HND Sound Production students were Appy to help Stirling Council in developing a new service to enhance tourism around the Stirling area.
The Council, in association with Whereverly recently approached the Forth Valley College students based at the Stirling Campus to help them create audio content for the Explore Stirling App - an all-encompassing mobile application that will be used by tourists and citizens alike to navigate their way through both the City of Stirling and the wider rural areas.
The application, which works offline, will include walking, cycling and driving routes which will feature key points of interest along the way. In addition, the users will have the ability to call down relevant information categories such as: Food & Drink, Services, Parking, Scenic views, History and Heritage, Arts & Culture, Attractions, Family Attractions, Parks & Gardens, Shopping, Scottish Crafts and Gifts and more.
Incorporating a musical content function, the app will allow users to listen to traditional Scottish songs and tales which can be played along their trip. This is exactly the sort of project for FVC’s Sound Production students to work their magic on, as they set to work recording a number of traditional Scottish stories and legends told by local storytellers Paraig McNeil and Jess Smith.
The team will now move on to collecting more stories and legends as well as recording local musicians like The Big Noise to be included on the App.
Second year students Gregor Flynn (19) from Thornhill, Jamie Henderson (19) from Thankerton, Benjamin Inwood (21) from Sauchie and Lewis Cochrane (24) from Bannockburn (pictured) are just some of those who participated in the project.
Gregor, said: “It has been good, I learned a lot about the local area. It is also beneficial to work on a real live project rather than a class exercise.”
Lewis, said: “It has been interesting to hear about the culture and different stories, that I did not know before.”
Benjamin, said: “I really enjoyed being involved and learning stuff you would not get from the textbooks.”
Jamie, added: “It was a fantastic experience.”
Councillor Margaret Brisley from Stirling Council, said: “We are committed to showing the world that Stirling is a fantastic place to live, work and visit. We welcome new ways to promote Stirling as a unique tourist destination and are delighted that Forth Valley College’s sound production students have been able to assist with the development of the Explore Stirling app.
“The app is part of a project which focusses on enhancing the visitor experience across the Stirling area and we are delighted that we have been able to integrate the invaluable Digital Media resources and capabilities available at Forth Valley College. The students are able to gain valuable commercial experience through the creation of a truly unique visitor experience, advancing their opportunities and future job prospects.
“The content for the all-encompassing Explore Stirling App has been driven by local people, and through our strong partnership with the College, we have been able to extend the benefits of its development to Stirling’s future workforce.The work to develop this app is part of our work to accelerate Stirling’s digital agenda and I look forward to watching this project progress.”
Mel Alexander from Whereverly, said: “The team at Forth Valley College have been integral to the production of quality audio content for the mobile app. The level of professionalism from the students has been outstanding and with their help we know we are doing justice to the wonderful content from local storytellers and musicians and creating the most memorable audio experience for the users of the app.”
FVC Sound Production lecturer, Ian Fairclough, said: “This has been a great opportunity of the students to showcase their skills in an industry sector leading project. It has also opened their minds to new avenues of work available to sound engineers in Multi-Media driven economy that is constantly expanding. The students have demonstrated to themselves and the clients that they can work to a high level in a professional environment and I am very proud of them.
Colin McGeoch, Curriculum Manager in FVC’s Department of Creative Industries, said: “I am delighted that our students have been given the opportunity to become involved in such an interesting and exciting project. Through participating in this work, they are broadening their knowledge and skills and gaining valuable experience in emerging sectors of the industry. I’d like to thank Stirling Council and Whereverly for inviting our students to be involved in this project.”
To find out more about Sound production courses at Forth Valley College call 01324 403000.