Tamworth TAFE to offer music course in country music capital after advocacy by local muso Freddie Bailey-Cook

Freddie Bailey-Cook, 17, has big dreams of country music success

With a stage name of FredBear, training from local muso Kim Bear and a style that apes Keith Urban, the local guitar player and singer-songwriter last year wanted to hit the classroom to learn the industry.

The only problem: TAFE doesn't offer music classes.

"It's the country music capital not just of Australia, but the southern hemisphere," he said.

"You'd think that more things like that would be happening, but it isn't."

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Mr Bailey-Cook went to his local MP to see what could be done about the problem.

A little under a year later, Kevin Anderson had an answer from Minister for Skills Geoff Lee: a yes.

Tamworth's TAFE will once again offer a Certificate III in Music Industry course, he said.

The online course will cover the whole gamut of the job, from entertaining a crowd to setting up lights and making the business work.

"The music industry's really strong in Tamworth, but there's nowhere really for people to learn the industry, as such," Mr Anderson said.

"It's more than just getting on stage and singing and playing an instrument, that's the entertainment part of it. There's so much more that sits behind that."

The 18-month full-time course is a nationally-recognised qualification that gives students an understanding of the industry broadly, including foundational skills in performance, recording and live production.

Mr Bailey-Cook will enroll in the first class, which is slated to start at the beginning of the first term of next year.

"It'll be relieving I think, knowing that I can walk into a place and really focus on what I want to do as a career, and not so much a hobby," Mr Bailey-Cook said.

Mr Anderson, himself a guitar player and singer with Tamworth band Splashpool, said the 17-year-old has a big future in the industry.

"Freddy started on the streets of Tamworth, busking on the streets of Tamworth, many others have done the same and look where they are now," Mr Anderson said.

"It's a long hard road, it's a lonely road, you've got to be dedicated.

"But these days you've got to have a complete skillset, you've got to have the complete toolbox. That's what this course is going to do."

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