A MUSIC tutor at Amersham & Wycombe College has earned his own fanfare after being celebrated with a national award to mark his creative approach to teaching and ability to inspire students.

Chris Bunce, who is also the course leader, has been crowned Creative Tutor of the Year at the National Skills Academy Creative & Cultural Annual Conference and Awards Event which took place earlier this month in Essex.

Speaking after the event, Chris said: “It was a real surprise to hear my name and to be called up on stage – I was halfway through my soup.

“I’m obviously delighted to have won but I had no idea I had been nominated. I’m a firm believer that it’s the activities you do outside of college, getting students into studios and meeting professionals that makes a real difference to their experience and understanding of the industry and ultimately their employability.”

For the past three years, Creative & Cultural Skills has been holding an awards ceremony to recognise and celebrate the hard work and commitment to skills, training and apprenticeships shown by employers within those kinds of industries.

This year, The Creative Tutor of the Year Award was introduced to recognise contributions in linking students to the heart of the industry.

Tutors, students and employers nominated Chris for the award.

Former student Harry Price said: “Chris is well connected and knowledgeable; he always gave me excellent advice – even when I finished the course.”

Kevin Grainger from Wired Masters, a London-based audio post production company, who has worked with Chris’s students on live projects said: “I think Chris is an amazing tutor, his passion and enthusiasm are endless and I can clearly see how much his students admire and respect him. I only wish I’d had a tutor like him when I was at school, he is genuinely inspirational.”

The judges made special mention of the fact that Chris seemed to look for opportunities and areas of the course outside of the normal criteria and units, working with employers in a way that made students take ownership of their projects and find new solutions for problems they may encounter.