and breathe......

Oh my. I swear it's getting crazier in here! 
I'm having the most amazing time at the academy, but it is certainly taking a little bit of me with it.


The problem really is time. I simply don't have enough of it. Now, I am a pretty disciplined person, but despite my best efforts, there are times when it simply seems more important to vacuum the stairs than to orchestrate my music theatre piece. Or that I simply have to have fresh peppermint for my tea if I am to work effectively. Or that tragic right hand, that reaches out for the mouse and of its own volition, finds its way to the facebook time vacuum!


I have not turned the tv on since summer. So at least that's something. And, you know what, I probably spend as much time as anyone else on the work / distraction quota. But I'm pretty hard on myself, and when the kids are here, there simply are things that have to be done (especially cuddles!) Ah, the balance eludes me.


Have had some great musical moments this week tho. My music theatre short score is done and submitted, and I've done a scratch recording of it, which is great. I have discovered that I prefer to orchestrate with pencil and paper, and in fact, since I saw Gary on Tuesday, he has encouraged me to do only that; to develop my 'inner ear'. So I've got a big fat A3 canvas to fill in. It's a pretty big ensemble...wish me luck! Have 1 week to get it done. I keep hearing that countdown musical theme; it's my current, and frustrating ear-worm. Running round and round my 'inner ear'...I reckon that once my piece is completed, if you listen carefully, there just might be a moment when you hear the countdown theme sneaking into the clarinets...!


Orchestration class is starting to make a little sense; I don't feel like a complete retard anymore, which is good. We are gong to the 'wand shop' tomorrow; off to buy our batons! Hurrah. Mine shall be made with the feather of a phoenix, and the orchestra will obey my every whim!


I had a lovely outing with my friend Jules. We had a moment of culture at the tate modern. It was a great experience, and it was just lovely to hang out with my buddy...I don't get much time for things like that. Mwah the Jules.


I find myself drawn to the composition of new material for instruments with less repertoire. Basically the accordion and the bassoon. The thing is, that I am in a place where the best players in the world are happy to sit with you and show you their instrument, and talk about the details of playing style and application. My first collaboration will be with Rafal Luc, who is the most amazing accordion player, and is showing me around this fascinating and complex instrument. On Tuesday, I had an accordion lesson, and to play it was such a great idea. Now I have a feel for the workings of it, and can't wait to get writing. (the only thing was that his accordion is really big...and I am really small. It was comedy!)


So next week, it's LVP, Roehampton dance, Chroma ensemble, Music theatre orchestration, MAX MSP, too much coffee, and less distractions. 
Maybe coffee with my bro, and dinner with Jules?...well, we all need a break sometime...x

Gunpowder, treason and plot...

So, the plot thickens...will she possibly make the deadlines that are looming so large? Can she ever immerse herself into a world of contemporary classical craziness to such an extent that writing in that style is not faked or forced? 
John Williams writes 9-5 every day. He aims to complete between 30 seconds to 2 minutes of music in that time. I was shitting myself with the '3 weeks to compose 8 minutes' deadline for Chroma that arrived in my inbox on Friday.
In isolation, it might be possible. Coupled with orchestrating my music theatre piece, recording and composing a soundtrack for the 'Horripilation' animated short, planning the piece for the Roehampton dance project...oh my, I can't complete the list; it's exhausting!
Anyway, have a lot on my plate. An awful lot ;)


Went to see my friend Gary this afternoon. Laid my fears in his lap. He is the lamb, and has mended my temporary tilt into beyond stress. He phoned Phil (head of composition), and has delayed my Chroma piece until the second deadline, which gives me a couple of extra weeks. There is light!
Then he showed me the delights of scoring in logic. Simply blows the socks off sibelius in certain areas. So that's my ticket for now...score the music theatre piece in logic, research suitable styles and instrumentation techniques for Chroma. Await the imminent arrival of the storyboard for animation project. Learn Jon Hendricks arrangements for LVP ready for the masterclass on 19 Nov. Get my soft head around MAX MSP. 
A little aside is a new collaboration with Rafal. Yr 4 accordion player. He is amazing! Polish dude, prize winning player and up for new music. Accordion is another step beyond my comfort zone (maybe I just don't have a comfort zone at this level?!!). Spent a happy hour or more in the library with Rafal today looking at scores and analysing the good and bad elements of scores. There is a market for this music. I am certainly going to explore this area...and if I can do it with one of the best players in the world?...well, who wouldn't?


