"Many young people are pushed into 'live audio' and 'technical' courses by career advisors at schools. Whist sounding superficially exciting, these courses are obviously bringing in funds to educational establishments, but "live" production cannot be taught in a classroom or a one space environment.
"You need to be able to anticipate venue-to-venue problems and nuances and experience true working days - including load-ins and outs before you leave college."
Dockerty adds that apart from highlighting technical issues, the Adlib Schools Events are realistic about the fact it's not an especially glamorous career at the outset, and encourages the development of "live" engineering and production skills through a hands-on apprenticeship.
Adlib has an active apprenticeship scheme in place for young people wanting to get started, and past Schools Events have proved a fertile recruiting ground. "The key is getting them before they go to university or get embroiled in courses which will teach them bad practices, waste their time and inhibit their careers," says Dockerty.
Three or four times a year, ADLIB visits local schools, takes in a complete sound and lighting rig - totally free of charge - and sets up and produces a gig with interested pupils. The idea is to stimulate them into getting involved in sound, lighting and technical production as a career - with a proper understanding of what they are getting into.
The latest Adlib School Event was at Gateacre Comprehensive in Liverpool. Working with 30 students, many of them from Music Tech courses, they staged a show starring seven artists in the school hall that sold 400 tickets - six school bands followed by headliners and local indie heroes, The Aeroplanes.
The sound rig used was a Nexo Alpha system with a Soundcraft Series 5 console at front of house. Dockerty baby-sat and lectured on FOH and Adlib engineer Steve Cole delivered his knowledge of the monitor world via an SM20 console.
(Jim Evans)
