A new national drive to get children interested in careers in the music industry has started at Bingley Grammar School.
Twenty students have taken part in the event to plan, organise and stage a battle of the bands contest.
The Quickstart Music project was inspired by Young Enterprise, a national education charity, which chose the school, which has a thriving music department, to pilot the scheme before it is rolled out across the country.
The project required the students to spend eight weeks learning about the music business.
They spent time studying its structure, the importance of copyright and royalties, and how major musical events are organised and presented.
It culminated in the battle of the bands concert staged at the school, which featured performances from four student rock bands.
Also involved in the project was Kickstart, the Bradford Council scheme which encourages people to set up their own business in the district.
"This innovative scheme empowers students not only to run a virtual company but also to organise a real event to put what they have learned into practice."
James Long, Yorkshire regional manager for Young Enterprise, said: "This is a first for Bradford.
"If this pilot scheme proves successful we intend to expand Quickstart Music across the country to encourage young people to go into the music industry once they leave full-time education."
Paula Robinson, who leads enterprise studies at Bingley Grammar School, said: "It's great to see how the students have progressed since the start of the programme.
"They have learned so much about an industry they come into contact with on a daily basis.
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Bradford Kickstart is one of the projects run under the auspices of the Be Enterprising programme to create a new generation of businesses in the city.
Paid for by the 21.4 million Local Enterprise Growth Initiative (LEGI) grant the Council secured last year, the scheme is now offering assistance and support to hundreds of people across Bradford aiming to become self-employed.
Part of this involves working with school children to spread the notion of becoming your own boss as a viable option when they leave education.
Two Bingley Grammar music groups are set to take part in a prestigious national festival.
The school's Babucada samba band, above, and soul ensemble Soul-d Out will feature in the National Festival of Music for Youth, set to take place in Birmingham in July.
Both outfits, which include pupils aged 11 to 18, were selected to take part in the event after submitting recordings to organisers.
Bingley Grammar School music department spokesman Jill Lee said: "We are exceptionally proud of them. Music teachers Chris Marks and Graham Sykes have got them through to the festival with a lot of hard work from members of both bands as well as support from parents.
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Soul-d Out will perform at Birmingham's Carling Academy on July 10. Babucada will feature across town at the Adrian Bolt Hall on July 12.
Bingley Grammar now has a total of 17 extra-curricular music outfits, they include Saxophonics, Flutissimo, guitar bands and brass and wind ensembles.
Keywords: Bingley Grammar, Grammar School, Bingley Grammar School, Quickstart Music, National Festival, Young Enterprise
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