Course Studied: BA (Hons) Music (Production)
Year of Graduation: 2011
Top Career Highlights:
- Being the manager for music and creative studies at Telford College
- Organising a music festival in my home city of Wolverhampton across 5 different venues featuring 30 different bands, raising over £4000 for charity
- Sound engineering for live band broadcasts for BBC Introducing in Shropshire
Andy Turner is currently the manager for Music and Creative studies at Telford College in Shropshire. Andy has been working in the music industry in various roles over the 10 years since he graduated from the BA Music Production course. Mostly as a live sound engineer, working in a recording studio and as a lecturer. However, Andy has also continued as a musician through a wedding and functions band and as a solo artist, as well as sessioning for artists he's worked with in the studio.
Hi Andy – Where did your musical journey begin?
I started out playing guitar and singing at a young age and formed bands with friends from the age of 12. Whilst studying A-levels, the band I was in was signed to a small label and we regularly played live at venues across the West Midlands. We were fortunate to get support slots with bands like; The Enemy, The Holloways and Foy Vance.
What motivated you to study Music Production at the Conservative (known then as Leeds College of Music)?
I had always enjoyed home recording and producing music on Cubase, but it was through going into a few different recording studios with the band I was in that I really started to become seriously interested in the recording process. I still loved playing music, and being recorded, but felt really excited about learning more about being on the other side of the glass.
I applied to a few different universities to study music production, and after visiting Leeds Conservatoire (or LCM as it was to me) I made it my first choice.
How did you find your time here?
I absolutely loved my 3 years in Leeds. After taking a year out after my A-Levels to work, I felt really prepared to make the most of the opportunities at university. Networking with other musicians and creatives and having access to the recording studios meant that I was always working on a project, often in addition to the modules I was studying. I became good friends with some of the students on the jazz music course and engineered a lot of sessions for their various bands. The band I worked with in my second year were played on BBC radio, which was a real milestone for me as a music producer at the time. In my final year I produced an album of my own music, in collaboration with other musicians. This was a venture into different musical styles compared to music I had previously written and was an opportunity for me to really experiment with the song writing and production skills I’d developed as a student over the 3 years.
How did the course shape and develop your music production skills?
The tutors on my course were very knowledgeable. They taught me the fundamentals of how the recording equipment worked and helped develop my ear, to unpick music and understand decisions made in the production process. Being able to get into the studios so often meant that I could become confident in recording, and it gave me chance to experiment and develop my creativity. I became fluent in using Logic Pro and Pro Tools through the course and had developed editing, mixing, mastering and composition skills through the various projects I worked on.
What was the coolest thing you did on your course?
I really enjoyed a module where we had to take three separate recordings that we had done and then create a new track by sampling and remixing them together. It really pushed my creativity and technical skills. I used a rock track, jazz track and pop track I’d done with different bands/artists and then created something completely different. I also put on a gig with some course mates at the end of my second year at a local venue, which was the first time I’d got into the organisation side of event management, which I didn’t know at the time would be something I’d do more of in the future.
Did you get to meet many interesting people while studying here?
Yes definitely. I was fortunate to have a great set of flatmates and formed a great friendship group and network with other students. It’s been great to see some of them go on to be successful in the music industry as session musicians, songwriters and technicians.
We’d love to know what else have you been up to since leaving the Conservatoire?
Over the last 15 years I’ve taken on various music projects as part of a portfolio career before moving fulltime into education. In my experience, having a broad skill set, networking, and exploring all opportunities is so important in forging a career in music.
I started out teaching guitar lessons and working in a secondary school. I then completed my PGCE in 2013 and secured employment at a college as a part time music production lecturer.
Alongside teaching, I took on various other music projects in the live and recorded music sectors. I set up a production company called gold city audio and ran a weekly live music night at a venue, showcasing singer songwriters from across the West Midlands. I also worked at festivals, running the acoustic stage at a large music festival in Shrewsbury for 2 years before leading on the organisation of a city centre music festival in Wolverhampton which raised over £4000 for Oxfam. I then set up a home studio and produced albums with some of the songwriters I had worked with in the live circuit.
I then took the recording side further and partnered with a friend to set up a recording studio in Dudley - White Gate Studio. We worked with various local artists, recording singles, EP’s, music videos and even audio books. It was a fairly small operation, but we such a great time doing it. A couple of the artists we worked with went on to exciting things, such as appearing on ITV’s The Voice, getting radio play with BBC Introducing, and securing a #1 spot in the iTunes UK Country Music Charts.
I then took a step back from events management and the recording studio and took the opportunity to teach music production and events management full time, whilst also pursuing other projects.
I formed a wedding and functions band with a group of friends and performed around the country at various weddings and events.
In 2018 I took on the role of manager for Creative and Music at Telford College. Still lecturing in music production and creative media and networking with the local music industry. In this management role I was able to design the build of new music centre that comprised of 4 recording studios, 4 rehearsal rooms and a performance space, before then fitting the studios with my colleagues.
I’ve also worked on various projects with BBC Introducing through this new role, including sound engineering for bands on live broadcasts and producing videos for their live lounge performances. My department are now also working with Camp Bestival on various creative projects too. It’s really important to me that I’m still involved in the industry that I teach and it’s great to be able to share opportunities with my students now too.
How did your course help you in these roles?
There are quite a few different role to talk about there, but for me, my course gave me the solid fundamentals in music production that have been essential in the studio and live sound work. I also wouldn’t have been able to go into teaching without it!
Do you rely on any skills or knowledge you picked up while here?
A use a lot of what I learned at university in how I teach my students. From the technical knowledge to the practical, hands-on approaches that my tutors had with the creative projects for each module.
When I was running a recording studio with a close friend, the skills I picked up working with bands at university were crucial in getting the most out of the musicians I was working with.
Finally, why should someone choose to study Music Production at Leeds Conservatoire? and do you have any advice for them?
The tutors, facilities and networking with other music types were what made my studies at Leeds Conservatoire so rewarding and such an important part of my career. My advice to anyone studying music production is to build a personal network and get as involved as you can in any projects and opportunities that come your way. One project often leads to another and you never know where the next one could lead you.
