London’s Abbey Road Studios has today (October 27) announces the launch of the Abbey Road Scholarship – a programme which will provide for two black students each year to study at Abbey Road Institute in London, followed by a year-long engineering work placement at Abbey Road Studios.
An official press release stated that the scholarship programme, which will begin in 2021, will “cover the full cost of the course fees and contribute towards living expenses for two black British students annually to study on Abbey Road Institute’s Advanced Diploma in Music Production and Sound Engineering.”
Upon successful completion of the course, the two graduates will be offered a year-long trainee engineering role within Abbey Road Studios.
Speaking about the launch, Isabel Garvey, MD, Abbey Road Studios, said: “I’m thrilled that this programme will create new opportunities for aspiring young engineers by giving them not just the educational foundation, but also the benefit of practical experience working with the best artists, composers and engineers in the industry. Abbey Road has always been about training the best studio talent, so it’s brilliant that the Scholarship will help diversify the next generation of engineering professionals from the ground up.”
British singer-songwriter Raye will also offer support and mentorship as part of the programme and will be part of the selection committee who will choose the successful applicants.
Raye added: “I’m so proud to be part of this brilliant initiative to encourage more black students down the path of music production and audio engineering. Black producers and engineers are under-represented in the professional recording environment and we need to address that. During my time at The BRIT School I learned how important music education is and it’s been instrumental in helping me get further in life. This is such an incredible opportunity to obtain the highest levels of technical training at one of the world’s most iconic recording studios! I’m very much looking forward to meeting and working with the successful applicants and being a part of your amazing journey!”
The Abbey Road Scholarship programme is the first in a series of initiatives from the London studios seeking to create education and mentoring opportunities for young black people, as part of a broader commitment to creating meaningful change within music production.
Luca Barassi, CEO of Abbey Road Institute said: “Our ethos has always been to expand the range of diverse creative and technical minds aspiring to work in professional audio. The new Scholarship will help this in two ways: by funding students who may not have previously been able to join the programme, and by creating more awareness of the audio industry for younger generations who may now find their goal of becoming a music professional more achievable.”
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