We catch up with ACM tutor and former One Direction bassist Sandy Beales on his Yamaha Schools tour…
Having performed alongside One Direction, J. P Cooper and Wheatus to name just a few, Sandy certainly has a wealth of experience working in the creative industries. When he’s not touring, writing or recording, Sandy passes his knowledge on to the next generation of talent at ACM as a tutor and recently went on a Yamaha Schools Tour to inspire more young people into the world of music.
Tell us more about the Yamaha Schools tour, what’s it all about and how did you get involved?
“The Yamaha School tour was a week long tour of nine schools in five days, delivering an hour and a half masterclass covering the world of the modern session musician. I wanted to to make it fun as well as informative and hopefully inspiring to the next generation of musicians. Content wise, there was plenty of video and audio content, a demonstration of bass techniques and interaction with the students.”
Why was it important for you to visit students at these schools and share your experiences with them?
“The main aim was to help encourage young musicians to follow their career aspirations and chase their goals.”
What was the highlight of the tour for you?
“There were many highlights along the way, but one that really stuck out was a full room of 180 year 8 and 9 students going crazy and dancing around as if they were at a concert. We had a lot of fun along the way, and every school had an impressive music department.”
What do you hope the students at the participating schools will gain from this experience?
“I hope it will encourage them to pick up instruments, join bands, practice harder and also realise that it’s possible to achieve all the things they want to.”
Give us your top piece of advice to a young person looking to take up music?
“Give it your all, it’s certainly a hard career, the best way to succeed is to give it 100%.
Work hard, be professional, become a solid player, turn up on time, get all your relevant techniques down and you will be well on your way.”
If you’d like to study at ACM and learn from our world-class tutors, please call our Admissions Team on 01483 500 841 or visit www.acm.ac.uk/open-days to book a place on an ACM Open Day today.
