East Ayrshire pupils are among the first to benefit from the Scottish Music Hall of Fame’s education plans - and the first to work with sound systems manufacturer Linn Products.

Teenagers from Kilmarnock’s James Hamilton Academy have been learning about careers in the high-tech music industry from the experts, including Hall of Fame managing director Ewan MacLeod.

In a new project for the council’s school music service, 42 S3-6 pupils spent three days at Linn’s factory, just 15 minutes from Kilmarnock, with Ewan MacLeod - a former talent scout, TV presenter and the man who set up Beat 106 before selling it to Capital Radio (now XFM Scotland).

Scotland’s #163;6 million Music Hall of Fame is a new 4D interactive visitor attraction that will open next to the Riverside Museum in Glasgow, showcasing Scotland’s rich modern music culture and heritage, and will nurture future rock stars.

Although not yet built, the Hall of Fame’s education department is already running some innovative projects. East Ayrshire is the first local authority outside Glasgow to benefit from its expertise - and the first authority that Linn has partnered in an education project.

The aim of the workshops was to broaden pupils’ understanding of the modern music industry, which is not just about performing, but also offers careers in accountancy, marketing, backstage trades and many other areas.

Participants learned about recording labels, copyrighting creative identity, implications to the music industry of illegal music sharing, technical production, use of social media, marketing and setting up bands as businesses.

Ewan MacLeod said: “At Scotland’s Music Hall of Fame, it’s not enough for us to look merely at the past and the present - we also look to the future of Scottish music. That is what our education programme is all about.”