Students record their tracks in state of the art music studio

On Thursday 15 July, 12 Year 10 Music pupils from Thistley Hough Academy were able to record their coursework piece in Newcastle-under-Lyme College’s (NULC) brand new £5.5 million Performing Arts Centre.

The pupils have to submit practical evidence of their singing or playing to the exam board and through a new link set up by Thistley Hough Academy and NULC Schools Liaison Team, they had the opportunity to do this in the college’s new recording studios.

Prior to the visit the students rehearsed their song so when they arrived they could go straight into the recording studio and get a perfect quality recording of their song. Some students opted to bring in their guitars but the college’s well stocked music store was available for students to use.

Assisting with the recording was Music Performance lecturers Paul Hill and Jon Emson who were on hand to show the pupils how the studio worked and what editing software is available in the new centre. Both Jon and Paul manned the sound decks as the Thistley Hough pupils performed in the individual sound booths.

The set list was an eclectic mix of very old classics like Every day by Slade to recent hits like  Long Distance by Bruno Mars and Too little, Too late by Jo Jo.

The students thoroughly enjoyed their day at NULC and appreciated the opportunity to record their coursework in the new recording studios.

Daisy Jay Lovell commented ‘I really enjoyed this experience as it showed us new technology and showed what the college had to offer’.

For Lucy Hemmings the visit was just what she is hoping to do to in the future, she beamed ‘Today felt like a dream to me because this is all I wanted to do’.

If you would like to enquire about experiencing a taster session in the new Performing Arts Centre, please contact the NULC School Liaison Team schools@nulc.ac.uk or call 01782 254347 and speak to Gareth or Tara.