Creative media partnership with University of St Andrews amplifies Fife College students’ potential

Fife College students have been gaining valuable hands-on industry experience, thanks to a special creative media partnership between the College and the University of St Andrews.  

Fife College Media and Communications, Sound Production and Television (Screen Production) students have been testing their new skills in a real-world setting by recording and live-streaming musicians at the University of St Andrews Laidlaw Music Centre.

The opportunity is a result of a creative media partnership project, agreed upon between staff from the Laidlaw Music Centre and the College’s Faculty of Digital and Creative Industries. Students have captured more than 20 events since the start of the partnership last year, including lunchtime concerts and other special events.

As well as creating opportunities for College students to record musicians in different locations, the partnership also gives University students the experience of performing while being recorded and live-streamed.

Fife College Media and Communications student Sharrell Carroll, said:

“I feel you learn more when you’re on-site and you’re hands-on with it. For me, being out at St Andrews in that setting, it has catapulted me entirely. It’s taken me to a totally different level.

Screen Production student Kevin Cranston added:

“It really adds experience. The first couple of times I was there I was a bit iffy with set-up, wondering if I was connecting things right or if I was able to get the shots quickly enough. Within a month of doing it, you’re setting up cameras pretty quickly and know where everything goes, the nerves come away as you are doing it.”

The knowledge exchange partnership between the College and the University has also included a recording project for the University’s Music Centre chamber groups, coordinated by Dr Bede Williams, Head of Instrumental Studies at the University.

Dr Bede Williams said:

“There is something of a thrill involved in recording live concerts and making recordings generally. They are a huge pedagogical resource for our students: to be able to go home after a concert and listen back and reflect on their performance is incredibly valuable.”

Stewart McDonald, Director of Digital & Creative Industries at Fife College, said:

“Our partnership with the University of St Andrews offers our creative media students a unique opportunity to get out and test their skills on an almost weekly basis during their course. From setting up cameras to vision and audio mixing, the partnership gives them exposure to what it is like to work for real-world clients.

“Students have adapted fantastically well to the demands of operating in this environment, improving their industry knowledge and skills in the process. You can see just how much pride they have taken in their work at the Laidlaw Music Centre, which also offers our lecturers the chance to assess the students’ work on location.

“We look forward to continuing to work together with the University to give more students the opportunity to get hands-on experience in a fantastic facility.”

To find out more about our Creative Media courses, visit our Creative Media pages.