From education to employment

WaterBear is celebrating a brand-new scholarship formed in collaboration with Pattern + Push

Landmark music education college WaterBear Sheffield is officially opening its doors on Saturday 22 April 11am – 3pm, for a special launch event held at the college’s new campus on the old site of the iconic Gatecrasher nightclub building (Unit 4 Gatecrasher, 49 Eyre Lane, Sheffield, S1 4RB).

Following the significant success of its inaugural college in Brighton, WaterBear Sheffield will welcome students from September 2023, offering an additional choice of location to independent musicians, artists and industry professionals wishing to embrace WaterBear’s unique ethos of building a long-term, sustainable career in the music industry.

Headlining the highly-anticipated official launch event is ADMT, a singer, songwriter and social media phenomenon from Doncaster. Attendees will also be treated to an eclectic mix of live music performances from local talent including Harri Larkin, Kid Blu3e, Simsimsosa and WaterBear’s very own electronic duo Voicenotes, who will all grace the WaterBear Sheffield stage for the very first time.

As part of the event, WaterBear is celebrating a brand-new scholarship formed in collaboration with Pattern + Push, who provide a platform to help new and emerging talent achieve their goals, encouraging positivity and empowerment through music. The WaterBear Pattern + Push Scholarship is central to those opportunities WaterBear wish to create including widening participation and access to higher education pathways. The award includes course fees for 3 years of a BA (Hons) degree course at WaterBear Sheffield. Pattern + Push have selected Sheffield-based rapper Kid Blu3e, who is performing at the opening event, to receive the coveted WaterBear Pattern + Push Scholarship.

Commenting, Jamie Wilkins Co-Founder of Pattern + Push said:

“We saw huge potential immediately in Kid Blu3e with her energy, drive and honesty in her songwriting. We’ve watched her go from strength to strength as an artist and have no doubt she’ll have a career ahead in music. We’re delighted to put forward Kid Blu3e as the deserving recipient of our first scholarship in partnership with WaterBear and as the perfect ambassador for Pattern + Push.” Kid Blu3e has performed at events such as the Tramlines Festival, Artbomb Festival, Pattern + Push Freshly Squeezed, and Tedx Doncaster. 

Furthermore, the pioneering college has also unveiled its collaboration with Sheffield Metalcore icons While She Sleeps, to offer a course scholarship in their name. Applications for this scholarship will be open on 22nd April 2023 to all Sheffield BA (Hons) on-site, and online applicants for courses starting September 2023. 

On the day, in addition to live performances, prospective students will have the invaluable opportunity to take a tour around the new campus, meet the college founders and music education pioneers Bruce John Dickinson and Adam Bushell, learn about the courses on offer and network with other local musicians. The WaterBear team, including those from A&R and admissions, will also be on hand throughout the day to answer any questions about the programmes, student experience, career opportunities and artist development, accommodation and finance.

Sharing their insight and expertise, a keynote speaker on the day is WaterBear MA alumni and drummer with Skunk Anansie Mark Richardson.

WaterBear’s Co-Founder Bruce John Dickinson commented:

“Famed for its rich musical and cultural history, Sheffield is the perfect location for WaterBear and we are hugely excited to be opening our college in the heart of the city very soon. Alongside our partners, we are creating far-reaching educational opportunities within the music industry, for students in Sheffield and beyond.

“Sheffield has a strong DIY ethos forged from centuries of makers and creatives plying their trade, something that we very much look forward to being a part of in supporting the next generation of self-start bands, musicians and artists.”

WaterBear offers BA (Hons) degree and master’s courses made for today’s musicians, artists and industry professionals. The college has built an unrivalled reputation for its dedication to specialist one-to-one mentoring, focused class sizes, flexible course delivery and exclusive career development opportunities. WaterBear colleges are based in the heart of Brighton and Sheffield, and also offers a range of online distance learning courses too.


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