Owen Doherty
Study Type: School Leaver Vocational
Study Location: Joseph Wright Centre
Subject Studied: Music
Owen one of two DCG music students to win place at prestigious LIPA
Derby College Group student Owen Doherty is off to the world-renowned Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) to study music this September.
And he will be joined by friend and fellow band member Declan Dean, who also took the Music Performance Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma at Joseph Wright Centre.
Securing a place at LIPA is a huge achievement for both of the talented teenagers. The institute which was famously co-founded by Beatle Paul McCartney on the site of his old school, attracts more than 3,000 applications a year for just 250 places.
A guitarist from the age of seven, Owen – who got a distinction* in his diploma – has always been heavily into music but hadn’t considered making it his career.
He said: “I was also studying Maths and Computer Science A-levels at Joseph Wright Centre and thought my future might be in the STEM subjects, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
“It was my music lecturer, Matt Shirtliff, who talked to me about options to study music at university, so I decided to apply to LIPA. It was good careers advice.”
Owen wants to be a session musician, so will need to be proficient in a range of different music genres such as jazz and funk as well as in his favourite ‘dad rock’.
A singer as well as a bassist and drummer, his main passion remains the electric guitar, with his late grandad’s 25th anniversary Fender Stratocaster among his most prized possessions.
He added: “My grandad died when I was two but by all accounts, he was a well-known local guitarist who gigged a lot with his band.
“I always remember admiring his Fender Stratocaster on the wall at home and when I was little my mum bought me a half size version.
My guitar hero is Guthrie Govan, an English guitar virtuoso and teacher. He’s incredible – the guitarist’s guitarist.
At LIPA I’ll be working alongside some extremely accomplished young musicians, but I think my course at Derby College has given me what I need to study there.”
While on his diploma Owen also mentored other music students, helping them to grow and improve, as well as working hard to advance his own knowledge and skill.
It was my music lecturer, Matt Shirtliff, who talked to me about options to study music at university, so I decided to apply to LIPA. It was good careers advice.