A group of musicians who have toured the world with internationally renowned legendary acts have visited Shropshire during a UK tour showcasing the possibilities open to students at new music institute Resonance.
Colleges up and down the country – including Shrewsbury Colleges Group – have been getting rocked by the Resonance Roadshow band as it stops by to show prospective students what the brand new state-of-the-art music institute is all about.
Based in the West Midlands just over half an hour from Birmingham City Centre, Resonance will be opening the doors to its first cohort of students in 2020.
Organisers of the roadshow have been using the tour to highlight the myriad of careers available in the music industry – many of which are covered by the degree courses on offer at Resonance.
Co-director Rick Benton, who currently plays keyboard with West Midlands icons Magnum, assembled a band of talented musicians to help demonstrate how Resonance could kick-start a career in the music industry.
The Resonance Roadshow visited Shrewsbury Colleges Group on Thursday 10 October.
Ian Round, Teacher of Music Technology at Shrewsbury Colleges Group, said: “Having visiting professional musicians who can share their experience and knowledge with our students has been invaluable, it opens their eyes to careers that they may not have considered.”
Singer with the roadshow band was Samantha Dorrance, 27, who while being a singer/songwriter in her own right, is also a children’s TV presenter and face of the Disney Channel.
She was joined by guitarist Greg Platt Lake, a session musician who has been working professionally since leaving school at the age of 16, and has worked all over the world with acts such as Steve Winwood and Robert Plant.
They were also joined by session drummers Lloyd Draker and Richard Kirk, who have played with the likes of Scorpions guitarist Uli Jon Roth, Limehouse Lizzy and the Grey Goose Blues Band; and bassist Dan Clark who has performed alongside Steve Vai, Scott Matthews and Beverley Knight; and Rick himself on the keys.
Rick said: “For us it’s just like gigging which many of us have done for years, but these roadshows are a unique way for us to demonstrate to young people considering a career in music how great coming to Resonance will be for them. It will be one of the best institutes of its kind in the country and I have no doubt that a lot of people will thrive in the learning environment we are creating.”
As well as performing songs and engaging students in music techniques, the sessions this week provided a wider picture about careers in music.
“One of the things we have been keen to stress here at Resonance is that while a career on stage is something that many will aspire too, there are lots of other careers in music you can follow,” said David Barnard, fellow co-director at Resonance.
“From the expertise needed for a live show to happen, to things like music teaching, the opportunities within the industries are endless. The point of these shows is to show the students that whatever their ambition is within music, Resonance can help them achieve it.”
Resonance will be offering degree courses in Popular Music Performance, Popular Music Production, Popular Music Performance & Production, Digital Music and Music Business from 2020.
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