the recruitment team
Depending on your instrument, your assessment will be with one of the following:

		Damien Morris – Guitar Damien graduated from the Musicians Institute 10 years ago and has been a session player and teacher ever since. Session work has been both live and studio and he has played with many bands including the Sugababes and Moby. Damien has also worked with members of The Average White Band, Jamiroquai and M People.

		Heidi Berry – Vocals As Course Leader for BIMM’s Foundation Degree, Heidi Berry brings with her an impressive background as a solo recording artist and also in music education. As a singer-songwriter she released six albums including an anthology on ultra-hip labels Creation (Oasis, My Bloody Valentine) and 4AD (Pixies, Throwing Muses). Ivo Watts-Russell (founder of 4AD) said of her, “Out of all the records we released on 4AD, Heidi’s are some of the most important”. Tours include Tori Amos, Primal Scream, and Everything But The Girl. Television soundtracks include Dawson’s Creek, Baywatch, and various BBC documentaries. She has over 10 years’ teaching experience and since joining BIMM in 2003 has taught extensively across the school at all levels, mainly concentrating on songwriting and live performance.

		Barry Jepson – Live Sound/ Tour Management Barry was founder member of Southern Death Cult (later The Cult). He has also been a promoter rep and tour manager for acts such as Placebo, Green Day, Foo Fighters, Bryan Adams, Nick Cave, Iron Maiden, Kasabian, Ozzy Osbourne, Kaiser Chiefs, Will Young, Tool, Girls Aloud, Rammstein and Brian Ferry. No one knows more about putting a gig on than Barry. Barry will be teaching all Live Sound and Tour Management students the practical side of tour managing and covering areas such as budgets, organising tour schedules and working closely with venue managers

		Darius Kedros – Live Sound/Tour Management Darius is a producer, engineer and composer with 17 years experience in the music industry. He is currently working freelance in music production and live engineering having had his own record deals in the 90’s. He’s the live sound engineer for a great variety of artists including Mystery Jets, Jimmy Somerville, Kathryn Williams, The Sunshine Underground, White Rose Movement, The Bluetones and Gabrielle among others.

		Ian Sillett – Keyboards Ian started playing the piano at 5 years old. As a teenager he won the National Yamaha/Times Educational Young Songwriters Award. Finishing his A-Levels Ian won a place at Leeds College of Music where he studied piano until he was offered a place to be the first intake of students at LIPA. Since graduating Ian has been busy as a professional musician, performing, writing and producing. Ian has travelled the world playing concerts and festivals. As a session player he has played for Beverley Knight, Jamelia, Blue and Sugababes and has played alongside such luminaries as Mark Knopfler, Joan Armatrading and Sir Paul McCartney. Ian is also keyboard module leader for Musicians Channel on SKY TV. He has been signed to Fused & Bruised and East West Records and had publishing with Jimmy Ruffin at Ruffland Publishing Ltd. Ian has composed and orchestrated for film and is now currently co-writing and co-producing a double album for Disney. Ian is also a qualified music teacher having gained a PG Cert HE.

		Steve McCarthy – Guitar Steve is an experienced and respected guitar teacher and musician. A graduate of the Guitar Insitute and the London College of Music where Steve attained a BMus honours degree in popular music performance and prior to his degree also awarded a place in the top ten guitarists of his diploma year. Steve also pioneered the first ever popular music grade examinations on his homeland of Guernsey, Channel Islands. A member of the Registry of Guitar tutors and a contributor to Guitarist and Guitar Tutor magazines, Steve is a dedicated teacher with the potential to really bring out the best in his students.

		Jake Shillingford – Song Writing Jake Shillingford, founder of the cult orchestral alternative band My Life Story, released three successful albums and had six top forty singles. Jake started out co-promoting bands in a London club called The Panic Station booking early shows for The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays and Chili Peppers. His band My Life Story went on to collaborate with with PJ Proby, Marc Almond, Morrissey, The Wonderstuff and even headlined over Oasis. He now runs his own label and new musical project ExileInside, financed online by investors. ‘One of our most colourful lyricists’ Steve Lamacq

		Andy Nixon – Drums Andy has a vast amount of live and studio experience. He’s made six albums and signed deals with V2, Warners, and Sony. Festival Appearances at Glastonbury, T in the Park and V2001, and tours with Sheryl Crow, Alaniss Morisette, Reef, Gomez and Feeder have helped make Andy a world class player. As a member of Straw he was in one of the best power pop bands of the era. More recently he’s been touring the world with The Jeevas alongside Dan McKinna and Crispian Mills. Andy is now a founding member of the The Magic Bullet Band.

		Julia Ruzicka – Bass Julia co-founded and played bass in alternative rock band Million Dead. During which time she toured extensively in the UK and Europe supporting bands like Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, Pitchshifter and Funeral for a Friend. Other band commitments have included The Quite Kill and more recently Who Owns Death TV?. Julia has spent many years learning her craft ranging from booking gigs, managing, planning recording sessions and selling thousands of records along the way. We are pleased to say Julia is now happy to share her experience at BIMM.