As an Academy school, based in Corringham, Gable Hall consistently uses their music technology suite and recording studio to produce some of the UK’s most talented young musicians.
Whilst standard technology is used in the music industry on a daily basis, delivering networked music ICT solutions in an academic setting is a significant challenge. With software and hardware that is designed for standalone use only, providing robust and reliable working environments that support naturally creative workflows requires the delivery of highly specialist systems.
The school's decision to implement Counterpoint’s EnhancedAD Mac solution for Mac media suites has played a significant role in enabling their students to reach their full potential, year after year, minimising time lost in the classroom and enabling teachers and students to focus on what they do best. In the last academic year, their GCSE-level class achieved a 100% pass rate.
In April 2018, one of their esteemed students, Ruti Olajugbagbe won The Voice UK. While Ruti studied Media Technology at A-Level, excellent technology leadership from the music department enabled her to perform to the best of her ability. The media suite provided Ruti with the skills and knowledge to apply her natural creative talent to modern day music production.
Gable Hall’s story reflects the fact that well-designed technology solutions can become a catalyst for students realising their creative potential. Gable Hall's story was shortlisted for the BETT Impact Award in 2019.
The Challenge
To provide students with the skills they need to be ready to make an impact in the industry. Equipping students with the facilities they need to be able to create music with industry-standard technology would allow them to focus on their creativity and on producing the highest quality music.
Gable Hall’s students need to use professional music composing software such as Apple’s Logic Pro X and learn how to use this effectively within a classroom and studio environment.
These high-end applications, however, are generally only designed to be used on standalone machines requiring fast access to local computer disks to operate correctly.
Education, on the other hand, needs data to be mobile, available at any desktop and available in the recording studio to allow smooth and timely workflows in what is a time scarce teaching environment.
Counterpoint’s EnhancedAD solution provides this robust and flexible network integration and its virtual scratch disk technology allows normal industry workflows in an academic network setting. The integrated Music suite also allows students the flexibility to integrate access to the recording studio into their workflow developing these key specific skills before they go into the real world.
To Save Time in The Classroom
Technology is a big part of Gable Hall’s culture, there are 1 in 4 computers per student across the Academy, with two media suites and a recording studio. Making sure the technology works seamlessly and operates in a Windows networked environment, is critical to productive class sessions and ultimately student success.
The Music department runs 100-minute classes 3 times per day. The classes have to be well organised, integrating technology to ensure that the students attention is kept on task. The high performing Mac suites enable the teachers and students to reach their full technology potential, instead of challenging headaches for the teachers and students that grow disenchanted when the tech doesn’t do what it is supposed to do.
Impact
Academic Achievement
In 2018, 100% of the GCSE students passed their music studies exams under the Edexcel exam board. Having media suites that allow students to access their saved work easily allows the students to continue where they left off straight away, wasting no time. Getting the basics right can make the biggest difference to student success. Long lasting, reliable machines with backed up work creates an environment where Gable Hall can provide a productive learning environment and achieve the best for their students academically.
Impact in The Industry
Gable Hall has produced a series of award-winning talent that has made significant achievements in the music industry, from Ruti in 2018 to Louisa Johnson’s collecting the top honours on X Factor in 2015. While others have starred in Hollywood movies such as Hayden Keeler-Stone, who featured in Peculiar Children with Samuel L Jackson, in 2016.
Learning how the recording studios and media suites work give the students the opportunity to produce the highest quality work. Gable Hall’s star-studded school have created a culture where technology enables students to reach their full potential. Confidence
Students are not only equipped with the tangible academic achievements that Gable Hall’s Music staff are now able to help them realise but also with practical industry skills and confidence. The robust and reliable working environment in the school’s music technology suites has helped students and staff with the assurance that they will be able to focus on their work and creativity rather than on the technology itself. This positive learning environment also allows students to build the skills they will need when working in professional recording studios in the future.
Faye Beamish, Head of Music, runs a roadshow every year where the students go out and perform their best work in local schools based on what they have learned in the classroom and music suites.
Keen to Learn More?
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