ICMP is delighted to announce that Tim Elsenburg has been appointed Teaching Fellow, BA Creative Musicianship.
The Sweet Billy Pilgrim songwriter and artist has been teaching at ICMP for three academic years and last year led the successful Level 4 module ‘The Practising Songwriter’.
He has made his career as a busy songwriter, producer, singer, multi-instrumentalist and music journalist, most notably with his genre-spanning band Sweet Billy Pilgrim. Their album ‘Twice Born Men’ received great critical acclaim and was Mercury Prize nominated in 2009.
Tim will be continuing his teaching on BA Songwriting during Semester A, but will move across to teach and lead modules on BACM in Semester B. He will be joining the BACM team reporting to Lucy Bernstein and undertaking some student related work immediately.
Commenting, Sophie said: "I’m a big fan of Tim’s work in Sweet Billy Pilgrim and have been inspired to get to know him over the last couple of years.
The students at ICMP relate really well to Tim’s intelligent and nurturing teaching style and his Sweet Billy Pilgrim gigs and performances at our Songwriters' Circle events are legendary."
"His creativity and generosity have become a key part of our community here at ICMP and the BA Creative Musicianship team are delightd that he will be permanently joining the team on that programme."
Commenting, Tim said: "I’m really thrilled to have been invited to join the Creative Musicianship programme as a Teaching Fellow. If I’m honest, I accidentally became a teacher when Sophie agreed to meet me to discuss running a masterclass at ICMP, and suggested that it might be something I should think about.
Since then, I’ve found a new outlet for expressing all things creative via the exchange of ideas and energy and enthusiasm with students and staff alike, and been privileged to experience connecting with a community of like-minded people in the inclusive and nurturing environment that is ICMP."
Tim is currently working on ‘Wapentak’, the fifth Sweet Billy Pilgrim album with his long-term collaborator Jana Carpenter. His teaching at ICMP will run alongside his work as a practising songwriter, performer and producer.
Tim said: "Once again, it’s a home-recorded, crowd-funded affair and working on the BACM will give me the chance to outline the kind of self-sufficiency and self-empowerment that’s kept us going for all these years, even as the business transitions into something else.
We’re still - as far I as I know - the only band to have been Mercury nominated for making an album in a shed with one crappy mic and a laptop, whilst wearing fur-lined wellies to fend off the cold."
Visit the Sweet Billy Pilgrim website for more information.
Listen to the band's track 'Slingshot Grin' below.
If you’re looking to take your playing and performing to the next level, then why not join us here at ICMP?
Our Admissions Team are on hand to help you, call them on 020 7328 0222 or email enquiries@icmp.ac.uk. You can also book a place on our next Open Day here.