ICMP hosts its first ever Songwriting Camp

Eighteen lucky songwriters were selected to participate at the first ever ICMP Songwriting Camp on 4th July 2019.

Curated and developed by James Brister and the rest of the team at ICMP’s Careers & Industry Hub, the Songwriting Camp provided a fantastic opportunity for students and alumni to collaborate and network with professional songwriters.

On the day, attendees were split into 12 groups and provided with guidelines in order to work on an original track/demo. Multi-talented songwriters and coaches Aidan Martin and Carla Monroe, together with Ed Poston (Senior A&R Manager at Concord/Imagem) joined the young students, mentoring and supporting each group while writing the songs.

Carla Monroe is best known for the platinum hit single MK ‘17’ (600k+ units sold and 120+ million streams on Spotify) and for her notable cuts and sessions with Grammy nominated duo Camelphat, Sigma, Tiesto, Oliver Heldens and Steel Banglez, and many more. Thinking about the day she spent at ICMP, she enthused:

It was so amazing to witness so much talent in one place while sharing ideas and creating with one another. ICMP is doing a really fantastic job at bridging the gap between the classroom and the industry!"

At the end of the camp, Ed Poston held a listening session during which each group had the chance to play their songs to the rest of the participants and benefit from feedback/advice by Ed himself. 

Ed, who has over 15 years of experience within the music business and has worked with artists and songwriters such as Mark Ronson, Aurora, Daft Punk and Ed Sheeran, commented:

The level of songwriting talent at ICMP is seriously impressive and the songs generated during the writing camp were extremely great. I would like to say that I was surprised, but every time I visit ICMP the talent level is always high. James Brister has never failed to bring excellent songwriters and artists to my attention at the appropriate time."

Coach Aidan Martin, a singer-songwriter who's written with artists like Joss Stone, James Smith, Will Young, Kelli Leigh and Billy Lockett, thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the event. He said that ICMP talent is 'truly outstanding' and that the writing camp was a great way for all participants to get a true taste of what a day in the music business is like and prepare them to work in such professional environment.

Scott Colcombe, one of ICMP's BA (Hons) Songwriting alumni, loved the songwriting camp format, especially because of the interaction with fellow songwriters and the opportunity to get feedback on his songs. 'It was something I've missed a lot since finishing my Songwriting degree!", he commented. Jane Fraser, another BA (Hons) Songwriting graduate, enjoyed reconnecting with ICMP the most: "The mentors on the day were very inspiring as were the current students attending the course. I would recommend the camp to anyone looking to up their game and collaborate with quality writers and producers".

Find out more about ICMP's Music Careers and Industry Team and the exciting range of opportunities and events they offer our students.