Candidates tune up for school of rock

The Leaving Cert has only just begun, but already some candidates have plenty to sing about.

Students in with a shout of getting into Dublin's new rock school are getting the news that they have passed the first hurdle.

There were more than 400 applications for between 100-150 first-year places in the college, which will open in Dublin's Francis Street in the autumn.

The modern music course, a joint venture between the UK's leading rock school, Brighton Institute of Modern Music (BIMM), and Dublin Institute of Technology, is the first of its kind in Ireland.

It offers an opportunity to study guitar, bass, drums, vocals, song writing and music business studies in a four-year honours degree programme.

Applications are processed through the CAO and entry is based on a mix of assessment of musical talent, arising from auditions in the spring, and Leaving Cert results.

Those who passed the assessment are now being informed but must await the CAO offers at the end of August to see if they have won a place.

Minimum academic entry requirements are six Leaving Certificate subjects, two of which must be a grade C3 or higher on higher-level papers.

There is no way of predicting what the points' cut-off will be as they are determined by the level of demand and the standard of the applicants.

BIMM was established by well-known musical names who have sold six million records between them. They are artist and songwriter Kevin Nixon, Sarah Clayman, who has worked with acts such as Michael Jackson and Prince, and guitarist Bruce Dickinson.

Its UK graduates include The Kooks, Kate Nash and Marina and The Diamonds.

- Katherine Donnelly

Irish Independent