Funny thing is. I'm happy. I'm doing it. My kids came to school with me on Friday (their half term, of course, not mine). They were golden. Took them for dinner at Hayes Galleria....we have some super adventures Oj, Nel and me, and if I ever worry that they do not get the best of me, I try to think of our adventures; and there are so many! I know I'm not the text book mother figure, but I am 3 dimensional, and I love to have fun, so it's not so bad I think, being my child. How many children have been backstage in many London venues, have sung with Cleo Laine? (OJ?!), have hung out at the Royal Academy of Music? Have met Mr. Bobby Mc Ferrin, Mr. Peter Churchill, Mr. Simon Bainbridge? Bless my people. They keep me real, and they are always up for a hug. {{{MWAH}}}


Nunight then. Sweet dreams x

All singing, all dancing

I did say earlier that I thought my posts might become less frequent, and so it has come to pass! I am working flat out, trying to get the music out of my head and onto the page (or into logic).
It has been a real turning point this week, with some exciting projects starting up, and existing projects taking shape.
It's funny, because the week just gone was supposed to be 'reading week', i.e., no usual classes. Turned out that I was in every day except for Friday, meeting new people and going on adventures! On Wednesday, we met the choreographers from Roehampton. Each composer will be teamed up with a choreographer, and we will collaborate to make a live music and dance performance, which will be performed in May next year. Our instrumentation for that is a choice of either flute, percussion and cello, or flute, oboe and cello. I have a feeling that I will use percussion, but we shall see...
The way this project works is that the choreographers and composers will select who they want to work with based on hearing / seeing each other's work. We started the day by 'speed dating', so that we each met all of the others individually. Then us composers played some of our music, so that they could get an idea of our style. In a couple of weeks, we will be visiting Roehampton, and they will give a performance of their dance, so that we get an idea of their style. 
It's a great way to work, and I'm really looking forward to that getting underway.


Then, on Thursday, 7 of us took the train to Bristol, to meet with our other collaborators; 'the animators', from UWE. It came as quite a surprise after the 1-1 session the day before, to walk into a room full of animators, awaiting our arrival! We viewed a couple of films that were created on last year's project, which were very abstract, but brilliantly done. Each composer was assigned 3 animators to work with, and given an uncommon word which serves as a starting point for the inspiration for the film. My animators are Fedias, Sylvia and David; all of whom come from very different backgrounds, so that's going to be interesting. Our word is Horripilation; which means basically 'goosebumps' raising of the skin due to fear or cold. 
Mmm...juicy!
We spent a couple of hours taking through ideas and getting to know each other. I've set up a blog for the 4 of us, so that we can communicate despite distance, and so that we have an online resource for the progress of the project when we come to write it up at the end. 
I thought that for the musical aspect, I would explore using only sounds made by the voice and body, and manipulating them to create a creepy environment to support the visuals. I have spent a very happy couple of hours recording all manner of noises as my sound library. It is going to take much longer to cut up and label each sound file, but that's what laptops and train journeys were invented for!


My music theatre piece is nearly completed in short score for piano and male voices. I probably mentioned that I have used poetry written by inmates from New Jersey prison. It's quite compelling reading, and really gives an insight into the despair and inhumanity of the prison environment. I went on to the New Jersey prison website, and there you can actually search for inmates, and view their profiles. It was quite eerie to see the faces and the crimes of these men whose heartfelt words I had been reading. It made me feel really uncomfortable. 


Well, it has been a long weekend. I've been doing so much music and just spending some time alone with my thoughts. I was really happy to take Oj & Nelly to my brother's for tea this evening. It's my 5 days without them, and they always seem to pass so slowly. So ye, it was nice to break it up, and see them today. They'll come home on Wednesday and stay until the following Monday, so that's nice. It's much harder without them now that I don't have Alex around to distract me either and to fill that void.


Back to school tomorrow, then some LVP singing time. Hurrah for that! Can't wait to see my vocal buddies...


x

Mr. Stephen Sondheim and Ms. Betsy Jolas

It has been a privilege to have been in the company of some of the world's finest composers this week. I cannot express my awe and gratitude for the gems that have come to me from America and France.

