Magda Piskorczyk Masterclass
About Magda Piskorczyk Masterclass
Since 2010 Magda has been running her original (based on her own programme) workshops, and in 2012 released a CD “Magda Piskorczyk Masterclass”, recorded with participants of MPM held in Warsaw. The CD was produced as a result of the second stage of MPM, which focuses on working in a recording studio, and all aspects of music production. These workshops were the first ones of that kind in Poland. There were 11 songs recorded, representing various styles and genres, chosen and recorded with the students. You can listen to some of them below. Magda was not only the originator of the workshops and the CD, but she also took care of the production, mixes and mastering.
Currently part of one of the largest music workshops in Poland (“Blues nad Bobrem” – near Boleslawiec and Goerlitz), Magda Piskorczyk Masterclass is breaking records of popularity, with all available places taken within less than a week, two years in a row.
Magda Piskorczyk about the beginnings of MPM:
“How did I come up with the idea of Masterclass? I was asked by Lech Spaszewski to run vocal workshops at Cultural Centre Ochota (OKO) in Warsaw. I thought there were many great specialists teaching voice techniques, but very few people teach young musicians how to work in a band, how to express themselves in what they are playing or singing, how to discover themselves in the music. Certainly no one did it in a form of band workshops including technical skills required to create professional performance on a big stage and stage in general, how to notice and hear the musicians around them, communicate on stage, and do all the things that are just as important in making music as technique is. And this was the kind of workshops I wanted to run. Luckily for me – Lech agreed for me to run my original M.P. Masterclass.”
Magda runs her music workshops all over the country and abroad. Please get in touch if you’re interested in bringing Magda Piskorczyk Masterclass to your city.
CD “Magda Piskorczyk Masterclass”
Karolina Jarzyńska & Magda Piskorczyk – “Miłość ci wszystko wybaczy”
Production: Magda Piskorczyk & OKO
Music production: Magda Piskorczyk
Mix : Magda Piskorczyk www.magdapiskorczyk.com
Mastering: Magda Piskorczyk & Paweł Pękalski
Adam Skrzecz – “Hard Time Killing Floor Blues”
Performers: Adam Skrzecz – vocal; Jakub Goławski – bass; Michał Tkocz – drums; Sławek Nowodworski – harmonica; Aleksandra Siemieniuk – dobro guitar
Arrangaments, production, mix and mastering: Magda Piskorczyk
In 2013 it was no 1 on the top of the Alternative Hit List of the Radio Cracow
Magda Piskorczyk Masterclass
“Blues nad Bobrem” Festival
A few films from the workshops:
Gospel during blues mass in a church
Magda a capella: “Travelling Shoes”
and with the workshops particpants: “Keep Your Eyes on the Prize”
Final concert in 2013
Winter edition and concert 2013
– fragments of the concert on 29.12.2013 at Teatr Stary in Bolesławiec:
Workshops programme:
As soon as you register, we’re staring our work together. You should contact me immediately, to start the process of proposing and choosing songs to work on during the workshops, leading to the final performance.
Who could be interested in my workshops?
Vocalists, guitarists, drummers, bassists, instrumentalists of all kinds, who have some experience and skills (i.e. can play a solo, have some technical basics, are able to prepare a song by ear), perhaps are thinking of creating their own band, would like to learn how to play with other people, arrange songs, learn how to lead a band, run rehearsals, soundchecks, etc.
Music styles
All genres welcome, with some focus on genres such as blues (also afro-, ethno- etc.), jazz, soul, funk, and rock.
Requirements:
- Your own instrument (except from drumkit)
- Open mind (and ears!)
