Cameron looks to music career after winning student award

A MIDDLESBROUGH College student is looking to pursue a career in music after being named Visual and Performing Arts Student of the Year.

Cameron Young, from Billingham, won the award for his work on the College’s Level 3 BTEC Music Technology (Production) course and his contribution to the Teesside arts and music scene.

The 19-year-old, who fronts and manages his own band, End Credits, as well as producing up and coming artists on Teesside and staging events including an art exhibition, has secured a place on the prestigious University of West London (UWL) Music Technology degree course where he will study for the next three years.

Cameron said that studying at Middlesbrough College had opened his eyes to the many possibilities of working within the music industry.

He explained: “I left school with some good GCSE grades and then started training in engineering, but after a while, I realised that it wasn’t really for me and I was at a bit of a fork in the road.

“Music was something I had been really into since I was 12 or 13 when I started learning guitar and playing in a band, but I struggled to find people with the same drive and who wanted to take things to the next level so that band split up.

“My next band was starting to do better so I thought ‘you only live once’ so why not do something which I’m passionate about, which is music.

“I found out about the course at Middlesbrough College after doing some research on the internet, I went for an interview and to meet the tutors on the course. I realised that this was something that was serious and that would give me a lot of new skills and knowledge.”

During the two-year course, Cameron studied a wide range of subjects across the music industry including producing live sound, recording in a studio, music marketing, communications and promotion, A&R and management.

He has also made the most of the College’s recording studio facilities, learning production techniques which he has used to help produce new up and coming bands and artists on Teesside as well as his own band.

Cameron said: “The College has great facilities so you can really get to understand how music production works.

“You also don’t just get to do one thing like studio engineering, you do a whole load of things.

“The course has really opened my eyes to the many possibilities of working in the music industry – you don’t have to be a big rock star to have a great career in the industry, you can work in production, recording, in management.

“The creative industry is one of the biggest industries in this country – there is competition in there, of course, but if you put the effort in, you get the rewards.”

That has certainly been the case for Cameron as he was named Overall Visual & Performing Arts Student of the Year at the Middlesbrough College Annual Student Awards this year.

Judges said: “Cameron has been an outstanding learner throughout his two years on the music production course. He has shown a high level of ability and dedication to the course in all areas both theoretically and practically.

“He has worked effortlessly to achieve high grades in all subject areas and has been a pleasure to work with in these past two years.

“He deserves every success in the future, and we are certain he will achieve his dreams.”

Cameron said: “I was quite surprised to win, to be honest. I was sat down enjoying the show and seeing the different award winners. Then they started the description of the Student of the Year and said my name and I was shocked but it was really nice to win.”

As for the future, Cameron is continuing with End Credits and starting at UWL in October.

Reflecting on his time at Middlesbrough College, he said: “The College has really fuelled my knowledge.

“My advice to anyone thinking about enrolling on the course I went on is to make sure it’s what you want to do and, when you’ve decided that it is, to really put the work in and you’ll get a lot out of it.”

Places still available for those looking to follow in Cameron’s footsteps or study on any of Middlesbrough College’s wide range of courses.

Enrolment for all full-time courses starts on August 24 and runs throughout September.