I will share my experiences with you as soon as I come down to earth...

there are many!

For now, thanks for listening!

Jake caught the mouse that was eating my carrier bags, and my dear Aunty Maggie gave me a contribution to my studies for which I am eternally grateful.

The music is running at a new speed. I hope I can keep up!

I promise more next time...tomorrow I have a meeting regarding my teaming up with an animator at Bristol Animation Studios. Hurrah. Check my website (www.nikkifranklin.co.uk) to see my last animation project. It's fun :)

For now, I am the one thing that is not compromised by the self-opinionated government that we have in place, and that will no doubt make bigger history books than I hope to occupy...maybe I'll write the accidental musical that accompanies their exploits!!!

Peace (if appropriate), Love (if not abused and misguided) and harmony (of which I have little!)

Nunight x

So much music everywhere...

That's actually a title to a Brad Mehldau & Pat Metheny piece. It's certainly worth a listen. Beautiful...


Anyway, beyond stealing other artist's titles, I've been writing like a loon this week. Am at that point where I have five new things bubbling about, but nothing completed, or even fully sketched. Some interesting musical thoughts taking shape though. 
My newest jazz influenced piece is nearly ready to start orchestrating, and fleshing out the parts. I'm looking forward to that. 
I've also been working with loops, using garage band, for a change of scene, which has been really inspirational. I'm layering vocals, along the lines of the circle songs LVP were immersed into through Roger Treece this year. It's all a bit diatonic at the mo, but if I stick with it, I reckon I'll be able to explore more challenging areas, and get gritty with the harmonies. 
Then it occurred to me that the use of loops would be a really interesting way to layer contemporary techniques in solo instruments, whilst retaining some musicality, rhythmic probably more than melodic, but textural interest. I think it's too easy to write a piece that explores such areas as 'the extended range of the oboe', which certainly does explore that area, but does not always remain musical. (Ha; like what is musical anyway?)
So, I'll be doing some of that (thank you Steve Reich for New York Counterpoint...."London Loops" doesn't sound quite so compelling though, does it?!)), recording solo oboe. This week, I worked with an accordion player, and we created a little layered loop piece, which was really effective. yes, food for thought...


Then there's the music theatre piece that I'm writing for a performance on 3rd December. I've had a few ideas for that, but it's got be be fully formed with vocal and piano score completed by next Tuesday, so it's top of the pile. The male vocal line is inspired by poetry from prison inmates (which I've narrowed down to one particular poem). The music seems to be coming quite easily from the text...Hmm, we shall see. I'm going to get my brother over this weekend to be my singer. He has lots of West End experience, and knows his stuff, so that will be fun, and hopefully very productive.


The last thing for today was a session with Paul Patterson on Sibelius. Oh my; I am in shortcut heaven! Why did no-one tell me that the 'R' key copies highlighted passages with just 1 click, or that you can format rhythm and easily replace the pitches. Ah, loads of great tips, was definitely worth the 3 hour travel time for the 1 hour lesson.


I've been on a synchronicity vibe also...yesterday, on Victoria tube station, I bumped into a guitarist I met in the summer. Daniel; played gypsy jazz at my cousin's wedding. How random was that? and he introduced me to the music of a British big band composer I need to check out. Matthew Herbert. Very interesting.
Then today, I met on the train a drummer I worked with in one of my first bands. Crikey! We talked all the way from Three Bridges to London Bridge, certainly no awkward silences. Nice to catch up with Paul. I must find him on facebook...


Things are a little brighter today. I still haven't found my shine after a few rough weeks, but it might be just out the corner of my eye...


Nunight xxx

Coughs and Cage and Waterproof trousers...

 How quickly time is passing! Of course, I expect the time that I am studying to fly by. It’s a natural by-product of working under pressure. But the thing that has really hit me this week, was Oj celebrating his 9th birthday. Fancy having a son who is 9 years old?! It’s quite bizarre. To me, he is my little bean, and a joy to behold. But I mustn’t ever forget that he is really growing up now, and finding his own place in the world. It’s been a crazy adventure, this ‘mother’ business. I can’t compare it to anything else. and of course, as with any relationship encounter, it is unique and totally normal at once. Every mother knows certain truths, joys and pains, yet each mother knows her own personal story that fits within those ‘norms’. I couldn’t begin to talk about it here; but what an adventure.

