Learning to rock and roll

By Justin Parkinson
BBC News Online education staff

Bimm students learn the intricacies of the electric guitar

Welcome to the school of hard rocks.

Row upon row of students belt out a tune on electric guitars, as tutors analyse the finer points of their techniques.

Deafening to the uninitiated, the aim is to provide the next generation of Bon Jovis, Darknesses and Led Zeppelins.

The 350 or so young people studying at the Brighton Institute of Modern Music (Bimm) are well aware of the effort needed to achieve a life of globetrotting and glory.

Several have already appeared on Top of the Pops. Speedway, a band started by a group of recent graduates, has had two top 20 hits.

Bruce Dickinson, one of Bimm's directors, wants nothing less from the singer-songwriters, keyboardists, guitarists and drummers he and his 40 colleagues are teaching.

'That nice Mr Gallagher'

He said: "We are not looking for virtuosos who can sing and play; we are looking for a strong work ethic and a desire to make it.

"Some of our best students have not been amazingly strong musically when they've arrived but have worked to improve.

"No successful band has an image of being professional and reliable, but behind the scenes you have to be professional.

"I was at a party once where Noel Gallagher, despite all his previous success with Oasis, was wandering around, thanking people for working on his record.

Bruce Dickinson wants his students to work hard to achieve their goals

"The reason bands like his are so successful is that they have substance and are professional."

"Substance" is a word Mr Dickinson uses a lot.

Students have to learn the history of all forms of popular music, looking at the works of artists as diverse as Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix.

Mr Dickinson said: "To develop music of substance and weight, you have to know about its history and traditions.

"You can spot bands who don't listen to enough other stuff because their music lacks weight.

"At the moment, the whole country is full of bands who sound like the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

"The original band didn't get where they are by not listening to other music and styles for inspiration. Good bands need good ears.

"We set the college up because there was a need for it."

Mr Dickinson, an unrelated namesake of Iron Maiden's lead vocalist, has plenty of experience to call upon.

Rapid rise

In the 1980s his band, Little Angels - which he describes as "like the Darkness, but without the irony" - had several hits.

He and his friends were signed by a major label at the age of 18. By the time he was 25, however, fashions had changed and it was all over.

The careers of most young musicians are not as exciting.

Realising this, Mr Dickinson and three friends remortgaged their houses to set up Bimm, appropriately sited in a street called Rock Place, two years ago.

It's quite strange, because the song is about fantasies involving secretaries. Geri Halliwell is going to sing it eventually Emillie Watts, student

The singer Ronan Keating has sponsored half a dozen students, while bands like U2 and The Divine Comedy have provided equipment.

To remind students of Bimm's vocational emphasis, gold and silver discs - marks of sales success in the recording industry - take up most of the wall space in the lobby.

Mr Dickinson said: "Often people have got to a semi-professional standard without much formal instruction before they come here.

"The electric guitar, for instance, has only been around for about 50 years. It's still not understood by a lot of educators.

Styles

"We help the students get better in themselves. There isn't really anyone else teaching in such an industry-aimed way."

Emillie Watts, 18, is studying for a diploma in vocals.

She said: "We have to practise a lot of styles. One week it could be Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen and the next a song by Alanis Morissette.

"There is always a lot going on. There was a notice up on a board, asking for a singer to do a guideline, which means doing a version of a song before the main artist does it. This gives the record company an idea of how it will sound.

"It's quite strange, because the song is about fantasies involving secretaries. Geri Halliwell is going to sing it eventually.

"It's been an unusual experience but a very useful one. You definitely wouldn't get that elsewhere."

Ross Gautreau, 20, who is studying songwriting, added: "Coming here shows you the reality of the way the music industry works.

"You have to know a lot of people. You have to be seen everywhere playing.

"Everyone here has a real passion for music and that's never forgotten."

Courses at Bimm range from one-year diplomas to full degrees. Applications outnumber places by five to one.

Musicians learn how to operate in a professional environment

The difficulty of getting started in music has had a higher profile recently because of the success of TV shows like Pop Idols and Fame Academy.

The comedy film School of Rock, starring Jack Black as a failed guitarist who cons his way into a teacher's job and converts a class of subdued prep school children into rockers, has also been a worldwide hit.

Mr Dickinson said: "That was a great film. You have to be able to laugh at yourself in this industry.

"But we wouldn't send someone to take part in Pop Idol or whatever. We want to give our students the power to control their own careers.

"Where they do pick up a lot of work is for artists like Gareth Gates or Alex Parks, who are just starting and need session musicians.

"That's excellent experience for the students. One lad has played for the Sugababes and Beyonce.

"We are getting more and more of our students on to Top of the Pops. That's more satisfying than being a musician ever was for me.

"If you play yourself, you know what's going to happen, more or less. You never know what you are going to get with new artists. That's what really excites me."