I am known as both an academic and as a professional flute improviser and musical director of ‘Charanga del Norte,’ a band I formed in 1998.
I am many things – an academic, a writer, a professional musician, a linguist (French, Spanish, Hindi, Linguistics) and a teacher; I combine my professional work as a performer with my academic career.
Members of Charanga del Norte Sue Miller (bandleader and flute), Nick Willimas (violin) and Matty Shallcross (percussion) are giving a free Latin music Workshop for Streetlife on Coney Street York Monday 30 May at 2pm. The workshop is free and you only need to register online here https://streetlifeyork.uk/events/latin-music-workshop-day-instrumentalists-vocalists-percussionists
The workshop is directed by Professor Sue Miller, bandleader and founder of Charanga del Norte since 1998 assisted by pianist and percussion tutor Helen Curtis. The workshop explores a variety of Latin/Cuban music popular styles through a mixture of workshops, sectionals and ensemble catering for brass, strings, guitar, woodwind, percussion, vocals, piano, and bass. In these workshops participants will be exploring the feeling of groove, clave feel, and Latin clave-based improvisation within an ensemble context.
This is a practice blog on my progress learning the 5-key wooden flute used in Cuban charanga. In these two short videos I am following the fingerings Cuban flute players taught me in 2011 but I haven’t as yet had time to learn the instrument – the Covid19 pandemic has led to me teaching my University performance students online and I have asked them to keep an audio-visual practice diary. I usually don’t ask students to do things I haven’t road tested myself and although I documented my practice in my PhD I did not record my private practice in video form, only band rehearsals and live performances – so here goes for some ‘practice what you preach!’
Moving back up north I am now senior lecturer in music at Leeds Beckett University. Based in the School of Film, Music and Performing Arts I now lecture on the BA (Hons) in Production and Performance and on the music MA courses there. Supervision areas include Cuban music, improvisation, popular music analysis and ethnomusicology.
“This book treats with freshness and vitality issues that are crucial for educators in higher education and beyond. The international and multi-disciplinary group of scholars – anthropologists, psychologists, musicians, artists and art educators – engage us in deeply educational issues and experiences…Enthusiastically recommended!” – Liora Bresler, Professor of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education, University of Illinois, USA
Latin Fiesta@The Academy, Anglia Ruskin University, East Road CB1 1PT
Brazilian Samba, Cuban Son and Salsa
Thursday 30 May 9pm til late
FREE GIG, SAMBA WORKSHOP, SALSA DANCE CLASS AND DJ
Free Cuban Music concert by students from the School of Music at The Clothworkers Centenary Hall,the University of Leeds 6pm (refreshments from 5.30pm). A Cuban Music Big Band plus a charanga line-up and son band directed by Sue Miller perform the dance styles son, son montuno, descarga (jam session) , pachanga, danzon and chachacha.
Latin Music Long Weekender – 4 places left so enrol now if you want to be part of it!
Summer School
At Yorkshire College of Music
St Marks House, 1 St Marks Avenue, Leeds LS2 9BN
DATES: FRIDAY 29 JULY, SATURDAY 30 JULY AND SUNDAY 31 JULY 2011
Cuban Popular Dance Music, Cuban Percussion and Brazilian Rhythms – A Course for Instrumentalists, Vocalists and Percussionists
Caribbean and Latin American Music Study Day
Saturday 12 November 2011
University of Huddersfield
School of Music, Humanities and Media, Queensgate, Huddersfield HD1 3DH
Guest Speaker Dr Henry Stobart (Royal Holloway, University of London)
CALL FOR PAPERS