CECA helps forge the musical performers of the future

Over the past few weeks the 13 to 19-year-olds have been hard at work in the professional recording studios of the high-tech centre in King Oswy Drive in a project called ‘Record and Release.’

Funded by CECA and delivered by music industry experts Kycker, ‘Record and Release’ aims to introduce young artists, predominantly teenagers, to the music industry and give them the tools to start and grow their careers.

There can be a large skills gap between making music and earning money from music, which is something which disadvantages young people as they try to break into careers as independent musicians.

Over the course of the project, the Kycker course leaders explained to the young artists how the music industry works, including areas such as intellectual property, royalties and getting tracks onto digital music platforms.

The young people have recorded their tracks in CECA’s studios, mixing them and mastering them ready to be released and then creating their own release covers and music videos.

On Friday 8 November the young people will be performing live at a special launch event for their recordings at CECA at 6pm – tickets for the show are free but must be booked in advance by clicking here. 

Young musician Finlay Dobing polishes his guitar skills before a recording session

Jaime Horton, Director of local music charity Creative Minds – of which many of the young people are members – said: “This experience has been phenomenal for our students – quite possibly a once-in-a-lifetime experience which they have embraced wholeheartedly.

“It’s given them one of the best opportunities to showcase their talent and encourage them to reach for greater things. CECA has given our students so much more than the chance to record – it has given them faith and confidence in themselves and we cannot thank CECA enough.”

Frank Wilkes, Chief Executive of Kycker, added: “It has been a privilege to work with such a talented group of young people and advise them on the way to develop their careers in the new music industry. We look forward to helping them in their continued development after their singles have been released.”

Councillor Shane Moore, Tees Valley Combined Authority Lead for Culture & Tourism and Hartlepool Borough Council Leader, said: “Projects like this really capture the spirit of what CECA is all about – providing a supportive and stimulating environment in which our new creative talent can flourish.

“I wish these young musicians every success and I look forward to them putting our town on the map as their careers grow in the future.”

Funded by the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority and run by Hartlepool Borough Council, CECA opened to the public last September with the purpose of serving as a training centre for the creative industries, whilst also offering facilities for commercial hire.

The centre houses facilities for TV broadcasting and film making, sound engineering, theatre, coding, gaming and VFX.

For more information about the centre click here or visit www.facebook.com/cecahartlepool