Real-world opportunities for students as York St John University hosts BBC Music Introducing sessions 

Budding producers and sound engineers at York St John University are getting the opportunity to work with one of the UK’s most prestigious new music brands. We’re proud to be hosting BBC Music Introducing in York & North Yorkshire for the show’s new ‘Balcony Sessions’.  

The sessions are recorded live at our award-winning Creative Centre and will offer students the opportunity to gain real-life experience creating content for a weekly radio broadcast on BBC Radio York. 

Known for supporting local talent to stardom, these sessions are providing opportunities for not just aspiring artists but also students who want to work in the music industry.   

Organisers hope that the project will increase York’s input into the UK’s national music scene, contributing to the city’s existing reputation as a hotbed for creativity.  

BBC Introducing presenter Jericho Keys said: “This is really, really special, not only because you’ll get to hear bands and artists perform their music exactly as they intended it but also because all of these sessions are run by the students at the University!  

“I know better than anyone how important it is to have somebody give you a leg up when you’re trying to get your foot in the door of the industry and that’s we’re hoping to do with this project.”  

Organiser from BBC Introducing Declan Vink said: “I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved by bringing these sessions together. It’s really all about opportunity. Students will be able to gain experience working in a real-world environment with their work being aired on BBC Radio York, artists will have the chance to perform a Maida Vale style live session and the local community will get to enjoy the talent coming through our local music scene.  

“It really feels like we’re making the most of the fantastic resources available to us in North Yorkshire to bring our community together and really put the county on the map in terms of our contribution to the national music scene.  

“The students at York St John have really thrown themselves into it, and we’ve been blown away and how incredible this project has already been.”  

Coordinating the sessions for York St John is John Ricketts, a final year student on the Music Production and Music Business BA (Hons) course.  He’s one of four students currently working on the project, organising equipment, liaising with artists and recording the sessions. 

John said: “The Recital Room in the Creative Centre is a perfect place to have these sessions. It's a unique space, with a great sound. That combined with one of the best views of York Minster in the city, and the artists coming in can't help but be inspired and put in a great performance.” 

He's also urging other students to get involved. 

“It's a fantastic experience, and a great opportunity to both get real-world recording experience, which can be used in the future and also put on your cv. Also, the fact it is a "live" recording gives them another perspective on the recording process. 

“It's also a great means of building students’ networks. They will be meeting numerous bands from the local area and further afield, as well as working with show producers and hosts from BBC Radio York. These links could prove to be very useful in the future.” 

The sessions will be aired every Saturday night on BBC Radio York between 8pm and 10pm hosted by Jericho Keys. Listeners will also be able to listen back on BBC Sounds.  

Find out more about studying Music Production.

Image shows Sun King recording their Balcony Session in the Creative Centre