Musicians take note: FE colleges are ideal for budding artists

It's well known to their fans that the Arctic Monkeys studied music at Barnsley College, a fact that no doubt helps attract budding musicians to the college. Leeds College of Technology also celebrates a famous name, albeit an older one. They revealed a plaque this year to mark the fact that Pink Floyd's Syd Barrett wrote the hit "See Emily Play" on site after playing a gig there in April 1967.

Colleges are proud of the music students they teach, both those in the limelight and those behind the scenes. But how can they be so sure that they offer one of the best environments to study the subject?

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South Thames College in London is currently the only music technology department in the country to be awarded the coveted CoVE (Centre of Vocational Excellence) status. They offer aspiring music producers, musicians and artists access to state-of-the-art recording equipment and technology facilities, and inside expertise from lecturers, many of whom have crossed over into teaching from careers in the business and remain active in the industry.

Nick Osborne, curriculum manager for Music at South Thames says: "One of the main benefits for students studying at college is that they directly benefit from close links between the staff and the music industry. As well as being qualified teachers many of the tutors in our department are professional DJs, producers and musicians, so they have the opportunity to open doors and opportunities for the students that they wouldn't get elsewhere. Students also have the opportunity to use both our facilities and external recording studios and performance venues used by professional artists - and this can only benefit their skills, knowledge base and the learning experience."

Mid-Cheshire College based in Hartford doesn't just use professionals to teach, they turn their students into professionals while they are doing the course. The college has set up Inclusive Records, a record company designed to develop, record and promote musical talent from within the college and the local area, and at the same time, give students an insight into the industry and networking opportunities.

Meanwhile, at Salisbury College, students spend a lot of time working in the local community. "Our students conduct workshops with children in schools introducing them to different types of instruments. We work with youth clubs and we had a project underprivileged children organised with the local police authority. Our students also run a skate and mosh event at the local park," says Rod Adams, curriculum team leader for music and performing arts.

He points out that music based courses at Salisbury College attract people who might not otherwise pursue education: "Some students come to us and they want to go on a music course and it's mainly young people that wouldn't normally think of going into education. We're using something that interests them to pull them back into education."

Recent successes include two students who have gone on the television programme Stars in their Eyes, one as Robbie Williams and one as Geri Halliwell, and a student who is a singer songwriter who has a single coming out in July.

Courses vary from college to college and operate on many levels. Salisbury College for example offers BTECs in popular music and in music technology, while Stanmore College in north west London offers a range of music and performing arts courses including a course for absolute beginners wishing to learn the guitar. David Turner, director of the Performance Academy in Newcastle College, says their course specifications are written to provide opportunities for exciting briefs that are contextualized to reflect the real world of work and also enable students to demonstrate and express their creativeness "that is only limited by their imagination."

Turner believes the most palpable difference of studying music courses at a college is the professional working environments that can be offered to students. "Here at Newcastle College, the Performance Academy is a £21m world class facility which includes a professionally equipped 250-seat theatre and music venue; a studio theatre; a music venue that can accommodate up to 200 people; TV studio, dance, acting, music rehearsal and recording studios; a radio station; production control facilities; editing suites; seminar rooms and lecture theatres."

Another characteristic of FE delivery is the synergy that is made possible through a greater number students working on the same or related subjects, he adds. "We have about 800 FE students in the Academy all studying music, performing arts and media courses. Each student forms an important ingredient in a crucible of creativity that stimulates and encourages links with other creative art forms not always possible in schools."

Some colleges, such as Strode's College in Egham, Surrey - where the band Hard-Fi studied - promote the A-level route. "The grounding they get prepares them for employment, university or specialist music colleges and that's both rock type colleges and well as more traditional music school," says Chris Majewski, director of faculty and marketing manager.

Majewski is justifiably proud of Hard-Fi: "Richard Archer, who is the lead singer, is one of our ex-students and did music technology here. I saw him a couple of months ago. The band is recording a new album not far from here and because of the feel he wants for the album he was actually trying to borrow some of our equipment that he had used while here." The college, however, prides itself on having up to date equipment and no longer had the items Archer wanted.

The whole environment of the college is also good for students in this field, says Majewski: "We offer a lot of support courses like music theory and we have a choir, a college big band and various other music courses they can take that will support their studies. Any student, for example, can do a music recording course here just for fun."

'It was very good to have exposure to a youthful and vibrant group of people'

Sean Kelsey, 39, was working full-time designing databases when he decided to go back to college and study music technology. He took a part-time BTEC Higher National Certificate in music production over two years at the City of Westminster College (CWC) from 2004 to 2006, working part-time for a recruitment firm at the same time.

"I wanted to do a sound engineering and music technology qualification because it was something I had a personal interest in. The lecturers on the course were excellent. They all had years of experience behind them and all had certain qualities that shone in their teaching. Although they covered the basics of what the course required, they also imparted their own experience as well."

It had been two decades since Kelsey had last studied: "I had an HND in computer studies that I got 20 years ago at a polytechnic and I really enjoyed going back to college. It was very good to have exposure to a youthful and vibrant group of people."

After the course, Kelsey got some freelance work with Nigel Piper at the Lyric Hammersmith on a fringe production called Your Hand in Mine. He has also worked in the broadcast and sound department at the Royal Opera House where he continues to work on a freelance basis.

"I'm looking for experience in all areas of the discipline of sound. I've got to start at the bottom and work my way up. I've put myself in the position of a 22-year-old finishing college, though I do have project management skills to offer and experience which may give me a possible edge. My eventual aim is to work post production in audio and video and doing soundscaping and soundtracks."