ACM gets rocked!

By Chris Barnes
published

Students at Guildford's Academy of Contemporary Music turned up in vast numbers to meet rock legends Marco Mendoza (Thin Lizzy, Ted Nugent, Whitesnake) and Tommy Aldridge (Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy) alongside Dutch drummer, Soren Anderson.

The rock trio played a special, one off intimate gig on behalf of Yamaha UK which consisted of brand new tracks from Mendoza's solo album Live For Tomorrow, released through Frontiers Records on July 6. Mendoza also talked to students about his past experiences within the music industry as well as sharing an honest account of his struggles with drug addiction.

In April of this year ACM - world leaders in music industry education - was awarded The Queen´s Awards for Enterprise. The prestigious award is an extraordinary achievement for ACM, which over the past 12 years has developed some of the world´s most innovative music industry education currently available. Founded by Director Phil Brookes, the Guildford based school is home to 1,200 full-time students, with an impressive success rate of placement within the music industry. The last year alone have seen two recent ACM graduates - Newton Faulkner and Amelle Berrabah (Sugababes) - achieve national and international success, including securing consecutive UK No.1 albums.

Chris Barnes
Chris Barnes

I'm MusicRadar's eCommerce Editor. In addition to testing the latest music gear, with a particular focus on electronic drums, it's my job to manage the 300+ buyer's guides on MusicRadar and help musicians find the right gear for them at the best prices. I dabble with guitar, but my main instrument is the drums, which I have been playing for 24 years. I've been a part of the music gear industry for 20 years, including 7 years as Editor of the UK's best-selling drum magazine Rhythm, and 5 years as a freelance music writer, during which time I worked with the world's biggest instrument brands including Roland, Boss, Laney and Natal.