Access to Music

Access to Music is a UK-based independent training provider which specialises in industry-focussed popular music and creative education. It operates across England with dedicated music colleges in Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Great Yarmouth, Lincoln, London, Manchester, Mansfield, Norwich, and York. Its head office is currently in Birmingham.[1]

Access to Music
Access to Music
Type Higher Education & Further Education
Locations Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Great Yarmouth, Lincoln, London, Manchester, Mansfield, Norwich and York
Websites www.accesstomusic.co.uk

Access to Music is funded by the Education Funding Authority (EFA) and the Skills Funding Agency (SFA)[2] and works in partnership with other UK educational institutions, including Birmingham City University (BCU)[3][4] and the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM).[5]

History

Access to Music was founded in 1992[6] by John Ridgeon to promote and improve popular music education in the UK. The first Access to Music head office was in Leicester. The music school formed a partnership with Leicester College followed by partnerships with regional colleges.

The second Access to Music centre opened in Bristol in 1999 and the York and London branches opened in 2002. The first Access to Music award ceremony, hosted by Sir George Martin, took place in London in 2003. Subsequent award ceremonies took place in various locations around the country, including O2 Academy Birmingham and Liverpool Sound City, and have been hosted by BBC Radio DJs Lauren Laverne and Edith Bowman.[7][8] The music college expanded to Brighton and Lincoln in 2004 with centres opening in both cities.

In 2009, Access to Music was acquired by Armstrong Learning, a Manchester-based education and training provider. In 2011, the head office re-located from Leicester to Birmingham,[1] with an administrative centre established in Manchester. In 2011, Access to Music launched a new centre in Darlington based at The Forum Music Centre.[9] In 2013, the college in Norwich moved from its King Street location to Epic Studios.[10]

The York centre created and organised Access to Music's first trade fair at York St John University in early April 2014 [11] and Access to Music presented a Masterclass at the first Brighton Music Conference, an electronic music event.[12] In the summer of 2014 plans were finalised for a new centre in Manchester, opening in early October. The centre will be situated in the basement of the St. James's Buildings on Oxford Street, the former location of the music venues Jilly's Rockworld and Music Box.[13][14][15]

A new centre was opened at Great Yarmouth College in the summer of 2015, followed by a new centre in Mansfield at the beginning of 2016.[16]

Courses and accreditations

Access to Music delivers courses at both Further Education (FE) and Higher Education (HE) levels. It designs its own FE music curriculum in partnership with Rockschool,[6] the UK’s only rock and pop accrediting body and Edexcel. The HE curriculum is designed in conjunction with RNCM and BCU.

Further Education

Higher Education

Access to Music was inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate in late 2012 and was found to exceed expectations in the following categories:

Access to Music was also awarded a 'Good' grade in an Ofsted report following an inspection in March 2013.[18]

Notable Alumni

Notable alumni include:

Event Participation

Access to Music has appeared or participated at the following events:

Education partners

References

  1. 1 2 Parker, Catherine. "Heath Mill Studios Music Training Centre Launched". PAB news. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  2. ↑ Skills Funding Agency. "Register of Training Organisations - July 2012 v3" (PDF). Skills Funding Agency. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 Birmingham City University. "Popular Music - BMus". Birmingham City University. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 Birmingham City University. "Music Business - BA (Hons)". Birmingham City University. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 Royal Northern College of Music. "Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Popular Music Performance". Royal Northern College of Music. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  6. 1 2 PRS for Music. "School of Rock". PRS for Music.
  7. ↑ B-Side Project. "Events". B-Side Project. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  8. 1 2 Liverpool Live. "Liverpool Sound City and Echo Arena to host UK Music Student Awards". Liverpool Live. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  9. ↑ The Northern Echo (29 Jan 2014). "The Forum, in Darlington, reveals plans for expansion". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  10. ↑ Freezer, David (13 Aug 2013). "Access to Music set for full move to Epic Studios in Norwich". EDP24. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  11. ↑ The York Press (3 Apr 2014). "Access To Music take part in Expo event". The York Press. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  12. ↑ Brighton Music Conference. "Saturday - 10.30-11.15 - 'Access to Music Masterclass' with Jimmy Day". Brighton Music Conference. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  13. ↑ Graham, James (4 August 2014). "Music school to open at ex-Rockworld site". TheBusinessDesk.com. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  14. ↑ Insider News North West (5 August 2014). "Music college for former Jilly's Rockworld site". Insider Media Limited. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  15. ↑ MPA. "Manchester's creative scene set for musical revival with major new academic centre". MPA. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  16. ↑ Plant, Liz. "Could you be the next big thing?". Chad. Chad. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  17. ↑ Haynes, Neil. "Independent Schools Inspectorate Report" (PDF). Independent Schools Inspectorate. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  18. ↑ Stanley, Steven. "Access to Music Ltd: Learning and Skills inspection report". Ofsted. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  19. 1 2 Annalisa. "Music students ride road to success". Guestlist. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  20. ↑ Knights, Emma. "Access to Music students get set for an acoustic talent showcase in Norwich". EDP24. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  21. ↑ Barker, Matt; Coquet, Nick; Yau, Matthew. "New In Town: November". The Brighton Source. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  22. ↑ Kidz Field. "Kidz Field Line Up 2013". Kidz Field. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  23. ↑ Culture Works East. "Latitude Festival Arts Award Programme 2013" (PDF). Culture Works East. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  24. ↑ The Great Escape Festival. "Alternative Escape Programme - Thursday". The Great Escape Festival. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
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