Musician Caroline Cooper comes back to work at the music academy where she learned

Former Blackpool Music Academy student Caroline Cooper is returning to the Waterloo Road school as a tutor, having graduated with distinction from Leeds College of Music.
Keyboard tutor Caroline with the academy founder John Shaw. PIC BY ROB LOCK
7-9-2018 — Former Blackpool Music Academy student Caroline Cooper is returning to the Waterloo Road school as a tutor, having graduated with distinction from Leeds College of Music. Keyboard tutor Caroline with the academy founder John Shaw. PIC BY ROB LOCK 7-9-2018

Having learned to play piano at keyboard at its original location on Bispham Road, the 22-year-old has now returned to its new home on Waterloo Road to work as a tutor.

Former Collegiate High School pupil Caroline recently graduated from the Leeds College of Music and has been working on a freelance basis, composing and producing film scores and music for orchestras.

And, when she returned to her home town of Bispham, she decide to come full circle and join the ranks of staff members at the music academy – offering private tuition.

She said: “I was 10 years old when I first started at the music academy, I was one of the first children there when it was first set up.

“I started off learning the keyboard and then had private lessons with tutor Steve Austin on the piano.

“I had always been interested in music and always enjoyed it.

“It’s just fun and you can really express yourself through music.

“I studied music, art and dance at Blackpool Sixth Form College and then went on to study popular music at the Leeds College of Music.

“It was great to mix with other musicians, to learn and expand and collaborate.

“It’s great to be working as a tutor at the music academy now, though it does feel a different – obviously, previously I was a student and now the tutors are my colleagues.

“But it feels great to be back where I started.

“I hope I can bring my experience and knowledge from my course in popular music and bring a real contemporary feel to the academy.

“At the moment, I have two private students and am building that up.

“I would love to teach some younger people, I did some private tutoring while I was at college in Leeds and had some younger students. It’s great to see them interested in music and to see them progress.”

Caroline has done some work writing and composing scores for short films and orchestras – something she hopes to expand and do more of in the future.

Her favourite type of music is contemporary, popular jazz.