry-focussed educators.

19 this is scan this for tunes

creative. industries. education.

acm.ac.uk | 01483 500 800 [email protected] THE RODBORO BUILDINGS | BRIDGE ST | GUILDFORD | SURREY | GU1 4SB

GUILDFORD. LONDON. BIRMINGHAM. METROPOLIS.