Rolls Royce factory visit is music to students ears

Rolls Royce factory visit is music to students ears

22nd May 2015

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A YOUNG composer with a driving passion for the automotive industry has had his work commended by the world’s most prestigious carmaker.

Former St Michael’s Catholic Academy student Adam Murray, 17, was invited to a VIP tour of Rolls-Royce’s Goodwood factory after sending the luxury car manufacturers a copy of his GCSE music composition in celebration of the launch of its new Phantom car.

Together with five students and two teachers from the academy, Tom Nimmo, Joseph Binns, Jonathan Binns, Christian Kelly, Bailey Honan, Garry Hadfield and Jeremy McMurray, Adam was taken on a tour of the production line at the prestigious Rolls-Royce plant in West Sussex.

Music teacher at St Michael’s Academy Jeremy McMurray said: “Adam’s passion for cars, especially the Rolls-Royce brand, helped to inspire him to write a composition for his GCSE exam work last year.

“His four minute piece really fulfilled the exam brief and also captured perfectly the grandeur of the car. I was so impressed that I suggested he send it to Rolls-Royce head office.

“We were delighted to receive such a positive response back from Rolls-Royce who said that they had played it to their leadership team, who thought it was a fantastic, and that they would like to invite Adam and some of his fellow music students for a tour of the factory.”

Adam, of Billingham, who is now studying A level music technology at Hartlepool Sixth Form College, plays violin for The Billingham String Orchestra, conducted by St Michael’s peripatetic music teacher John Spearal.

Young pianist Joseph Binns, 14, of Norton, who accompanied Adam on the tour said; “I love cars so it was very exciting to go to Goodwood and see how a Rolls-Royce is made, especially as they don’t normally let people look around the factory unless they are having a car specially customised for them.

“We saw a bright pink one which had been custom ma-e for a lady in America. It had no leather inside because she was a vegan and we also saw the car that David Beckham had ordered as a surprise for his wife Victoria’s birthday.”

St Michael’s saxophonist and cellist Jonathan Binns, 13, of Billingham, added: “I was planning to go into a career in engineering after school and the visit to the Rolls-Royce factory really inspired me. We saw cars that cost from £250,000 to over £1m.

“We got to look in the Celestial which has real diamonds in the dashboard and also got to sit in a Wraith which was incredible.”

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