Write, Record, Release

Write, record, release was a reactionary project created based on the expression of interest from some of our Beacon Hill School learners in Aspatria. Centred on this interest we designed and ran a project which explored different aspects of the music industry. The project worked in collaboration with Sunbeams Music Trust and professional local musician J Lewis to produce Write,Record,Release.

Intervention Aims  To develop communication and team work skills whilst working on a project from start to finish.  To enable learners to meet new people who work in the music industry and hear their H.E. journeys.  To show learners how further education opportunities are available in interests and passions.

The project enabled learners to collectively write, record, and produce their own song over the course of a day. Learners were exposed to the abundance of career and study options within the music industry, highlighted by the personal H.E. journeys of J Lewis and project coordinator Pete Ord. Learners were able to chat with J Lewis on the way to Rheged, a local media and arts venue, about what opportunities there are when you study music production at university. Learners were engaged and asked questions to Pete after he opened up about his experience of studying musical production at H.E. and the doors it’s opened for him in his current career, in which he is now lecturing in Community Musical Outreach at Leeds College of Music. We began the day with a song writing workshop, in which the young people chose the genre and theme of their song and worked with J Lewis and Pete to create lyrics and a chord structure. They then had a short jamming session and were able to pick up the basic chords of their song on their chosen instruments. Some of the young people had never played an instrument before, but by the end of the session they were all playing competently and cohesively, and were ready to record! The song consisted of piano, bass, electric guitar, drums and two vocalists, and is titled ‘Skyline’.

Learner Voice

“ I think I want to go to university now…to study musical production. I think I’d really enjoy it.” “ This has been so much better than I thought it would be. I feel really confident in myself now, so thank you for that. ” Practitioner Voice

“One learner who took part in the project was initially only likely to pursue music as a hobby but was unsure about pursuing music as a career and after taking part in the project was both very likely to pursue music as both a hobby and career option” .