Audio Technology students support Celtic Connections On Campus for it’s eighth year

Students have had real-life work experience during a week-long live music festival, as part of the annual Celtic Connections festival.

Celtic Connections, which is hosted in Glasgow, is an annual celebration of Celtic, folk and world music. As well as traditional music, there are concerts, ceilidhs, talks, art exhibitions, workshops and free events throughout the festival period.

Celtic Connections On Campus brings the festival to Glasgow Caledonian University, which gives students from the Audio Technology programme the chance to experience working on a live music event.

The opportunity allows students from all years of the programme to get hands-on experience of a world famous event, in collaboration with traditional Scottish, Celtic and Gaelic music channel Trad TV and Celtic Music Radio.

First year student Keir Haggerty, who is new to the Celtic Connections scene, has already realised the benefits of having a festival like Celtic Connections on his portfolio. He explained: “When I was looking to apply for this course, they really pushed the fact that the students get to work as part of Celtic Connections.

They mentioned that students from all years of the course get to take part and get the chance to get really stuck in which was really interesting for me.”

He added: “We can take a lot from this experience and add it to our portfolios, which is really good for me as a first year student. I like the fact that it’s not just first year students getting involved, so students from second, third and fourth year have been able to help us. Next year, it will be our turn to help out!”

What may be a daunting experience for some new students acts as a good opportunity for people like third year student Steven Gallagher, who enjoys getting to use his experience to give a helping hand.

“As an experienced student, it’s nice to see how students at the start of their degree are getting on.” Steven explained.

“We’re at a point now where we can almost show them the ropes and help them if they’re struggling with anything.”

He added: “I’m in my third year now and Celtic Connections is something that I’ve been involved with since I started university, it’s a great hands-on experience. I feel that the course really focuses on getting practical experience, since it’s so important for our field of work.”

Event organizer and Senior Lecturer Patrick Quinn has been pleased with the success of on-campus festival, despite some weather-related issues. He said: “It’s been a great week! We’ve had some fantastic acts on each day and some great audiences.

We had a larger audience on the Monday and then a smaller one on Tuesday and Wednesday due the bad weather, but the Celtic Connections fans are a hardy bunch. It takes a lot more than just bad weather to keep them from attending!”

He added: “The students have been really enthusiastic and I think they’ve been getting a lot from it. From experiencing working on live music acts to streaming through Trad TV, there’s been a lot for them to get involved with.”

Find out more about Celtic Connections On Campus on the Celtic Connections website

By Rachael McAlonan

Got a SCEBE or GSBS story? Email me at Rachael.McAlonan@gcu.ac.uk or connect with me on social media here