Ah yes, the coughs. Poor kids. Oj started it on Sunday - had a headache before his party (laser hub rocks by the way!). Poor little man has been off school all week; temperatures, coughs and croaks. And now Nelly is coughing well too. Mwah.

What of Cage? This evening, I went to a performance at the Louise Blouin Foundation. It was quite an experience. To be honest, I thought it was going to be pretentious. It was an evening of American experimentalism intertwined with new and not so new works by British composers (2 current students from the Academy). I think the thing that made it un-pretentious was the quality of the performers. each note played with depth and an appropriate regard for style. My favourite musical sound was where the percussionist played with brushes on the strings of the piano. the texture was spine tingling. (HA! Look who’s pretentious now?!) Anyway, it was class.

I met an interesting chap, who certainly looked like he should be attending a champagne reception at a kooky art gallery muso performance in London. Well, he was a visual artist, who went because John Cage was a fan of his, so he came along to support the Cage performance. How funky is that? ...It’s so easy to forget that these great pillars of contemporary society also have things that they like to listen to, look at, places they like to go. It’s so easy to imagine your favourite artist, of any sort, simply creating their art, and not having a 3 dimensional life. Like Stevie Wonder guesting with Take 6, because they are his favourite group!

Of my music? Well, it’s trucking along. Projects kick off next week, and I’m doing my best to write a little every day, and spend some time on logic, until it’s not scary anymore. Like everything I seem to get up to; it’s scary at first, but if you keep doing it, it can just become something you do.

In a very short space of time, some very big things have changed in my life. A few times in these last weeks, I thought I might fall over, or be sick in my mouth. But I didn’t yet, so maybe I won’t.

x

Did I forget to mention the waterproof trousers?...maybe it’s just aswell. 

You don't get this from a book...

That's the favourite saying of the Academy. 
It's true tho. 
Despite the gems of knowledge and experience that are handed to us every day, there's the environment. 
Practice rooms are like gold-dust, so there is rarely a stairwell free without a guitarist or cellist at the bottom of the stairs, practising their hearts out. You can just imagine the acoustics in a stairwell; it's like a fountain of music filling all the available space, and it's beautiful. Or today, when I was waiting the the downstairs corridor, there is a whole line of practice rooms...my head was full to bursting with a cacophony of sound...opera singers, concert pianists, various strings, brass etc. all making noise. Class!


There have been some real gems this week. I would like to share a few with you. I have met on my travels some awesome people this week; a lifetime's worth really!
We had a talk from Howard Shore who wrote the music to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and accompanying him was Doug Adams (not Douglas Adams!), who spent 9 years analysing Howard's music from the Lord of the Rings, and wrote a big fat book on it!


His gems;
research the idea; be truthful to the idea
forget about the style; write what is right for yourself
grasp the arc of the piece before you start
write every day


Then there was the guitarist Stefan Ostersjo, who is a performance artist and has worked with many contemporary composers, analysing the lines of communication between the composer, and the artist, through scores and other communication.
'When the performance practice was internalised, personal authenticity became more prominent'


His thesis included the following gem;
'tradition can never be copied, nor can the performance of an individual work. the transmission of a tradition and of a work must always involve an element of transformation'.


There is so much more. I went to jazz composition and arranging with Pete Churchill, had a 1-1 lesson with Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, had a great lesson with Gary (who likes my new piece), started to learn the basics of sound recording, and twiddling knobs in a meaningful way in a studio environment, and had a tutorial with postgrad composers, Hollie, Joe and Phil, run by Phil Cashian.


I have so much I want to write here today, and promise I will return to this week and these people...
but for now, I'm tired, It's been a long, and emotional week. It's strange to come home every day and not to be met by Alex, and to cook all my own dinners (well, my Mum cooked for us today; yummy!).
But I'm doing okay. And I'm writing the music. And there's a little bit of me that is starting to believe that it's going to be okay, and that I can make it happen if I just stick like glue to my kids and my manuscript paper :)


Going to see 5 guys names Mo tomorrow, with my kids and some LVP'ers. 
that's nice.


More gems soon!