Mak Murtic

My name is Mak Murtic, I am a saxophonist, Musical Director and composer. I hold a BA in music (Hons). I teach saxophone, arranging, directing, music theory as first studies and preparation courses and I also teach guitar and piano as second studies.

I teach groups and one to one.

Instruments / Music Skills

• Saxophone
• Composition
• Piano
• Bass Guitar
• Guitar
• Arranging

Education & Qualifications

• Middlesex University – Bachelor of Music (Hons) – Saxophone Performance and Music Directing and Arranging (MDA)
• Saxophone tuition under Dave O'Higgins and Dave Lewis
• Composition/Arrangement tuition under Mark Armstrong, Simon Wallace, Ed Speight, Sid Gauld, Roland Perrin.
• Masterclasses with Michel Camilo, Eric Alexander, David Hammer, George Clinton, Amina Claudine Myers.
• Private mentorship from acclaimed composer and saxophonist Saša Nestorović
• Composition mentorship in Adopt a Composer Scheme from acclaimed composer Fraiser Trainer
• MD sessions and arrangements for The National Youth Jazz Orchestra and Alec Roth String Quarter.
• Writing masterclass with Jazzwise magazine during the 2011 London Jazz Festival with Kevin LeGendre and Jon Newey.
• fully CRB/DBS checked

Career

• Bandleader, saxophonist and composer in Mimika Ensemble (London) (2010 – onwards) (Performed at London Jazz Festival 2012, London Olympic Festivals, jazz festivals and venues across Europe and the UK as well as many art events and venues in London)
• Composer for the Croatian National TV Big Band (Awards for new compositions 2010, 2011 and 2013 and chosen as a representative for the European Broadcasting Union programme in 2014 with a 25 minute concept musical programme about a space civilization of humans experiencing economic struggles influenced by jazz, Bartok, contemporary classical music, futurist literature, scientific research, performance art and electronic music, with a narrator and two vocalists including the big band) (Zagreb, Croatia and across the European Union)
• Elected to be part of Adopt a Composer Scheme in 2013/2014 in collaboration with PRS, Making Music and BBC writing a concept piece for the Clapham Community Choir (UK)
• Saxophonist in Majmak Duo (London)
• Saxophonist in Palumbo and The Funk (London)
• Saxophonist in Shapla Salique Band (London)
• Saxophonist in Shama Rahman Band (London)
• Saxophonist in Grand Union Orchestra (London)
• Saxophonist in Captain of the Awesome Machine (London)
• Saxophonist in Phaze Theory (London)
• Saxophonist in various groups with eastern musical traditions (such as Balkan, Roma music, Greek music, Russian folk music, Persian music etc which use similar techniques and phrasing) (UK and Croatia)
• Saxophonist in LCCM Big Band. (UK)
• Saxophonist and accompaniment in the Protein Dance Company with performances on various festivals and Laban Dance Centre (London)
• Performance with the Royal Festival Symphony Orchestra (Sheherezade) as a mixture of Indian classical and Jazz styles with Rimsky Korsakoff's writing.
• Cultural Society Markovac, working with Croatian Traditional Music, Tamburitza and Choirs (Zagreb, Croatia, 2008-2009)
• Working with House on the Rock as a saxophonist and arranger for gospel concerts
• Former Saxophonist and Bandleader in Kreol (Zagreb, Croatia, 2008-2010)
• Freelance performing with various other ensembles, bands, function groups

Educator

• Saxophone and Music theory teacher in the „Treble N' Clef“ music school, London
• Saxophone and Music theory teacher in the „Newham Academy of Music“ working in various primary and secondary schools, London
• Workshop leader with the Grand Union Orchestra (Mulberry school – ESOL students, Various high schools and Sunday Workshop sessions with the Grand Union Youth Orchestra)
• Private Tutorship (2009 – onwards)
• As an educator I am interested in improving and constantly maintaining children's and other students' interests by aknowledging the effect of technological development and changes, by creating group involvement and constantly improving the way of teaching.

Other skills

• IT skills –music and film – Sibelius, Finale, Logic, Sound Forge, Adobe Premiere, Final Cut
• - other – Word, Wordpress, Photoshop, Acrobat, Rhino, Artlantis, AutoCad, ArchiCad
• Languages – English (fluent), Serbocroatian (fluent)

Influences

Musical Styles
• Jazz
• Classical
• Contemporary styles (from pop to afrobeat, hip hop to rock)
• Strong interest in styles and techniques of various traditional and non-western musical styles
• Involvement in the contemporary London Underground Arts and Experimental Music Scenes
• Visual Arts and Cinema

Music Artists
• Hiatus Kaiyote, Duke Ellington, John Zorn, Charlie Parker, Pablo Casals, Horowitz, Herbie Mann, Emil Cossetto, Dubravko Detoni, Caude Debussy, Fela Kuti, Bill Evans, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Tchaikovsky, Rabih Abou Khalil, Ravel, Rimsky-Korsakov, Stravinsky, Ravel, Dvorak, Bartok, Experimental, Traditional and Contemporary Music in general

Personal information

• Born in 1988 in Zagreb, Croatia
• Lived in Los Angeles in the early 1990s
• Schooled in Zagreb, Croatia
• Studied Architecture in Zagreb, Croatia
• Studied Music in London, UK
• Based in London, UK

SAXOPHONE LESSONS
What I teach ?

Tone colour and the development of personal tone, soloing / improvisation, interpretation, reading and writing music, chord structures.
The teaching goes through different stylistic approaches and is tailored to the interest in needs of the student, however I follow a couple of curriculums, including the standard level curriculum for classical music and Bert Ligon's jazz method.

My teaching range is from beginner to advance levels and have experience in teaching both children and adults. I can either prepare pupils for the ABRSM, Trinity or Guildhall music exams from initial to grade 8+ or teach a tailored programme following the pupils interests.

Styles: Jazz, Funk, Latin American, World Music, Balkan Music, Classical Music.

One-to-one lessons:

Held at my home - £30 per hour

ARRANGING and COMPOSITION LESSONS:

Clear understanding of music theory, scales and modes and working on musical examples from Big Band arrangements, to classical orchestral and chamber pieces to solo instrumental, vocal and lastly the arrangements of brass, vocal parts and combo parts for popular music styles from pop and reggea, to motown, funk,latin american and hip hop to create your own particular feel and style of writing.

One-to-one lessons:

Held at my home (zone 2)- £30 per hour

Contact me on [email protected]

LINKS
www.makmurticensemble.com
www.youtube.com/makkreol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZlriBr50j8