Rockjam Ltd
Dublin, Ireland
01 6991396
087 2262085
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rockjam Announces the Launch of Its DCU All-Star Band
Rockjam Ireland, the premier Contemporary Music Education provider for young people in the country, is proud to announce the launch of its All-Star Band, an elite group of musicians who have honed their skills at Rockjam and are ready to take the stage.
The All-Star Band is composed of highly skilled and experienced musicians aged 11 – 17 years who have gone through a rigorous selection process to earn their place in the band. Members of the All-Star Band have demonstrated outstanding musicianship, technical proficiency, and a deep love and passion for music.
Rockjam has a long standing collaboration with DCU Jazz and Contemporary Music Department. Seeking to bridge the gap between school and college while offering our students access to the amazing facilities and tuition that a third level institution can offer, we have set up a working band made up of some of the most exciting young musicians that have taken part in Rockjam.
Rehearsals take place twice per month in DCU with Director Baz Rycraft and guest lecturers from the Jazz and Contemporary Music Degree Course. Led by Cormac O'Brien, the faculty include some of the finest musicians in the Country. Each rehearsal is a unique experience where the students benefit from the visiting faculty members, focusing on new areas of performance.
Contemporary Music covers a lot of genres including pop, rock, soul, funk, and all modern styles of music, but also more complex music like Jazz and Progressive Rock. Improvisation is a fundamental goal, allowing the students to learn how to fully express themselves musically. Building on the foundation of great groove based music and allowing the students to add to the music using creativity, this process will give our students a huge lift both technically and in confidence.
Our first show was in The Purty Kitchen on Feb 11th and 12th 2023. We have lots more exciting music adventures planned for this incredible group of young musicians. Our Goal is to tour the band to share what we have learned and to show other young Musicians the possibilities of Improvisation within Contemporary Music.
This initial group is made up of 13 students, essentially two working bands. Our aim is to expand the numbers over the next year, incorporating a horn section and some more rhythm section players.
Led by renowned music educator and Rockjam founder, Baz Rycraft, the All-Star Band promises to deliver an unforgettable live music experience for audiences of all ages and backgrounds. By adding improvisation and more complex arrangements to familiar songs from the contemporary music songbook, the band showcase that young musicians are capable of performing complex music to a high performance level. We believe that this will inspire young musicians around Ireland of all ages, backgrounds and abilities.
"We are thrilled to announce the launch of our All-Star Band," said Baz Rycraft. "Our students have worked incredibly hard to reach this level of musicianship, and we are excited to showcase their talents. The band continue to work with the amazing faculty in the DCU Jazz and Contemporary Music Department, expanding their repertoire and tackling ever more challenging concepts. "
For more information about Rockjam's All-Star Band, please visit the Rockjam website at www.rockjam.ie/all-star-band or contact us at [01 6991396] or [info@rockjam.ie].