Newcastle College’s music department was thrilled to welcome three alumni back to campus last month, to show them how the campus has changed since they graduated in 1994.  
 
Mark Leadbeater, renowned Sunderland music teacher; Vick Bain, former CEO of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (now trading as the Ivors Academy) and founder of The F-List for Music; and Paul Fleet, Dean of Infrastructure and Professor of Authentic Music Theory at Newcastle University, all studied for a Music Higher National Diploma 30 years ago and have stayed in touch ever since.  

(Second from left, Mark Leadbeater; to his right, Paul Fleet. Far right, Vick Bain)

(Second from left, Mark Leadbeater; to his right, Paul Fleet. Far right, Vick Bain) 

Vick, who is most well-known for creating The F-List for Music, a comprehensive directory of all UK female and gender-diverse musicians, said: “Our cohort was a strong group; we all got on and whilst we had a lot of fun, we also worked hard and encouraged each other to work hard which was a benefit to us all. It was a long time ago, but I have vivid memories of many of the performances we did together." 

Paul spoke fondly of their end of year musical production, Cinderella (pictured, above) in which Mark played one of the ugly sisters and had done everything he could to disrupt proceedings. “He played his role brilliantly! We really did have a great time putting on those shows, but it was hard work as well, especially for Vick as producer, director AND Prince Charming! 

“The best thing about the course for me though was not the performances, but its authentic purpose. Everything we studied was grounded in the principles of authentic education. We knew why we were studying what we were studying. It helped prepare, certainly for me, for our lives beyond the course.” 

The tour concluded with an impromptu performance on a piano that the trio had used during their studies in the nineties.