Dr Ian Percy
Informal Biography
After an initial career in original bands, songwriting, performance and studio production, Ian embarked on a long period of formal education. Four years in Music College resulted in a plethora of performance experience and a handful of diplomas studying Popular Music and Jazz in theory and practice, and led to a HND studying Classical Music.
Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)
A personal predilection towards acoustic songwriting matured (via many styles of blues and rock music) into composing and performing Jazz songs and instrumental music. Years of experience with studio recording and production had necessitated general familiarity with a wide range of instruments. Folk and Rock guitar technique expanded to include competent representation of Jazz styles, modes, technique and theory (especially Jazz harmony) and would inevitably lead to classical guitar technique and ABRSM grades in classical guitar, jazz piano and classical music theory.
Initial Studies ...
Initial studies into the structural forms of Classical and Romantic period music discovered in college lectures had never really captured the imagination of the composer, but the more advanced levels of music theory and analysis required to understand these works (as compared to analysing the reductive components of a Rock song-sheet or even a Jazz lead-sheet) had certainly stimulated interest, and so the composer chose to continue his formal studies into a University BA Honours in Classical Music and graduated from The University of Liverpool four years later with first class honours and a Masters in Music (MMus.) with distinction.
Soundworld, Philosophies & Techniques
The passing years had introduced the composer to contemporary classical music. Lutosławski’s String Quartet (1968), Birtwistle’s Silbury Air (1977) and Pärt’s Tabula Rasa (1977) were works that made an early impression. Discovering the soundworld, philosophies and techniques of acousmatic and electroacoustic composition opened up a whole new path of options, where extensive experience with music technology and studio production could be combined with a lifelong passion for composition.
At the end of 2001 (after a period as a substitute lecturer at The University of Liverpool), Ian was offered the opportunity to teach studio composition and music technology at Liverpool Hope University and has been there ever since. Alongside music technology and studio production, Ian taught electroacoustic and acousmatic composition until 2010/11 and still has research students active in these areas. Although Ian still teaches sessions in music history, context and analysis and has a wide range of expertise for dissertation supervision, he now lectures primarily in acoustic score-based composition and is a senior lecturer in music at Liverpool Hope University.
ianpercy.me.uk
A Life in Music
Ian has also taught courses on Composing with Music Technology and Postmodernism in Music at The University of Liverpool Centre for Continuing Education and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA). He completed his doctorate in Composition at The University of Manchester with Professor John Casken.
Dr. Ian Percy