- Commitment to hard work in a band
- Openness to music proposed by other participants and myself
- Trust, that you’re among people who support your development and who are learning themselves as well
Main goals:
- Preparing a professional gig (c. 60 min performance)
- Developing individual skills
- Learning how to work effectively in a band
- Broader perception of music, without categorising it into genres
- Expressing oneself through the instrument
- Working on interpretation and sharing the story through instruments, vocals and words
- Working through barriers preventing you from playing freely
- Working on arrangements as a group – building the song from scratch
- Getting to know the role of each instrument in a band
- Getting comfortable on stage
- Preparing the gig from the point of view of a musician, a sound engineer and Front of House
Examples of other teaching activities:
Magda has prepared a group of vocalists for gospel concert at Meskalina Blues Festival. She had 6-day Masterclass workshops in Luxembourg in 2015 (with final concert in Sang a Klang club). In Ferbruary 2016 she was a teacher during rock music workshops for teenagers in Warsaw – the photogallery.
Former participants about MPM:
To take part in MPM – that definitely is a hard, intense work, yet so well organised by Magda. (…) Thanks to this original system, in which the classes are run you can learn so much not just playing yourself, but also watching how others work and how Magda works with us individually and with us as a band, how she leads this band. At the same time she encourages the participants to take control and responsibility for one another in the songs, to active listening and concentration. I loved how much attention she directs to the respect band members should have for each other and for their work together. She also considers each individual’s skills and predispositions, helps them to open up and perhaps work on pieces they wouldn’t have confidence to choose themselves. It’s beautiful and unique how in one band of maybe a dozen people there are professionals and amateurs of different levels working together, and each of them equally can count on support from the others and from Magda, and for a chance to shine. I can truly recommend these workshops to you if you’re ready to work hard and love Music.
Magda is Magic. Literally. Though I’m warning you – she can be tiring. But this is only because she must be a robot. Or an alien. She has infinite amounts of energy. Ten-hour rehearsal after she travelled for ten hours? No problem! At 11pm you’ll hear anyway: ‘Hey, can you do this song for tomorrow as well, please?’ You gotta be ready for that if you wanna work with Magda Piskorczyk. But believe me, even if you’re tired – it’s amazing. Magda shares her energy with everybody, and plays with music. Everybody does. It’s music, not just blues or just funk. Sometimes we would start a song blues style, then switch to funk and finish with gospel. That’s wonderful, pure joy. You’ll learn how to work in a band, how to arrange songs, how to prepare a set list, how to speak to sound engineers, how to behave on stage and how to communicate on stage. These are the bonuses. Magda is Magic, and the workshops are wonderful.
Friendly atmosphere and the joy of playing together – this is what makes me always recall Magda’s workshops with a smile on my face. (…) It’s a miniature of what playing in a professional, well-organised band is like. (…) There I realised that a band is not just a group of musicians playing simultaneously, however talented they may be, but the energy they have. That energy emerging among them is the power of MP Masterclass, and mutual respect and cooperation are its foundation. Music truly brings people together. Two years ago I met my girlfriend at MPM, and I’ve been in touch with every person in our group ever since, even though we’re spread all over the country.
MPM helped me to develop musically a great deal. Magda has a gift of patiently showing the students what can be improved in singing, sound, timing and many more. Her enthusiasm inspires to play better and believe in oneself, to leave the comfort zone and jump into the deep water musically. These workshops will teach you how to play in a band, think in categories of playing together, adjusting to the vocalists and instrumentalists. The atmosphere is so friendly and informal; you forget that Magda Piskorczyk is someone who performs with the best musicians at the best stages in Poland, Europe and USA.
The most important for me was changing my mind set and attitude to playing on stage, and fighting my shyness, starting to like my playing and my style. Sure, I’ve played gigs and at jam sessions, but often my fingers would just freeze on stage. Now I can play whatever I want. I realised that playing solo is not proving anything to anybody, but giving others music; you can’t compare yourself to anyone, everyone has their own unique style. (…) Another important thing was learning how to play in a band and listen to others. I’ve always tried doing it, but thanks to MPM I learned how to control it better. (…) It gave me loads of joy and satisfaction. Also getting to know other genres and opening up to them. (…) To summarise, on my musical path these workshops were one of the best stops, and I hope to meet more people like Magda.
Photos from workshops:
