We were delighted to welcome Ed Sheeran to Thomas Mills High School & Sixth Form on Wednesday, 27th June 2024, for the opening of our new recording studios, The Gingerbread Studios. Built with a generous donation from the Framlingham Foundation, this incredible facility allows our pupils to write their own music, record themselves, and learn music production skills.
Ed Sheeran was interviewed on the opening night and was thrilled with the new facility: “So now to have somewhere like that for students is great. They can write a song and then the same day record it and have something to take home and learn how to do production.” Former student Ed was also particularly impressed with the band The Mess, who demonstrated the recording facilities that night. He commented, “These students I have met today, I was exactly like them 20 years ago—and they can definitely be in the same position as me, but they’re actually further ahead in their development because I never learned production, which they will now with these studios.”
In his opening speech, Director of Music Richard Hanley BEM said, “Such an incredible facility will be the envy of other music departments across the land. These departments don’t have an ex-student who is an international music megastar, and one who cares deeply about his community, about supporting the next generation of musicians, and who is passionate about the importance of music and the arts in schools.”
The Gingerbread Studios were designed and built by Studio People and Elliston Steady Hawes (Building) Ltd, who joined the opening celebrations. The studio suite comprises three separate edit rooms and one larger live room, allowing students to record simultaneously. The studios are equipped with industry-standard software and equipment, providing our students valuable opportunities to learn music production skills.
Headteacher Phil Hurst emphasized the importance of the arts at Thomas Mills:
“Ed continues to provide much inspiration to our school community and what we can achieve. He was the perfect guest to open this amazing resource, which will benefit students and the community for generations to come. I would like to thank the Music Department, particularly the excellent leadership of Mr. Hanley, for establishing a superb ethos that has supported musical talent and development over many decades. We now know, sadly, that a thriving music curriculum is unique in the state sector. The diminishing of other creative arts, sports, and even other key subjects in the system is a travesty for potentially many talented students, as well as the country. I thank Mr. Hanley and his team for bringing alive our aspiration to have a curriculum that allows students to find and then excel with their talents.”
For more photos and interviews, please see the following EADT articles written by former student Tom Cann:
Ed Sheeran unveils studios at Thomas Mills in Framlingham | East Anglian Daily Times (eadt.co.uk)
Ed Sheeran interview on Suffolk, Ipswich Town and music | East Anglian Daily Times (eadt.co.uk)
Photos by Charlotte Bond
