NEWS from Blue Whale NCFE Music Technology Training Centre

Introduction to Logic Pro Course - Starting Summer Term

We are now taking bookings for our next 'Introduction to Logic Pro' course, starting in the Summer Term. For more information on content, costings or to secure your place on this 10 week, 2-hour course, please email info@bluewhaletraining.co.uk

UFA - Do You Want To Tracks Uploaded

To all of those who took part in UFA's Do You Want 2? event at the beginning of Easter, we hope you had as much fun as we did. The completed tracks have now been uploaded to our server and be downloaded using the following link.

http://public.me.com/bluewhaletraining/UFA

Find Us On Facebook

Blue Whale Training has recently joined the Facebook revolution and can be found as a page on the social networking site Our page will have all the latest course details and news from the Whale. We've also started a Logic Pro User Group for the West Midlands, for all locally based users of Logic to share tips, problem-solving and meet like-minded people.

New Team Members!

Blue Whale Studios has recently completed the install of a TL Audio VTC 24 console in the studio. This classic valve desk is used by Damon Albarn and Coldplay (amongst others) in their own studios and it sounds incredible! To compliment this new desk we have also installed the SSL Alpha Link D/A convertors which have superior sound quality at sample rates of up to 96 Khz. This refurbishment is another sign of our intention to deliver our courses in a professional environment using pro systems, to enable our learners to develop their skills.

www.tlaudio.co.uk

UFA - Do You Want 2? - TOMORROW - Sat 4th April Symphony Hall

Blue Whale will be providing drop-in workshops at tomorrow's UFA event, Do You Want 2? - our workshops will be delivered from the Arts Champion bus and are a drop-in taster to music technology and production. There's a load of great workshops running throughout the day at the event, which runs from 10am-4pm. Make sure you come along! See you there.

Atom Live '09

Blue Whale is pleased to announce our involvement in this year's ATOM Live '09. Access To Music's annual event is being held at the Custard Factoryon May 13th. All ATMs from around the country will be attending ATOM Live '09, where regional acts will be playing during the day along with seminars and interactive workshops. Blue Whale will be running a variety of music production and studio skills workshops.

www.accesstomusic.co.uk

www.accesstomusic.co.uk/atomlive

Envision - Global Is Local

Congratulations to Envision for another fantastic Global Is Local event at Birmingham University on Wednesday 25th February. Blue Whale were on hand to provide sound and record the event which is in the process of being edited into the first of many Envision podcasts. Watch this space.

www.envision.org.uk

UFA - Do You Want 2?

Blue Whale will be providing beat making workshops at UFA's Do You Want 2? event at Symphony Hall on Saturday 4th April. The family learning day event starts at 10am and is for families, carers, educators, children and young people. Blue Whale will be on-site from 12-4pm. Our workshop provides a taster into music technology and production as is suitable for all age groups.

www.ufa.org.uk

BBC Blast Telford Dates Confirmed

Dates confirmed for BBC Blast at Telford - 30th April, 1st and 2nd May. Blue Whale will be on-site on the 30th April running video and music production workshops. On Saturday 2nd May we will be running beat making workshops. The fun starts from 10am so come along and get creative.

www.bbc.co.co.uk/blast

BBC Blast Kidderminster Dates Confirmed

Dates confirmed for BBC Blast at Kidderminster - 25th April. Blue Whale will be on-site running DJ and Beat making workshops from 10am. Come along, look forward to seeing you there!

www.bbc.co.co.uk/blast

Sound City 8

Congratulating to all the schools and participants who took part in this year's Sound City Showcase at the CBSO on the 17th March. Blue Whale, along with the Birmingham Music Service, Arts Education and the CBSO again visited all regional showcases around the city, watching some incredible performances from a wide range of genres of music. A diverse selection from the regional showcases was then selected to perform to a wider audience at the CBSO. Sound City 8 marked Blue Whale's 6th year of involvement with the showacases. Also a big thank you to the students from both Lordswood Girls School and The International School, who shadowed or professionals with the technical and stage management for the event. The CD and DVD of Sound City 8 are being edited and all participants will receive a copy.

BBC Blast - 8th March 2009

Blue Whale is proud to support BBC Blast '09. Events happening across the West Midlands. Keep posted for more details of locations and events.

www.bbc.co.uk/blast

Are Music Technology Qualifications Currently Underused? - 6th March 2009

David Grailey, Chief Executive at NCFE, said: "Music is an important element of learning. Teaching subjects such as music technology can actively engage more pupils and allow them to develop their creativity, social skills, ICT skills and confidence." To read more, visit the NCFE site here.

Introduction to Logic Pro - Digital Music Production Course Date Announced - 14th January 2009

The next cycle of the Introduction to Logic Pro music training course will commence on Monday 2nd Feb at 6pm, at Blue Whale Training's West Midlands digital music studio and music technology facility. For more information on content, costings or to secure your place on this 10 week, 2 hour music production course, please email info@bluewhaletraining.co.uk

New - Introduction to Logic Pro - Music Technology Evening Classes Annnounced! - 17th Dec 2008

After the success of last year's 'Introduction to Logic Pro' music industry training evening classes, we are now registering students for another course commencing at our West Midlands NCFE music centre in Feb '09. This course is aimed at music technology students new to sequencing and recording and those wanting to develop their digital music studio skills further. Each learner has access to their own Apple iMac workstation running Logic Pro 8 for the duration of the music training course.

For further information about this course, please email info@bluewhaletraining.co.uk

End of Term Success - 17th Dec 2008

Congratulations to all students on the West Midlands music alternative provision who have worked so hard on their music technology qualifications. We look forward to your continuing success in the new year.

Arts on the Move - 31st October 2008

Well done to everyone who took part in the Arts Of The Move project during the October half term. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did. There were some great compositions made and we're looking forward to working with you all again next year.

Alternative Provision Places Still Available - September 22nd

Blue Whale Training's respected and proven music technology training West Midlands alternative provision still has places. Geared towards encouraging respect for others, and for oneself, our music technology alternative provision sessions help students produce something of which they can be proud, whilst learning IT skills and teamwork strategies. Our digital music studio helps supplement this with real music industry training. We believe in giving young people the chance to express themselves positively, enabling them to follow their own interests and engage with learning on a structured level which nevertheless allows them room to breath. Our NCFE-accredited courses offer practical skills, and an emphasis on routes to further education and employment.

If you know of a young person who might benefit from creative, socially aware music technology alternative provision in Birmingham or the West Midlands, drop us a line at info@bluewhaletraining.co.uk

New Academic Year - September 8th

Blue Whale Training starts the new academic year with some great plans and fantastic new opportunities for our learners. Since we're now a fully accredited music technology NCFE centre, we're able to offer everyone who comes through our door a high quality, respected award in music technology, making us more capable than ever this year to inspire, enthuse and re-engage. We saw so many success stories last year, amongst music technology alternative provision students and adult learners alike, that we're eager to expand our range of music industry training courses, and their frequency, even further in the year to come.

Watch this space for more details as the year proceeds...

NCFE accredited centre

We are proud to announce that Blue Whale Training has very recently been approved to operate as an NCFE accredited music technology centre, enabling us to offer accredited music industry training as part of all our programmes...

Course Success - 22nd July 2008

Congratulations to all of the West Midlands music technology students that have studied with us over the last academic year.

A 100% pass rate was achieved for all work put forward for accreditation, something we are very proud of.

New Website - July 18th 2008

Our brand new website has finally arrived. Navigate your way around the site to read all about Blue Whale Training and the variety of music technology services we have on offer.