P17 APRIL 2016
Belgium
International times This year’s ‘International Week’ (15-19 Feb) at the PXL Music University College in Hasselt featured some 30 workshops, masterclasses and sessions, introducing knowledge and expertise while opening opportunities abroad, notes Marc Maes
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ith some 200 students altogether, publicly funded PXL Music offers bachelor educations in music, music management and engineering (studio and live audio). Most of the lecturers work as freelance alongside their job in the music industry, thus giving a to-the-point view on today’s music business. The school is located in a new music campus, with a footprint of 1,600sqm, and features spacious classrooms, meeting rooms, fully equipped rehearsal rooms and a double studio configuration: students can work either on an SSL Duality or on a Neve VRP 48 desk. “There’s a double target with the ‘International Week’,” explains Gert Stinckens, PXL music department manager. “We invite lecturers from abroad, experts in their own field, to convey their knowledge to our students. They are developing innovative ideas and teaching elements that aren’t featured in the normal curriculum of the college. And we also welcome former PXL alumni, who made their way on an international level, to give feedback to our students. That’s what the ‘International Week’ is about.” A typical example for the ‘International Week’ was Greg Cohen. Besides his life as a bass player who played with John Zorn, Tom Waits, David Byrne, Elvis Costello and many others, Greg Cohen is a music teacher at the Jazz-Institut-Berlin. “In our typical pop/rock music college, Greg introduced jazz, klezmer and world music,” explains Filip Heurckmans, lecturer studio engineer at PXL. “Two sessions dealt with ‘how to survive as a musician’ and ‘how to record bass sound’.” Another highlight was the (Skyped) masterclass on the SSL Duality console. “Chris Jenkins, SSL director of commercial applications gave an insight on the design of the SSL AWS and Duality consoles and issues like ‘how to get old-school analogue consoles giving DAW control?’,” continued Heurckmans. “The session was organised in collaboration with SSL importer Joystick Audio and co-hosted by lecturer studio engineer Werner Pensaert who also provided an introductory class on working with the SSL Duality.” Other classes included a vocal workshop by (Zap Mama singer) Marie Daulne, and a tandem session by lecturers Malcolm Toft, designer of the Trident consoles, and his partner-engineer Bruno Wynants of Ocean Audio, on the “analogue console in a digital world”. Artist and tour manager Andy Inglis hosted a lecture on music management/live sound in a UK music club, the national
Workshop building a DIY BASTL (Photo: Franck Duchêne)
and international music market. “The key issue of this ‘International Week’ is to cross borders,” underlines Frank Duchêne, lecturer in music production analysis at PXL, and curator of the week. “By getting our students to talk with both lecturers and alumni working abroad, they can be persuaded to pursue their path outside Belgium. Most of the sessions were booked up solid, and a healthy barometer: many students want to go abroad.” Department head Gert Stinckens is convinced that
the biggest challenge is to find partners abroad who are willing to open trainee posts or vacancies to foreign graduates. “One of our alumni could work as a trainee in Jamaica’s Tuff Gong studios – a great experience but not evident. It takes quite some effort to match graduates with studios or vacancies in record or management companies.” After some 20 lectures and sessions, the week was concluded by a masterclass on the design of the Kii Three cardioid studio loudspeakers by developer Bruno Putzeys. “It’s all about supporting innovative ideas, also from local designers,” explains Duchêne. “Putzeys and iDeal Audio’s Matthias Aerts set up the workshops: one in a ‘living room’ environment, a second one in our Neve control room. During a network reception hosted by the Belgian AES students, the Kii Three was officially launched before an audience of professionals – closing this year’s ‘International Week’.” www.pxlmusic.be
Bruno Putzeys lecturing about Kii Three speakers (Franck Duchêne)
(L-R): Filip Heurckmans; Gert Stinckens, Vaclav Pelousek, Ondrej Merta, Far right: Frank Dûchene, Seated: Micha Volder and (right) Arne Van Petegem (Photo:: Marc Maes)
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