Students perform for music industry professionals at College event

Music degree students at The Manchester College performed live for industry professionals and got insider careers advice at a special employer engagement event set up by the College’s music department. Tutors at the College were also able to get right up to date with what music industry employers are looking for.

Music degree students at The Manchester College performed live for industry professionals and got insider careers advice at a special employer engagement event set up by the College’s music department. Tutors at the College were also able to get right up to date with what music industry employers are looking for.

Student musicians impressed the industry visitors with live performances that included original songs by some of the students. The guest industry professionals discussed points of interest for music industry careers, including self-promotion and getting a foot in the door. Key themes of the day were patience, resilience and tenacity.

Record label manager, Justin Pritchard said: ‘It’s been good to come to the College. People in the industry are looking for talent. The performances today have been really good and it’s great to see songwriting going on. Music degrees help even more these days – music publishers are looking for qualifications and not just a love of music.’

The goal is to establish links with the business community so our students can get work experience

Mike Sivori, head of department for university-level music courses at The Manchester College, said: ‘The event aimed to create connections between the music department and the world of work in the Manchester music business community. Primarily the goal is to establish links with the business community so that our students can get work experience. This might include a support slot in a live venue, working with a record label or working for a venue manager.

‘The event enables me to listen more closely to what employers need in terms of knowledge, skills and attitude from the people they seek to employ; while also giving our students a taste of what working in the business is really like. Then we can use the mechanisms within our courses to support them to adapt to that climate.’