SupaJam Education in Music and Media

Established in 2008 - SupaJam is the fastest growing music media network in the UK.

SupaJam’s editorial team write daily music news, reviews and blogs. The site has grown by over 3000% in the last year receiving up to half a million visits a day from across the globe.

As well as music editorial SupaJam has provided over 100 slots for emerging bands to play at top festivals alongside headlining acts like The Killers, Bob Dylan, Prince and Eagles. SupaJam has also given away over 50,000 FREE festival tickets to music fans in the last 24 months.

Last year SupaJam put on 54 live events showcasing the country’s best emerging bands as well as partnering with MTV to find two bands to play at the legendary European Music Awards (EMA’s). During the London Olympics we partnered with Oakley to showcase 17 emerging artists to the competing athletes as well as creating and hosting the closing party for all the athletes taking part.

SupaJam also has a successful TV division. Partnered with Sony Pictures Television in Los Angeles and the worlds biggest talent agency, William Morris Endeavor, SupaJam creates television formats and produces the shows internationally. It’s current music show “Breakout” is produced in Brazil where its first season increased channel ratings by 8000%. Its second season airs in September this year. SupaJam is also developing a comedy drama with ITV and is producing its own animated music series for YouTube.

SupaJam - Who We Are

SupaJam Education in Music & Media - SEMM

Our mission is to provide an inclusive educational experience for young people that combines structured learning with practical skills, whilst integrated in a working,

music industry environment.

SEMM helps young people aged between 16 and 19 who are neither in work, training or education and who often come from challenged and troubled backgrounds obtain music based vocational skills and their first recognised qualification.

Based at our own informal teaching and recording facility in Tunbridge Wells, our courses consist of 450 guided learning hours spread over 4 months. At its heart is the nationally recognised Rockschool Music Practitioner diploma. This popular module based syllabus is further enhanced by our own extensive practical experience and contacts in the music industry.

Core modules cover recording, writing and performing music as well as all aspects of producing live music events. To achieve this students must work together to create and record music as well as put on professional live music events at the Tunbridge Wells Forum (voted the UK’s best small venue 2013). In addition to selecting and booking the bands the students must complete financial budgets, marketing, health and safety, ticket sales and profit and loss.

Students engage with and complete all modules in the syllabus but are encouraged to over achieve in areas that they show real enthusiasm for.

SEMM is funded by SupaJam, the UK Government and charitable donations.

SEMM - Making A Difference

Practical teaching

Danny recording vocals

Students working during some downtime at SEMM

With all of SEMM’s learners having struggled or been excluded from traditional education, teaching is kept fun and informal.

To achieve this and effectively engage our young learners SEMM brings in working musicians with extensive, practical experience in the music industry to teach.

Our lead tutor is David Randall. David is the guitarist for the chart topping Faithless as well as playing with Robbie Williams and Sinead O’Conner.

For those taking part, the fact that their lead tutor is someone working successfully in the music industry further enhances their desire to learn.

David’s enthusiasm to share his experience in a fun, engaging and inclusive way allows the learners to take part in a structured learning journey, often for the first time.

David is supported by a dedicated team at SEMM who provide the necessary youth protection and social support for troubled young people.

SEMM - How we teach

David teaching the students

David Randall

Happy days at SEMM

The regular teaching sessions are supplemented by guest mentors.

These mentors hold informal group meetings with the learners providing information, advice and insight to the music industry. All our mentors come from mixed backgrounds and encourage and inspire the learners to see the “bigger picture” and what can be achieved in the music industry if they wish to get involved. Currently our mentors include:

Bev Burton. Bev is the UK’s top booker making her name securing headlining acts including Prince, Kings of Leon and the Eagles. Bev recently spent a whole day with our previous course, inviting them all up to work as “artist liaison” at Alt Fest being headlined by Marilyn Manson.

Ric Salmon. Ric is one of the country’s top young managers. Having previously held senior A&R positions at Warner Music Ric made his name in management with clients like Seal and Joss Stone. He continues to grow his company into one of the leading artist management companies in Europe.

Vince Power. Vince is acknowledged as the father of the modern music festival. Having launched Reading and Leeds festivals in the 90’s, Vince also co owned Glastonbury and currently owns the legendary Benicassim festival in Spain. Vince has had a long, varied career in music festivals that demonstrates first hand the successes and challenges they can present.

Ian Palmer. Born into rock n roll royalty with his father being part of the ’70’s rock legends Emerson Lake & Palmer, Ian has carved out his own career is one of the country’s top session musicians.

