Press
October 19, 2005
SoundJunction promises journey of musical discovery
More than a hundred top musicians, teachers, students and music professionals have contributed to SoundJunction, a pioneering new website that gives young people the opportunity to explore, discover and create music.
Commissioned by Culture Online, SoundJunction has been developed by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. The website aims to inspire learning by providing a mix of information, interactive tools and know-how so that anyone can use it to delve deeper into the world of music.
SoundJunction.org.uk draws on real music made by real musicians and embraces a diverse range of traditions and styles. It is available to users both as a free website and as a CD-ROM ‘taster’, which will be distributed free of charge to all UK secondary schools this October.
Richard Morris, Chief Executive of the Associated Board, remarks: “The Associated Board has long recognised the potential of online technology to enrich musical skills, understanding, exploration and creativity. We are delighted that, in collaboration with Culture Online, we have now been able to realise these ideas in fashioning a practical and interactive resource for the widest possible audience of young people.”
David Lammy, Culture Minister, said: "A love of music transcends all social and cultural barriers. Whether it’s hip hop or classical, music is the most powerful medium for sharing emotional expression. The joy of SoundJunction lies in its ability to enable users to delve deeper into this world of music, whatever their interests and irrespective of their technical musical experience. Like all good interactive resources, this project, commissioned by Culture Online, puts the user in the driving seat, so they can define their own learning experience according to their own personal choices."
Featuring newly commissioned music and remixes, more than 1,000 pages of content and over 50 hours of audio and video footage, SoundJunction includes contributions from Britten Sinfonia, Mercury Prize-nominated band Polar Bear's drummer, Seb Rochford, Jamelia's famed producer Colin Emmanuel aka “C-Swing” and many more. Aimed particularly at young people who would not normally have opportunities to learn about making music, SoundJunction is easy to use and requires no prior knowledge or experience of music.
Mike Greenwood, Commissioning Executive at Culture Online, said: "We wanted to commission a project that would enable anyone to take their love of music one step further. Many music-learning sites assume a certain knowledge of musical notation but that can act as a massive barrier for those people who don't have that experience. SoundJunction allows music lovers to create their own learning journey, which is purely motivated by fun and a sense of discovery."
The SoundJunction website and CD-ROM are based around three inspiring new pieces by composers from different musical traditions and a series of specially commissioned remixes.
Using pioneering new tools and technologies, SoundJunction allows music lovers to:
- Listen to music specially written and recorded by over 40 top musicians, remix artists and composers;
- Explore music, take it apart, listen to different instruments and voices and find out how music works;
- Discover music and instruments from different traditions and continents. Find out about composing, performing, recording and producing music;
- Create their own music by remixing elements of the three SoundJunction pieces with other ‘sound bites’ from the comprehensive SoundJunction library.
FOR FURTHER PRESS INFORMATION: please contact Pete Flatt @ PPR 020 8746 4600 peteflatt@pprpublicity.com or Graham Thomas, at Culture Online press office on 020 7487 7215 graham.thomas@culture.gsi.gov.uk.
BACKGROUND:
The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music is the world’s leading provider of music exams and assessments. Each year over 630,000 candidates take their exams in more than 90 countries around the world. A total commitment to music education lies at the heart of their work. www.abrsm.org
Culture Online projects are designed to inspire people to learn and participate in new ways. Through editorial leadership and a creative use of technology, Culture Online enables learning and participation where it's previously been difficult to do so. By creating compelling interactive experiences, Culture Online aims to help people to learn new skills and to gain confidence and experience along the way. www.cultureonline.gov.uk