It’s not all just Rock & Roll to NRC Performing Arts student Scott

Studying music at Northern Regional College will enthuse you with a passion for music, allowing you to learn new styles and become a well-rounded musician and performer.
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That’s the message from Ballymena’s Scott McLean, who is in the second year of a two-year BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Performing Arts (Music) at NRC. He said the course was ‘exactly what he was looking for’ when he left Cambridge House after his GCSEs.

Already an accomplished musician with Grade 8 in Trinity College London’s Rock & Pop exams, Scott said the Level 3 Performing Arts Diploma allowed him to consolidate his performance and song-writing skills, giving him a thorough grounding in music theory. He added that whilst he enjoyed everything about the course, one of his favourite units was ‘The Session Musician’.

Prior to lockdown, Scott was employed as guitar, ukulele and bass guitar teacher with The Music Rooms in Ballymena where he taught individual and group lessons and hosted guitar workshops and clubs. He also gave guitar lessons to Key Stages 2 to 4 pupils in local schools. He still teaches at The Music Rooms, but the classes are all online.

Musician Scott McLeanMusician Scott McLean
Musician Scott McLean

Thanks to his versatility as a guitar player, Scott has played as both rhythm or lead guitarist in bands and as a solo performer, accompanying himself on acoustic. Without an opportunity to perform live in front of an audience, he was delighted to be among young local musicians invited to take perform in the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s virtual Christmas programme.

Scott, who credits his grandfather, a pipe major in the army, for his musical ability, has his future pathway to success mapped out. Following a successful interview and audition, he has been offered a place at BIMM (British and Irish Modern Music) Institute – Europe’s leading and largest music education provider.