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It may have been their exams, but earlier this month, second year BA (Hons) Digital Music students got an opportunity to learn something new at the same time.

23rd May 2019
Music and performance

It may have been their exams, but earlier this month, second year BA (Hons) Digital Music students got an opportunity to learn something new at the same time.

For their final assessment, students DJed a live set on stage in front of cameras, lecturers and industry guests. Gavin Foord and Paul Atkinson, owners and artists and repertoire (A&R) of Southampton-based label FooR, came in to observe the students performing.

Natalia Kulabuchova, senior lecturer, says: “We decided to bring our equipment over to the TV studios so we could film the sets with a visualiser in the background.

“It’s quite a full on experience for our students because this is a new setting for them, but they have all learnt something from it. Instead of sitting comfortably in front of a computer, they’re getting a feel for what it’s going to be like playing for an audience.”

A digital music student DJing with a visualiser screen in front of him

Gavin Foord, part of FooR, says: “We’re here to give our help and opinions on what we think of the students and their DJing abilities. The sets I’ve seen have been very well put together and flowed well, and I enjoyed listening to them.”

Natalia adds: “For us (the lecturers), it’s really important to have guests like FooR coming in so we can ensure that what we’re teaching is keeping up with the industry.

“Plus, we’re hopeful that some work experience will come out of this, since FooR have asked the students to give them two tracks that they can listen to closely.”

One of the students’ compositions will be released by the label.

However, it wasn’t just digital music students that benefited from the experience. Three final year BA (Hons) Film and Television students were asked to help with filming and the use of the visualiser during the exams.

Student Tara Bracken says: “It’s been really nice to see all the students and the work they produced, what they’ve learnt, but it’s also been really good for us in getting some experience. We learnt how to use the vision mixer in the first year, but it’s refreshing our memory and is just nice to be able to do something to help these guys out.”

One of the film and television students will be working with FooR on the filming of their documentary this summer.