Supersamtheman Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 Hi all, I've been thinking about possibly doing the ACM Higher Diploma in Bass performance next year. I downloaded all the application materials and what they are asking for skill wise doesn't seem too bad for me but I was just wondering if anyone had any experience/heard any stories of what the college is like? Thanks a lot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soliloquy Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 I'm told the ICMP higher diploma course is better, more face to face tuition. A friend of mine is head there, but I do believe him. How much is the course ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supersamtheman Posted February 10, 2011 Author Share Posted February 10, 2011 Hi and thanks for replying. The ACM hdip course is £3750 and the course is for 1 year. How does that compare to the ICMP course? I looked on the site but couldn't find the course cost. Thanks a lot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverBlackman Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 ICMP is smaller and has fewer teachers and fewer students. Also Kilburn isnt a very nice place compared to Guildford. ACM'S higher diploma course is brilliant and is definately worth the money if your serious about becomming a musicman. I am biases however, and i know my mates at ICMP will disagree on me. They call it "GAYCM"......... Drummers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soliloquy Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 (edited) [quote name='Supersamtheman' post='1123128' date='Feb 10 2011, 08:08 PM']Hi and thanks for replying. The ACM hdip course is £3750 and the course is for 1 year. How does that compare to the ICMP course? I looked on the site but couldn't find the course cost. Thanks a lot[/quote] The ICMP course is over £5000, that's a huge difference. blackmn90 is quite right, Kilburn isn't the most salubrious of areas . Do you know that they have a similar course at BIMM in Bristol, only asking 'cos your thing shows you live in Dorset. Bristol would be a lot cheaper to live in. Edited February 11, 2011 by Soliloquy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mez6d657a Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Not bass, but I did the year long diploma course at the guitar institute (which is now the ICMP) after I left school. It was great and I learned a hell of a lot, but truthfully I wasn't really good enough to be there and I don't think I should have passed the audition in the first place. Assuming the basic process hasn't changed too much since I was there, I think the most important thing you're going to need is the ability to learn things quickly. I was practising pretty much solidly all the way to bedtime, every day, trying to keep up with all the stuff they were throwing at us, and even then I just got completely snowed under by the end. Constant guitar all day every day burned me out and I didn't play again seriously for almost a year after finishing. If you decide to go for it, you should give yourself a head start by learning all the theory you can, getting your sight reading up to speed and working hard on your ear training and technique. All important stuff that you'll have to do anyway when you're there, but learning it is pretty mechanical and if you've got it all down by the time you start it will really free you up to focus on the important stuff (i.e. performance, gigging with some good bands and actually putting the theory to work), and you won't be stressing about remembering scales and arpeggios just before you're about to go on stage and start using them! Also have plenty of live experience - I hadn't done all that much when I arrived and it was seriously intimidating having to get up and play a song, unrehearsed, in front of a roomful of musicians who were intensely scrutinising every note! Also (and again things may have changed) you're likely to be in demand if you're a good player and a quick study. There were never enough bassists to go around when I was there. Tons of playing experience available if you want it . So it's A LOT of work. Think about whether you're seriously committed to focusing solely on playing music with such intensity (I wasn't, sad as that is to admit), because you won't have time to do much else. The tuition was amazing - at the time, people like Dave Kilminster and Shaun Baxter were teaching there, and having constant access to all that knowledge and experience was just inspiring. I still have really good memories of some of those lessons. What do you hope to get out of it? Are you looking to turn it into a career? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supersamtheman Posted February 11, 2011 Author Share Posted February 11, 2011 Hi everyone and thanks for replying, this is really useful! Blackmn90, thanks for the input. Haha I like GAYCM, might have to start calling it that now Soliloquy, ah right well then if I do go to any I think ICMP is out of the question, just too expensive. I know of the BIMM course but haven't looked into it, I thought the ACM course might be better because its nearer to London so more chances of gigs etc. And also I have a sister who lives in London which might end up useful (somehow.) mez6d657a, that is definitely a worry which I have. I was learning theory at quite a good pace during September/October last year but unfortunately got diagnosed with cancer which meant I had to leave school and subsequently theory lessons stopped. I am still off school now but treatment is coming to an end and things are looking good so I should be fit enough to start the course this autumn. Probably the only thing I would say I'm happy with in my playing is that I do tend to pick new things up quite quickly (only compared to other people I've played with) which I did think might come in useful, but definitely my theory lets me down a lot. I hadn't had any prior music lessons to the ones I was having last year or sat any formal exams, but my bass teacher said technique wise I was probably grade 8 but my theory was probably only about a grade 3/4, so I can't sight read and only recently learned to read at all. However, this seems to be acceptable for the higher diploma course which says you should be approx a grade 5-6 in technique and a grade 2-3 in your theory? If I do decide to go (and get accepted of course!) I will be practicing all summer to try and get as comfortable with the stuff as possible. To be honest at the moment the main thing I'm aiming to get out of it is to just have a good