Sixth Formers studying IB and A Level Music were delighted to spend the weekend at the iconic Rockfield Studios, birthplace of Queen’s ‘Night at the Opera’ album (1975) and used by 90s legends Oasis and The Stone Roses.

Other popular artists who have chosen Rockfield Studios as the inspiring location for their recordings, since its construction 1968, include Coldplay, Black Sabbath and Simple Minds.

Rockfield Studios has two main areas both located inside stone farm buildings; The Coach House and The Quadrangle. Between them they house four drum rooms, five isolation booths and a variety of musical instruments and recording equipment, including the original Rosser Electronics microphone amps and a customised Neve 8128 recording console with vintage outboard processing.

The group were thrilled to experience a variety of diverse workshops across the weekend, recording eleven covers and learning a plethora of new skills.

Day one included a studio tour and recording several tracks as well as settling into their rooms for the weekend, with some students hitting jackpot with accommodation in the very room Freddie Mercury once used.  Day two consisted of plenty more recording and musical insight whilst the final day saw our students on the mixing tech and enjoying a second tour of the studios, including the famous wonder wall.

A Level Music student, Alana (Lower Sixth), commented on the epic weekend: “I found our trip to Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Wales, to be an amazing experience where I learned a lot about industry standards for recording with analogue gear, which I hadn’t previously used. The crew at Rockfield were all encouraging and willing to explain things to us, meaning I was able to learn a lot from the trip. I especially enjoyed touring the echo chambers linked to the studios, allowing me to see how reverb was created in real time. During the trip I also enjoyed a weekend of playing and listening to music alongside the talented LP community, many of whom I wouldn’t otherwise have had the chance to collaborate with. A highlight for everyone on the trip was meeting Jack, the studio’s resident cat! Overall, I really valued experience at Rockfield Studios and found it inspiring to walk in the footsteps of some of history's most innovative musicians.”

Learn more about our Sixth FormLearn more about Music

Back to news