Barking & Dagenham College students are hitting the right note in jazz masterclass

Students got the chance to write lyrics and melodies under the expert eye of jazz musician Orphy Robinson. 

The Music Production students from The East London Institute of Technology, part of Barking & Dagenham College were delighted to be asked to part in the Jazz Masterclass.   

The project was a collaboration with the London Jazz Festival and Soul and Sound.  Orphy is an award winning multi-instrumentalist, specialising on tuned percussion and one of a select few UK musicians to have been signed to the legendary USA jazz record label Blue Note. In the five hour session, Orphy told the students about his music career and gave them tips and pointers in breaking into the industry.  

He told the students the best advice he could give is to read everything, see as many live performances as possible and to remember that you always have choices.   

The students then got to write lyrics with Orphy’s direction and encouragement.  They collaborated to create a free-flowing jazz melody, before then recording the final piece. Some of the students played musical instruments while others performed vocals.  

Orphy Robinson said: “Access to this fantastic equipment sets the students up for the real world.  Music is about ideas and this is a great way to inspire and encourage those ideas and add to that the opportunity to make and record music.” 

Zoe Richardson, Project Manager and Tech Lead at the College added: “Orphy is the most incredible musician and producer who has worked with practically everyone of note over the years.  It was such an honour to have him here. It was a truly inspiring day for all the students involved.”