Columbia Records to Sponsor Icmp Songwriter Course

PRESS RELEASE: 3rd February 2009 START

COLUMBIA RECORDS TO SPONSOR ICMP SONGWRITER COURSE

The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance (ICMP) is delighted to announce the launch of a groundbreaking new Professional Diploma in Songwriting course, sponsored by Columbia Records, one of the world’s most respected music industry names and home of such legends as Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, the Ting Tings, Kings of Leon and Neil Diamond.

This one-year, highly practical course starts September 2009 and covers the skills and knowledge required to develop raw songwriting talent into professional careers. The course is delivered in London by the ICMP’s peerless teaching faculty which includes professional songwriters, musicians and industry experts. Once enrolled, students will cover all aspects of their craft, including:

. Development of musicianship . Songwriting, song selection and presentation . Marketing, promotion and publishing . Music business – how to work the industry to your advantage . Live and recorded performance, including working with producers

The decision by Columbia Records to get involved with and sponsor this course is a fantastic benefit. The coming together of two quality names in education and the recording industry in this way represents a tremendous opportunity for students on the course and means they will be assured of being in the right place at the right time to maximise their talent and creativity!

Mike Smith, Managing Director at Columbia Records, commented:

“Columbia Records is proud of its history going back over a hundred years and encompassing some of the greatest artists in the world. Just as important to us though are our new artists and the nurturing of fresh talent is our number one priority. To that end we are big fans of ICMP and we are really looking forward to working with them.”

The course starts in September 2009 and will run through to June of the following year. For further details on the course content, entry requirements and how to apply, contact the ICMP directly – and as places are limited, don’t leave it too late to take advantage of this amazing opportunity!

 [email protected]  020 7328 0222  www.icmp.co.uk

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About the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance: The ICMP is widely recognised as one of Europe's leading schools of modern music. Established almost a quarter of a century ago, the ICMP has been developing and delivering cutting-edge courses to students of contemporary music for longer than any other UK-based school, and has built its reputation on providing world class teaching using the very best teachers and state-of-the-art facilities. It now offers a range of professional courses including a 3-year Degree (BMus), a fully-funded one year Diploma, a specialist one year Higher Diploma, a Professional Diploma in Songwriting, plus a wide portfolio of part-time courses designed to meet a variety of training needs for guitarists, bass players, drummers and vocalists. Past or present Institute students can be found everywhere, touring with the likes of Katie Melua and Moby, playing with bands like Radiohead and Babyshambles and artists like K. T. Tunstall and Beverley Knight, and also working as teachers all over the world.