10am start, few rules: ‘Real world’ school is music to students’ ears

It’s the school without uniforms, where teachers are first name only, kids have the freedom to duck off campus for lunch, where class starts after 10am and rules are few.

Olivia Shelley, 17, and James Hainge, 16, at the Music Industry College in Fortitude Valley. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

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It’s the school without uniforms, where teachers are first name only, kids have the freedom to duck off campus for lunch, where class starts after 10am and rules are few.

Welcome to the Music Industry College, located just blocks away from the Fortitude Valley’s iconic bars and nightclubs, a school where creativity is harnessed.

Enrolments are capped to 90 students across Years 11 and 12 only, and as the name suggests music is woven into lessons.

Along with standard curriculum subjects like English and maths, students learn about record labels, budgeting for tours, gigs and concerts, social media marketing and making deals with streaming platforms just as they would in the “real world”.

Music Industry College managing director Brett Wood said the learning was designed to be as real and relevant as the industry so graduates could hit the ground running.

“Nothing is compulsory but most kids do English and maths, but it’s all about the music. Maths students are taught about tax for musicians, budgeting for a four-piece band in working out transport, VISAs, accommodation,” Mr Wood said.

“We find that they tend to plug in more than they may do elsewhere.

“We are similar to trades colleges in many ways.”

Complete with a recording studio, students can release music through the school’s label, intern through with its radio station and produce podcasts and blogs.

Since starting off with 26 children in 2010, the college has swelled to a restricted nearly four times the size and each year has a waiting list.

Olivia Shelley and James Hainge practice as principal Brett Wood watches on. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

So unique is the college it’s attracted enrolments from as far as Perth and Yamba while students travel down and up daily from the Sunshine and Gold coasts.

“Keeping it at 90 is really important as you don’t want to lose the human connection,” Mr Wood said.

“When we first started we were really rock-based, guitars, emo fringes, black T-shirts but now we are a bit more rainbow in terms of music, electronic, pop, folk, jazz, orchestral. Which is where we want to be.”

Recent graduates include Triple J favourite Thelma Plum to Sahara Beck and Olivia McCarthy aka JOY, who was a producer on the Grammy nominated album “I Never Liked You” by Future.

Mr Wood said fees ranged between $7000-$7500, a fraction of what the city’s GPS elite charge, to encourage enrolments from all walks of life.

“We try and keep it as affordable as possible. We didn’t want it to be out of price for people in lower socio-economic areas,” he said.

“Fees should not be a barrier to entry.”

Unlike strict counterparts where classroom bells ring at 9am, the “young adults” afforded an extra sleep-in to commence lessons at 10am.

Mr Wood said the college did things a little different.

“There’s no uniform which we actually removed, kids can go off campus in lunch breaks, teachers are called by first names,” he said.

“We have a relationships model that’s built off respect. There’s only a few rules and it’s quite successful.”