year and enjoy it (I was intending to go to uni to study a Chemistry degree before my illness, this is now out of the question as I have missed far too much work already to be able to catch up.) A career in music would be fantastic but again I am mainly thinking about the short term (hope for the best & plan for the worst.) I think probably the thing to do would be to first see if I get accepted as all this worrying could turn out to be pointless if I don't actually get in Thanks a lot for everyones input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mez6d657a Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Glad to hear you're on the mend mate . That can't have been any fun at all. I've just had a look at the ACM info and it really doesn't give you much to go on does it? It's been 12 years *cringe* since I did mine so I may be miles off, but I found there was a big difference between the level of ability needed to pass the audition and the level of ability needed to thrive on the course. There were some staggeringly good guitarists who started with me and I remember thinking at the time, surely you must be really bored being told to practise pentatonic scales all over again? In the end though, they were the ones who managed to keep up just fine (and still find time to do some socialising!) because they already had all the foundations well and truly in place. I remember having to give up on most of the jazz classes because I couldn't find the time to learn all the arpeggios and extra scales [i]and[/i] learn to apply them musically as well. That being said though, you've got more than enough time imho. Spending from now to September really cracking on with this stuff should set you up for a brilliant year if you choose to do it, even more so if you're going primarily to enjoy yourself. If you're seriously considering it, it would probably be worth heading over and having a look round - forget the open days, just strike up a conversation with the people smoking outside the front door and you'll be able to get the lowdown right from the horse's mouth! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverBlackman Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I think i was in a similar state when i joined ACM, i was only up to grade 4 and although i knew a major and minor scale that was pretty much it theory wise. The whole sight reading thing is just to make it look like standards are high. There are second year bassists who can't sight read amazingly and the reason is it takes lots of time to develop and can be between a few years and 10 years to get it right (obviously depends on the person and how much you practice). I was unable to read music when i joined ACM however after a lot of hard work in higher diploma i now find i am ok at it, not at all great or even good but i can get through a simplish chart. The main advantage that ACM has over the other institutes is that its huge! It has loads of students and lots of teachers. Do of course though look around the different places first, ACM was just the one that stuck out for me and i wouldn't have chosen anywhere else to do the higher dip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakenewmanbass Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I've been doing some teaching at [url="http://www.lccm.org.uk/"]LCCM[/url] I'm impressed, I have years of experience in colleges having taught at Salford university and the Arts centre in Liverpool for 8yrs Leigh college for a couple of years and having associates in Guildhall, Leeds, Trinity etc etc LCCM has a very good ethos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverBlackman Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 is LCCM new Jake? I'v never seen it advertised before but it looks to have good courses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakenewmanbass Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I think in it's current form Ollie yes it's relatively new, but there has been a college of sorts on the site for a while. It has been given accreditation by Middlesex Uni so is bonafide but more importantly it has a strong practical influence in the teaching so there is lots of playing going on, and they have some really good guys teaching there. I have been doing a Bass and Drums workshop with a guy called Rich Brook and they have been nothing short of excellent with a very high standard of achievement and a real enthusiasm from both staff and students. Highly recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supersamtheman Posted February 12, 2011 Author Share Posted February 12, 2011 Brilliant replies everyone, thankyou. mez6d657a, thanks yes, the website is pretty bare for details! And due to treatment etc I can't really go and visit any places so it's mainly based on the website really. My best friend however is a drummer and he wants to go to ACM and he has had a look round a few different courses and I trust his judgement! I am really planning to practice a lot before September, and me and a few friends have just formed a pub gig band which should give us some live practice before the course. So yes, hopefully with a lot of work now I can minimise it next year! blackmn90, that is reassuring as I was worried about how much of the course was sight reading. I can read basic music, otherwise it takes me a while to basically work out the notes and then memorise it, and then play it along. I'll definitely try and look around at the others but it is all time dependent. jakesbass, thanks for your recommendation of LCCM, the website looks great, however the course seems to be only 3 years? And to be honest 3 years is probably too long for me. If I do end up in the situation where I am okay health wise at the end of the course I could continue on for the additional two years at ACM to complete the Degree course. So I think the ACM might be more flexible? Also another point to raise is do you think I should inform the admissions tutor of my illness? There is a pretty good chance of relapse (again. This is my second time through treatment, first was about 3 years ago) and obviously that would affect how easy it is for them to get their fees back etc. Thanks a lot for all replies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getigotitgood Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 anyone know how big the ACM classes for the Higher Diploma? I know ICMP class sizes are about 10 students max... but living in London does not appeal one bit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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