First of all, tell us about yourself, who are you and what do you do?

My name is Barry Hyde and I am a musician and educator. I’m about to release my 7th album as a recording artist, with my band The Futureheads. 

Why did you choose to become a musician/songwriter?

I was raised by parents that were passionate about listening to music so being a musician was always something that I aspired to be, perhaps as a way of seeking approval from them. When I was 14 I became utterly obsessed with playing the guitar and devoured lots of classic rock stuff and learned loads of Led Zep, Hendrix etc…. It wasn’t until I was 19 that I started writing songs and that was after hearing a lot of classic British punk and New Wave. The style of writing seemed more available and applicable to me as it was very ‘un-bluesy’ and European. 

As a young musician/songwriter, who were some of your biggest inspirations?

Bands like XTC, Buzzcocks, Devo and The Slits. Alongside more modern bands like Supergrass, Blur, Oasis, all that stuff really, the mid 90s were a great time to be a teenager, British guitar music was very ‘alive’ and exciting. Hearing Pulp’s ‘Common People’ for the first time was a mind-blowing experience, so dynamic and powerful.  

What do you feel is your biggest achievement in music so far?

I suppose becoming a professional musician and spending much of my 20s travelling the world playing gigs is a pretty big achievement.Commercially, having a song in the British top 10 in 2004. As a musician, its one elongated series of short and long term goals, with one merging with the next, I’m really pleased I pushed myself to learn the piano, I have learned so much about music by learning how to play it.  

What are your biggest aspirations within the music industry? 

At this point my aspiration is to be able to play gigs and release music, no specific goals in mind other than to remain in a good creative relationship with my band mates. I would also like to release another solo album. The music industry is in a state of flux because of the evolution of digital technology, as an artist it’s important to look to enhance the honesty and purity of your work. Sometimes concentrating on the music industry can hinder that process, however more than ever the artist has to be engaging with online marketing and promotion so it’s important to draw a firm between being an artist and operating as a business. First and foremost, concentrating on the art first with vastly increase your chances of getting somewhere in the industry.  

If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice as a young musician/songwriter, what would it be and why?

Listen, listen, listen. The music you listen to in the early days in some way becomes the blueprint for what you will be able to draw from. Expand what you listen to as much as possible. Learning other people’s songs, try and make sense of what other writers are doing, try and get in to their heads. Ask yourself ‘why do I love this song so much’ and try and unravel the never-ending mysteries. There are no rules, but a little understanding of the fundamentals of music theory will make you a more powerful, skilful musician. Don’t give up and at all costs stay in love with music. Stay curious.  

Why is music education so important?

Music education is extremely important in our society but unfortunately it is decline. Is it any coincidence that young people are having increasingly difficulty developing tools of self expression when the arts is systematically under attack? I don’t think so. Many studies have been done regarding the development of the brain in musicians who gain even entry level skills. Art is what separates humans from the other animals, music expresses the inexpressible nuance if what being a human is. With music technology reaching such levels of sophistication creating musical art has never been more available. Music education allows us to make more powerful, considered musical art and that can only be a good thing. On a very basic level, being able to write music has been of huge benefit to me personally and given me a creative voice that without I’m not sure who I would even be!