Back Back

Music lecturer performs live with national singing sensation

21/03/2018

A University of Wolverhampton music lecturer has been composing and performing with national singing sensation, Jane McDonald.

Steve Cooper, Course Leader for Popular Music in the School of Performing Arts based at Walsall Campus, is featured as a guitarist on Jane’s new Channel 5 music show ‘Jane and Friends’ which is currently being aired weekly on Friday evenings at 9.00 pm (repeated on Saturday night).

Steve specialises in teaching guitar, performance, harmony and songwriting at the University and is an acoustic and electric guitar examiner.  He has also performed and recorded with international artists including Robert Plant, Lionel Richie, Journey South and Ben Mills from X Factor UK.

Steve performed with West End star Kerry Ellis and on forthcoming episodes showcasing The Overtones, Tony Hadley and Shayne Ward.

“This show is throwback to the great weekend music shows that were slowly replaced by talent competitions on the Saturday night schedules and is a chance to hear Jane sing and perform with her band, alongside some very special guests.

“The first show had excellent viewing figures and I was also featured as a songwriter in episode 1 - with a track I co-wrote with Jane, ‘I’ll be there’, which also features on her latest album, ‘Hold The Covers Back’.

“I've worked with Jane for ten years on many tours and previous albums and this has been another really exciting project to be part of, filming performances of over forty songs in front of a live studio audience. ” 

As a guitar arranger and transcriber, Steve has completed more than fifty published works for Music Sales including album folios by Queens of The Stone Age (Songs for The Deaf), The Vines (Highly Evolved) and The Clash’s ‘Complete Chord Songbook’.  Other arrangements include tracks by Foo Fighters, Morrissey, System Of A Down, Velvet Revolver, The Killers, Funeral For A Friend, Maximo Park, Nine Inch Nails and Kaiser Chiefs

 

Steve's work on the use of the iPod as a music teaching tool is internationally recognised and was published in two peer reviewed academic journals in 2008, The British Journal of Music Education (BJME) and the Journal of Music,Technology and Education. His book 'Never Mind The Bee S#arps' was published, reaching number 1 in the iTunes (UK) music book charts. Click books for further information and links to all available formats. 

Anyone interested in studying Music at the University should register for the next Open Day on Saturday 21st April 2018.

ENDS

For more information please contact the Media Relations Office on 01902 32 2736 or 01902 518647.

For more information please contact the Corporate Communications Team.

Share this release

Related Stories