Christine Barron

Professional

Composer/Lyricist:	Composer
Genre:	Media

Biography

Christine Barron was born and educated in Birmingham. She started her musical career as a freelance percussionist which included freelance work with the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Subsequently she has worked extensively as a theatre and cabaret musician with many top entertainers.

Christine has had many years experience as a professional composer and has written over 400 compositions to date. Her compositions have been extensively heard both in the UK and worldwide. She has composed music for Film, Television and Radio (including Audiovisuals and Corporate Productions), Commercials, Library and Production Music, Concert Music, Electroacoustic Music and Printer Music for percussion, woodwind and string instruments in the Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers catalogue.

Subsequently Chappell Music Ltd. commissioned her to write a library album of short pieces to be used as ‘jingles’, theme and incidental music for T.V., radio and films. This album has been distributed throughout the world. Her success in the T.V. commercial ‘jingle’ field has led her collaboration with Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers on a number of albums including an album recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

As a leading authority of all aspects of percussion, she has written two comprehensive percussion tutors with cassette for the internationally acclaimed, award winning and best selling ‘Learn As You Play’ series of instrumental tutors by Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers. These are:

Learn As You Play Drums
Learn As You Play Drums Cassette
Learn As You Play Tuned Percussion & Timpani

Christine is well known in the UK and abroad for her innovative Percussion Workshops/Master Classes featuring percussion. As an example, she has given a Percussion Composition Master Class for the Evelyn Glennie Award for Percussion Composition at the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall.

Currently, Christine is working as a percussion specialist adjudicator for Music Festivals around the UK and in 2001, she was awarded the skills qualification of the Post Graduate Certificate in Performance Adjudication (PGCA) from Leeds University. During recent months and for the most part of 2005, Christine has been busy updating her Learn As You Play Drums book, (which now includes a CD), published by Boosey & Hawkes, and was released during April 2006. Christine is now heavily involved with giving workshops promoting her new edition of the book for the New Workshops Scheme, presented by Schott & Co. Ltd and Boosey & Hawkes.

CDs:
'Passage of Time' Suite in six parts - Electric Violins, Viola & Orchestra (Venini Records)
'Midsummer Meadow' Electric Violins, Viola & Orchestra (Venini Records)
'Santis' Electric Intermezzo - Solo Violin & Orchestra (Venini Records)

Printed Music:
New Edition with CD of `Learn As You Play Drums' - Drum Kit & Snare Drum Tutor' (Boosey & Hawkes)
Press Release dated April 2006
Learn As You Play Drums
New Edition with CD
`The updated edition of LAYP Drums now includes a CD providing demonstrations of the music and backing tracks for the Concert Pieces in both LAYP Drums and Tuned Percussion & Timpani. Suitable for both individual and group tuition, this new edition contains carefully programmed material from absolute beginner to intermediate level. Learn As You Play Drums and its sister volume Learn As You Play Tuned Percussion & Timpani can be used together: there are many pieces and exercises which can be combined to give students experience of ensemble playing. Together, the two books can make the absolute beginner into an all-round drummer!'.

'Learn As You Play Drums' - Drum Kit & Snare Drum Tutor (Boosey & Hawkes)
" It is intended for the absolute beginner to intermediate level and therefore contains a considerable amount of helpful written information.. beneficial to beginning students of any age group." Percussive Notes, Autumn 1993

".. this book is highly recommended. It is an excellent start for all drummers and almost a necessity for those wishing to be an all round percussionist. If you've found tutors hard work before try this one and suprise yourself." NAPT, December 1990

`Learn As You Play Drums Cassette' "This 96 minute cassette will demonstrate rhythms and exercises from the book and, most usefully, isolates the drums in the left hand stereo chanel. Hence, the drums may be taken out of the mix to be replaced by sounds of your own playing, or boosted to allow for greater concentration on Barron's own beats" Rhythm, Feb 1992

"Christine Barron's 'Learn As You Play' books on drums and tuned percussion and timpani are excellent. And now they're even better because there's an audio cassette available... The pieces and excercises in the books are demonstrated by professional musicians. Every new rhythm, fill-in and rudiment is there to ensure you are playing it correctly and at the right tempo. To make it even more enjoyable, all the pop beats, fill-ins and concert pieces are recorded with attractive accompaniments. Learning is now relatively easy, painless, enjoyable and fast" Premier Percussion News, May 1992

'Learn As You Play Tuned Percussion & Timpani' - Tuned Percussion & Timpani Tutor (Boosey & Hawkes)
"This is an excellent text for introducing students to tuned percussion instruments and is worthy of consideration by any teacher who works with young students." Percussive Notes, Autumn 1993

"... a good concise work which willl provide students with a firm grounding for orchestral playing and any preparation for percussion examination work on timps and tuned percussion" MMA, Autumn 1990

"Chris Barron has made a wonderful contribution to percussion education. The whole package is tremendously attractive for teachers and pupils to work from" Evelyn Glennie

'Lady in Blue' - Printed in 'First Repertoire Pieces for Saxaphone' (Alto & Tenor) and 'Practice Sessions for Flute' (Boosey & Hawkes)

'Butterflies' - Printed in the series of books; 'Session Time' for solo & ensemble woodwind (Boosey & Hawkes)

'Santis' - Printed in the series of books; 'Session Time' for solo & ensemble woodwind (Boosey & Hawkes)

Links:
www.boosey.com
www.schott-music.com/workshops

Full member of: The PRS, MCPS, Musicians Union, Percussive Arts Society (USA), The National Association of Percussion Teachers

Percussion Specialist Adjudicator and Member Of: The British & International Federation of Festivals for Music, Dance & Speech

Important Works		Performances
Television theme music:'Shut That Door' - Larry Grayson, Own Series ITV 'Where Are They Now' -David Jacobs, Show Host BBC Songs:'Shut That Door' - single record, recorded by Larry Grayson (Decca Records) 'What a Gay Day' - Title Album LP, recorded by Larry Grayson (Decca Records) Library/ Production Music:'Animals' Album - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Boosey & Hawkes - Cavendish Music) 'Stings & Things' Album (Standard/Chappell) 'Percussion' Album (Boosey & Hawkes - Cavendish Music) 'Short Themes' Album (Boosey & Hawkes - Cavendish Music) 'Affairs of the Heart' CD (Boosey & Hawkes - Cavendish Music) 'The Comedy Store' CD (Boosey & Hawkes - Cavendish Music) 'National Music - Chinese/Indian' CD (Boosey & Hawkes - Cavendish Music) 'The Archive Collection Vol 3' CD (Boosey & Hawkes - Cavendish Music) Orchestral Music:'Coventry Impressions' Suite in four parts First Performance by the Coventry Youth Orchestra 'Yuletide in Solothurn' First Performance, Coventry Cathedral and broadcast on local radio Musical Theatre:'The Broad Highway' - First Performance Birmingham Repertory Theatre 'Cinderella' - Rugby Theatre, Warwickshire		None added