Back in 2006, James Collins, managing director of Service Sound, spotted a gap in the market for audio equipment of a high quality in schools.
Trained and working as a sound engineer, Collins often found himself visiting schools with not only sub-standard equipment, but also staff within the schools who were unsure on how to use and maintain the facilities which were installed. Collins took his 25 years of experience in the audio industry and set up Service Sound.
At the heart of what Service Sound aims to do is provide equipment which will stand the test of time. This goes beyond installing products designed to last, with Service Sound regularly checking up on and servicing the products which it has installed. Speaking to Collins about the conception of Service Sound, he emphasises the importance of training staff to use the equipment: ‘So often I would go into schools and speak to the IT department, who might have an idea of how to use the equipment, and then speak to the teachers in the classrooms, only to find that they had totally different needs.’
For music teachers, the problem of reliable, suitable audio equipment is particularly pressing. Collins remarks: ‘Often, a school will have spent a couple of thousand pounds on a new interactive whiteboard, only to have a couple of £50 plastic speakers stuck on either side. This isn't creating the best learning or teaching experience for the pupils and teachers involved.’ Collins firmly believes that with investment in good quality equipment, combined with proper training for teachers, and regular maintenance of equipment installed, schools can combine learning experiences of the highest quality with the budget restraints that we are seeing more and more in schools today.
Fulfilling needs
Service Sound always start with the budget of a school and work forward from there. Collins describes the typical collaboration with a school like so: ‘We have a walk around, see what they need, what their budget is, and see how we can help. Budget really is a key component these days, particularly with the cuts we are seeing in the present climate’. Collins also demonstrates a real awareness of the constraints that schools are facing, and how the resources that a school is investing in really do have to be worth the money spent on them. ‘With something like a sound system, there is often no money for this sort of project, and it might be that the funding comes from the parent–teacher association, so you have to make sure everyone is happy: the parents, the students, the teachers, boards of directors – it really does have to involve everybody’.
The company works within a school's constraints
Service Sound also offers acoustic consultations before orders are placed and installation starts. These consultations are designed to personalise the equipment to the space that it will be working in, which can vary hugely between schools and departments and also depends on the preference of different teachers for different types of technology.
Another point Collins raises is the importance of reliability: ‘For the music teacher who gets in at half past seven in the morning and finds that the sound system doesn't work, it's no good for the IT department to know how the systems work if they're not getting in until nine – this is why staff training is such an important aspect of what we do. If the music teacher needs to use a CD player, it really doesn't matter that the IT department might inform us that CD players are outdated. If that's what the music teacher needs to facilitate a classes’ learning, then that's what needs to be there.’
The repair service offered by Service Sound also works around school holidays, with equipment being collected and repaired over the break, and re-installed for the start of term. It is clear that Service Sound puts the needs of the teachers and school at the absolute heart of what it does, which has further reaching positive consequences. The Service Sound policy of fixing and maintaining equipment, rather than simply replacing it when it breaks, has obvious cost benefits but also environmental ones. ‘We try to minimise waste as much as possible,’ Collins explains. ‘The environment is such a key concern for everyone these days, and it makes more sense on every level to reduce waste wherever we can’. The awareness of the environmental impact is another way that Service Sound demonstrates a truly holistic approach its business.
There are elements of the installation which may run beyond the company's control, with Collins describing some of the main challenges music teachers seem to encounter while using the equipment in their classrooms: ‘Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are always going to be a challenge – even if everything is set up perfectly, sometimes the Bluetooth just won't connect, or the internet will be down. This is obviously hugely frustrating for a teacher and can't always be easily solved. The most we can do is ensure that during training we run through these eventualities with the teachers, so that if there is a way of fixing this, they know how to try. It means they can get on with their lessons, using the resources as previously planned.’
Balance
Another secret to the success of Service Sound seems to be Collins willingness to say no. ‘If we go into a school and they mention that they might also need stage lighting and other systems putting in, we're more than happy to help, but will often collaborate with other firms on projects like this,’ he says. ‘Audio is at the heart of what we do, and if something like lighting is involved, it makes more sense to use a company that specialises in lighting to give the school the best possible result all-round’.
Service Sound prioritises training as a key component of its installations
Aside from the larger systems present in schools, Service Sound provides installation of keyboards in music classrooms and can also kit out recording studios including writing studios and audio for computer suites. During the equipment checks, headphones and keyboards are tested and fixed, to ensure classes can run at full capacity, with each student having access to the equipment that they need to use.
Now Service Sound has been running for 12 years, it seems that each step of the way has been tried and tested in music departments up and down the country. As music teachers, we can need to rely heavily on technology for the smooth running of a class, and Service Sound seem to have all the bases covered for the day-to-day running of a department.