SEMM - Guest Mentors

Bev Burton Ric Salmon

Ian Palmer

Vince Power

SEMM - Guest Mentors (cont.)Tim Brownlow is one the country’s leading dance songwriters working with a range of top European dance acts. Tim is a regular guest mentor and records with everyone on the course, regardless of their musical ability, and demonstrates how to write lyrics and music, even if you don’t have a formal musical background.

This approach builds confidence in the young people and demonstrates that they have something genuine to contribute in an area where they may not have thought they had talents.

Sebastian Clayton. Sebastian is one of the country’s leading digital music specialists working with many of the worlds leading recording artists. He coincidentally has a very famous brother who is a band member of U2!

Gill Tee. Gill’s area of expertise is to build an event site.  This would include pulling together all the infrastructure and staffing required to host a large festival or live event. Gill’s team also secures the licences for the event to take place, and deals with all aspects of producing the event.  Gill shares her experience in what is involved to set up live events and what you really need to do to make them safe for the bands and public alike.

Jason Dorman. Jason heads up the The Forum in Tunbridge Wells. From rising acts such as Oasis, Coldplay and Muse to youth groups experiencing playing on a stage for the first time The Forum has cemented its iconic status by being voted UK's Best Small Venue  by NME last year.

Tim Brownlow

Sebastian Clayton Gill Tee

Jason Dorman

Our unique learning pathway starts off by building self esteem and confidence in young people by going to gigs, listening, accepting and sharing different musical genres and creating their own music.

With the learners fully engaged structured learning is then possible combining theoretical understanding with practical hands on experience.

This culminates in high attendance, a high Diploma pass rate and multiple vocational skills. These include:

• English and maths in compliance with EFA Study Program Guide.

• Creating music editorial for SupaJam

• Event planning

• Inter-personnel skills

• IT and software knowledge

Our most recent course was made up of 15 young people from across Kent. 79% of learners completed the course with 82% of those achieving a full Music Practitioner Diploma qualification.

Lewis letting rip at SEMM

Students with the UK’s top artist booker, Bev Burton

Students meeting with legendary music promoter Vince Power in London

Our Learning Pathway

Further Course Outcomes

Pat as Stage Manager for the students live event at The Forum

Teaching in the Live Room

• Two groups have since set up management companies for local emerging bands.

• Two learners are going back to formal education.

• Six learners are staying on with us to complete a more advanced Level Two Music Practitioner qualification.

• All students are offered a two week work experience with SupaJam.

• Seven students not previously in employment now have full time or part time jobs.

• Our unique course received extensive press coverage and was honoured with its first award.

• A further two courses launch in September 2014.

SEMM is based just south of London in Tunbridge Wells.

Our dedicated base is spread over three floors and consists of a recording studio, live music room, a computer / study room, a common room area, a kitchen and a separate dedicated teaching room. The working SupaJam office is also on site providing a constant link to a work environment.

Our state of the art equipment includes:

• A 32 track recording studio with both Pro Tools 9, Logic and an X32 digital mixing desk.

• 4 additional iMac Logic stations.

• Mapex and Roland acoustic and digital drum kits.

• Marshall, Fender and Laney amps plus base, acoustic and electric guitars.

• Yamaha MGP16x vocal PA

Our Base - Tunbridge Wells

SEMM recording equipment

SupaJam BoardDavid Court and Nick Stillwell are two UK based media producers with a long background in creating, producing and directing genre television and movies in the UK and US for Universal Pictures Television, Sony Pictures Television, MTV and Lionsgate. !In 2008 David and Nick identified an emerging gap in the music and entertainment market and created the vision for SupaJam as an integrated music, media and technology company. !Having assembled an A list board including Hollywood studio boss Robert G. Friedman (Twilight franchise, Hunger Games), David Barron (producer, Harry Potter franchise) and Sebastian Clayton (digital music specialist) SupaJam is now Europe’s fastest growing music destination and a leading voice in independent music attracting up to half a million visitors a day. !It’s television division is partnered with Sony Pictures Television in Hollywood and is currently in the second season of “Breakout Brasil”, its popular music discovery show in Brazil. It also has a development deal with ITV in the UK and is producing its own animated series for You Tube. Nick and David are represented by William Morris Endeavor, the worlds largest and most prolific talent agency.

Sebastian Clayton, David Court & Nick Stillwell at a SupaJam live event

Robert G Friedman David Barron

Our Contacts

The poster for the students first live event at The Forum

Students helping each other learn

SupaJam & SEMM !16 Grove Hill Road Tunbridge Wells Kent TN1 1RZ !T: 01892 517 772 E: info@semmuk.com W: www.semmuk.com !!Direct contacts: !David Court M:07836 515 068 E: davidc@supajam.com !Nick Stillwell: M: 07973 833 935 E: nicks@supajam.com !Grace Morris M: 07702 672 411 E: grace.morris@supajam.net