School of Rock comes to Ireland with new degree course

PLATINUM records and Grammy awards could take the place of bricks and mortar as the bread and butter of Ireland’s rich lists as plans are rolled out for the country’s first School of Rock degree course.

School-leavers can apply for the BA (Commercial Modern Music) — a four-year degree being offered through Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) starting next autumn.

It marks the expansion of the Brighton & Bristol Institute of Modern Music (BIMM), running for the last decade under the direction of Bruce Dickinson and others with long industry experience and six million record sales between them. Not to be confused with his namesake who fronts heavy metal outfit Iron Maiden, Dickinson nonetheless has a proven track record as a touring guitarist with Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Bryan Adams, ZZ Top, AC/DC, Guns ’n’ Roses and Aerosmith.

The Dublin course — at an undisclosed city centre location — promises the tools for a career in a range of roles, including artist management, live music production, performance and publishing. It has already received more than 100 applications through the Central Applications Office (CAO) and late applications will be open from March 8 to May 1, but the prospective stars must also sign up for auditions to be held over the coming months.

* www.bimm.ie