Our team recently caught up with Kris Proctor, Lincoln’s Music Progress Award Winner for 2024, to talk to him about his time at Access Creative College and his next steps after finishing his course.
Hi Kris, can you tell us more about yourself?
I am studying Level 3 Music Performance at ACC Lincoln and I am now going on to study a Level 3 Media course at the same centre to support my work within the music industry.
My background isn’t the most ‘broad’, however, it has always been within music. From being young I attended festivals such as Bearded Theory and Alchemy Festival (now Equinox) and then went on to seeing many bands live and in more recent years working in the music industry
Congratulations on your ACC Award win. How do you feel?
Good, It’s a testament to what I was told when I joined (I joined Access very late). During my interview with Paul Levitt I was told in order to keep my place I was going to have to play catchup for the 3 weeks that I hadn’t been there and learn what we were playing very quickly. I did just that and when I came back after that Christmas break I was 10 times as good at bass than when I joined and was regarded as one of the best access bassist students.
Can you tell us more about your time at Access?
I’ve learnt how to work in a band effectively and how to sort problems within that setting. I’ve learnt a lot about the industry itself and how to program like Logic Pro X and Mainstage as well as basics in Adobe Lightroom which I am going to continue to learn over the next 2 years.
The thing I have enjoyed the most about access is helping at the gigs by doing set up and load out as well as learning about all of the gear we have in the studios and in the recording suite. Just working with the tutors who all have professional knowledge and experience in the industries they teach in.
Have you done anything in the industry outside of your studies? If so, tell us about it!
Outside of Access, I’ve been working with a band called Heartstrung as their guitar tech, roadie and rehearsal photographer. I have also worked as a stagehand and tech for gigs, one of the most recent being Lincoln Jazz Festival and X-24 which was a 24 hour gig at a place called X-church who I have become heavily involved with. I continue to practise and play for hours a day so that I continue to improve my skills on the bass
What’s your proudest achievement from your time studying with us?
Being able to catch up with everything when I joined and to have made so much progress in my skills on the bass.
What are your plans for the future? How are you going to take what you’ve learned at Access into your career?
Everything I’ve learned at Access will help me in my future work! I plan to work in the music industry for as long as I can e.g. being a guitar tech, stage tech, in a band etc doing something I enjoy and something that I’m good at. Working in the music industry is something I enjoy and I would much rather do something I enjoy than something I would find boring.
What advice would you give to someone considering studying at Access?
If you want to know something just ask a tutor if they haven’t covered it and they will either have an answer or help you find one. They all have had experience in the industry and they all have helpful knowledge. Something I always say is ‘’if you don’t ask you won’t know’’.
LINKS:
- ACC London Welcomes Entrepreneur and Creative Director Bwoy Wonder for Inspirational Workshop - October 24, 2024
- Access Creative College Birmingham Staff and Students Team Up to Raise Awareness of Breast Cancer - October 24, 2024
- ACC Alumni: Kat Chant - October 17, 2024