Plymouth is where our story started and for 25 years, dBs Institute has been influencing the music and culture of the city. Find out more from our students, staff and alumni.
More than two decades ago, dBs Institute opened its doors for the first time. Since then, we have taught countless students who have gone on to improve the creative industries and opened new campuses where we help weave the cultural fabric of the cities we call home.
Although we’ve grown a lot in 25 years, we’ve always stuck to our roots in the South West and our continued presence in Plymouth has nurtured the cultural identity of this great city. dBs Plymouth students and staff have helped to improve the city’s nightlife, have created a local cottage industry for Eurorack design and fabrication and our campus provides an outlet for locals who want to learn how to channel their creativity into music production and other related disciplines.
We spoke to some of our Plymouth students, staff and alumni to find out how important they think dBs Institute is for the city and what they love about studying or working at dBs Institute.
How important is it for Plymouth to have a place like dBs Institute and why?
Alex Kearney: I think Plymouth having dBs is so important. It's integral to the fabric of the music community in Plymouth. It’s a kind of glue. There are a lot of people who have passed through the hallowed doors of this place now. I meet people all the time who are either currently studying here, have studied here or know someone who's studied here. It's a big joiner between a lot of people. It's so vital.
Matt Ward: To have an institute like dBs at Plymouth, right in the heart of the city, is great. There's a vibrant scene around Plymouth. There have been a lot of clubs that have come and gone and there are quite a lot of creatives around the area. We have played, performed, and added installations to various places around dBs and the surrounding area and the community has benefited from that.
Josh Ball: dBs Plymouth is able to tap into a great creative resource - the South West. With the creative talent here, dBs taps into that really well. It exposes artists to the live music scene. The research and development that's going on here is great as well. The connection that it facilitates between artists and practitioners, music practitioners, I think it's really, really good.
Dan Legg: It is hugely important to have an establishment like dBs in Plymouth. When I was younger, I didn't know dBs existed and I was going to go and study something else when my heart lies in music. So for people who really do want to study music and want to develop in the industry and get somewhere in music, dBs is a key place to be.
What’s your favourite thing about dBs Plymouth?
Alex Kearney: The staff and facilities here are fantastic. I think it is a big plus and selling point, particularly for Plymouth because there is a real intimacy. You can have periods where you can have one-to-one tutoring, and to have the equipment and the facilities we've got here, it's really good. I mean, the stuff we got here is as good as it gets! To be able to learn on that, it's really, really amazing.
Harvey Jones: My favourite thing about dBs Plymouth is the expertise and the experience that the tutors have. Being able to learn from decades of industry experience from all of these amazing people is really invaluable for someone who's starting their career.
Josh Ball: The industry knowledge, the amount of experience there is here with all the different tutors. There are people here that have done some amazing stuff and they've got so much knowledge in pretty much any area of music production. And, of course, all the equipment is great. To be able to have access to industry-standard, cutting-edge technology is kind of cool.
Dan Legg: I think the community here at dBs Plymouth is amazing. The staff are some of the most supportive and knowledgeable people that you could hope to find. Everybody's aiming towards the same goal. Everybody has their expertise, and you can all help each other. There's a lot of cross-pollination.
Learn more about our Access to HE Diplomas, Undergraduate degrees or another one of our Music Production Courses or visit us at a dBs Plymouth Open Day!