As part of its commitment to education, Sennheiser UK has been a sponsor of the British Music Experience since its launch in March 2009 working in conjunction with the museum to host a series of Education Days and Masterclasses.
"Sennheiser UK's interest in the British Music Experience was first piqued because the timeline they proposed displaying more or less mirrored the timeline of the history of Sennheiser, the company being well over 60 years old and having been involved in many of the events that were of interest to the museum," says Sennheiser UK general manager Phil Massey.
"It very soon became obvious to us that there was much more we could offer than just the supply of equipment for the exhibits. We host regular education sessions there with our team of experts and experienced engineers will come and talk to students from, for example, Bucks New Uni, who we are also involved with, giving them an insight into what their courses could lead to, as well as a series of Master Classes where bands that we work closely with.
"We want to make sure that people understand about the music industry and where we came from as well. Our involvement works on both those levels, but the education side is the most important.
"The tour is great for that. With the imminent education cutbacks, we're fighting to provide support in as many ways as we can. For us it's about young people, they are the future and we have to invest wherever we possibly can. If we don't have education, we don't have a future. Phil Cummings, our special projects manager, pulls everything together and gets all our education programmes going and provides continual support for them."
The BME on Tour route will take over three months to complete and will stop at schools, events and festivals across major cities in the UK, including Manchester, Leeds, Stoke on Trent, Tyne and Wear and Kent.
(Jim Evans)
