Local entrepreneurs launch 
their very own ‘school of rock’

A pair of entrepreneurs from Lisburn have spotted a gap in the market and launched their very own ‘school of rock’ that trains aspiring young musicians for careers in the music industry by playing in a band, thanks to support from the Go For It Programme in association with Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council.
By Julie-Ann Spence
Published 24th Feb 2021, 14:59 BST
Pictured with Ryan Belshaw (centre) is Alderman Jim Dillon MBE, Chair of the Development Committee at Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council (left) and Martina Crawford, Chief Executive of Lisburn Enterprise Organisation Ltd (right)Pictured with Ryan Belshaw (centre) is Alderman Jim Dillon MBE, Chair of the Development Committee at Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council (left) and Martina Crawford, Chief Executive of Lisburn Enterprise Organisation Ltd (right)
Pictured with Ryan Belshaw (centre) is Alderman Jim Dillon MBE, Chair of the Development Committee at Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council (left) and Martina Crawford, Chief Executive of Lisburn Enterprise Organisation Ltd (right)

At the start of the year, music teachers Ryan Belshaw and his partner Jordan Mackin had just signed the lease on a unit at Enterprise Crescent in Lisburn and were planning to offer one-to-one teaching there at The Musician Academy, only for the pandemic to hit, forcing them to rethink.

The couple had hoped to split the large room in the unit into three smaller rooms where they could deliver one-to-one tuition, but the funding to do this was no longer available.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It forced us to improvise, and that’s how we discovered the gap in the market,” explained Ryan. “Instead of teaching the students one to one, we realised we could use that big room as a rehearsal space to teach the kids to play in a band together.”

“It’s for kids who play contemporary instruments and don’t really have a venue to meet and network, where they will have access to two or three teachers, depending on the class size, and learn to play together as a band.”

The Musician Academy offers three weekly sessions, each two hours in length, in which up to 12 children can learn, perform and record together - 7-11-year olds on Mondays and 12-17 year olds on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The Musician Academy is hoping that when COVID-19 passes, the students will be able to showcase their talents regularly on the stage at Bow Street or at the Island Arts Centre and further afield.

“There is some great talent out there. When I was that age I never had this opportunity, so it’s nice to be able to give the kids that chance,” Ryan added.

Related topics:LisburnCastlereagh City Council