Sound Production Students from Forth Valley College returned to the Tolbooth Theatre for some more Strange Behaviours last weekend (25/26 November).
The HND students once again garnered some more valuable 'on the job' experience as they provided and operated sound systems for two stages at this year's Strange Behaviours Festival – which was back for its third year.
Over the course of the two nights, FVC students from 1st and 2nd year HND Sound Production managed the stages and mixed sound for six talented bands and artists from across Scotland.
This year's team - Zack Dysart, Rory Hannah, Michael Carr, Benjamin Inwood, Lewis Cochrane, Ian Maxwell and Andrew Murphy - had to be especially on the ball as both stages were running at the same time, with bands, artists and the audience alternating between each stage from song to song. This meant the team had to pay particular attention to consistency of sound quality across both stages and ensuring smooth transitions between the stages.
Zack Dysart (19), from Alloa, said:
“I really enjoyed the Strange Behaviours Festival and thought it went really well. It is the first time I have had a wee bit of a management role as I was supervising some of the HNC students, and it was great. It is difficult to get real life work experience in this field so when the College organises something like this it is important for students to take it.”
Kenny Bates, Music Development Officer at the Tolbooth, said:
“Huge thanks again to the Sound Production students for everything at the weekend. All the effort was really appreciated, and a huge chunk of the festival wouldn’t have been possible without the FVC team putting in all that work, so thank you. Hopefully they enjoyed the experience and we would be delighted to have them back for more events in the future.”
FVC Creative Industries Curriculum Manager, Colin McGeoch, said:
“The students did an amazing job at Strange Behaviours and were extremely professional in their approach to managing the stages. Throughout the performances, the live sound was excellent and their ability to work as a team to problem solve was impressive. We'd like to thank Kenny Bates for once again inviting our students to be involved with this event and we look forward to further collaborative work with The Tolbooth as further opportunities arise. Thanks also to the Sound Production lecturing team who did a brilliant job of advising the students in the run up to the Festival and over the weekend itself.”