Music star Callum Beattie’s masterclass for Lanarkshire pupils

Star singer-songwriter Callum Beattie shared the spotlight with talented pupils at Hamilton College as he ran a music masterclass for senior pupils.

The popular musician took time out from the launch of second album Vandals to spend a morning with music students from fourth to sixth year and share his insights and advice.

He listened to a number of performances by the pupils, and then took centre stage for a special rendition of his hit Heart Stops Beating.

Callum provided expert critique and praise to the Hamilton College musicians, and spoke about his own rise to fame and the technical aspects of compiling an album, ranging from the songwriting process to instrumentation and working with producers.

The musician – who will be headlining the family racenight at nearby Hamilton Park racecourse in July – also shared “invaluable” advice with those aiming to have a career in the industry, including discussing the importance of networking as well as performing.

He said: “It was great to meet so many talented and aspiring young musicians in such an intimate setting; I was very impressed with the confidence shown by each performer and it was a pleasure to share some of my experiences with them.

“When I was at school, all I wanted was to work in the music industry, so I was more than happy to encourage the next generation of Scottish musical talent.”

Among the “enthralled” pupils at the masterclass was Stephen Whorlow, 16, who said: “It was exciting to perform in front of Callum – I want to be a guitarist and songwriter too so to get his input and feedback was incredible. He gave amazing advice and I’m going to put it into practice.”

Hamilton College head girl and advanced higher student Beth Leggate, 17, added: “It was an insightful workshop and very interesting to hear about the technical side of the industry as well as the performance side. Callum talked about how difficult it has been to get to where he is now so it is wonderful to see that hard work can pay off.”

Graeme Scott, the school’s head of expressive arts and RME, said: “We are so thankful to Callum and his manager Dave Rogers for joining us at Hamilton College – he has given our pupils a day that they will never forget.”

Head teacher Richard Charman said: “We are so grateful that Callum took time from his album launch to spend quality time with our pupils.

“Following the success of our last school production, it is clear to see that a lot of our pupils have a passion and talent for performing, and we always endeavour to give our pupils the biggest stage possible to showcase their talents and learn from the best.”

*Don’t miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.

And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here.

Story Saved

You can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.