Music is my life, says Bob, as he marks 30 years of Cork Academy

BOB Seward was always a music man. It is the heart and soul of his life.

I am meeting him in the week of his 89th birthday, this larger-than-life Mayfield man who was not afraid to pursue his dreams.

Bob has carefully steered and guided the work of the Cork Academy Music since its foundation in 1994. Is he still drumming?

Bob laughs.

“Drums was always my instrument and yes, I still love to play the drums. All my life, it’s been music.”

The sweet sound is in Bob’s genes.

“My father, Charles, was a professional piano player,” he says. “Music was in my home since I was born.”

Cork Academy of Music was founded to fulfil a social need on the north side of Cork city, using music as a tool for social inclusion. Bob is proud to celebrate this art form that has the power to change people’s lives. He might even be dancing later on in the evening.

“I’m going to a function in Silver Springs later,” he says, looking forward to putting his glad rags on.

Bob retired as a Captain after serving in the Irish army for 26 years.

“After my mother died, I ran off and I joined the army,” he explains. “I was very young, and I retired from the army at a relatively young age.”

He was the proud recipient of two United Nations peace medals, in recognition of his service in the Congo in 1960 and in Cyprus in 1963.

His achievements associated with the Cork Academy of Music, a voluntary and charitable organisation, have always been recognised. In 2018, Bob won the Cork Person of the Year Award for his groundbreaking achievements.

“My aim was to provide music education on the north side of Cork City,” says Bob, who also received an honorary M. Mus from UCC and an ‘Inspiration Life Award’ for his voluntary work from former President Mary McAleese.

“After leaving the army, I worked in rehab with people with disabilities and people who were socially deprived,” says Bob. “I felt there was a need to do something for people who left school early and for the unemployed.

“I did a feasibility study on the music industry, together with a business plan, and after getting the go-ahead, I received funding from the Fás community scheme.”

A total of 28 people turned up along with two music teachers at Glen Rovers Hurling and Football Club, the first home of the Cork Academy of Music before it relocated to the famous building in North Monastery.

“In between, we moved to the old Sunbeam factory and built a facility on an old forge where we operated from for a few years,” says Bob. “I was very lucky with the city manager then, Joe Gavin, who helped me set up the premises.”

With a brilliant work ethic, dedication for hard work, and willingness to take risks, Bob put himself out there to pursue his dream, realising he had the power to change lives.

“The aim was to provide an education in music literacy and instrument skills for people living in an area of the city regarded, at the time, as an economic blackspot.

“We wanted to use music as a tool for social inclusion, so we located the Cork Academy of Music in an area of relatively low educational achievement and high unemployment levels.

“Since then, the academy has provided a music education for many thousands,” says Bob.

“The Academy has also fostered important relationships with individuals and groups in the community, focusing on combating disadvantages and helping to promote social inclusion.”

Bob opened the world of music to many young people that otherwise wouldn’t get the opportunity. Paul Lopez, of Argentina, is one of them.

“After living here for 23 years, I moved to the city from West Cork,” says Paul. “After working 25 years as a sound engineer, I was looking for a change of direction.

“I took part in an LTI course at the Academy that provided me with a thorough knowledge of music and the music industry. I studied a variety of topics from copyright law, performance, to music technology. The course gave me a set of new options. I went to UCC as a music student, and I returned to the Academy as a teacher.”

Tony Corbett, of Bishopstown, returned to Cork in 2001 after many tours in the USA playing traditional music at Irish festivals.

“At the Academy, I did further studies in music theory and classical piano,” he says. “I studied under Oliver Keane and Lawrence O’Donnell at the Academy. It was a fantastic opportunity that enabled me to pursue studies in the University of Limerick.

“I’ve been a professional musician and music tutor since my graduation.”

Bob explains: “From the beginning, we set out with the aim that all students complete examinations associated with the Royal School of Music, London and Trinity College.”

For 30 years, Cork’s north side has been making the sweet sound of music.

“Youngsters learn the piano, brass, keyboard bass, strings, accordion, and drums along with a wide range of music-related subjects.” says Bob.

The Cork Academy of Music equips young people with more than musical knowledge.

“Music is wonderful,” says Bob. “You can see the change in students in a matter of weeks. You see them going around with their brief-cases and a sense of purpose.

“Students gain confidence by having goals and passing exams. It’s all about self-esteem. We have seen students come and go and progress from all walks of life.

“Many nationalities have passed through the doors of the Academy. Some of them were never tested and wouldn’t have reached their potential were it not for the Cork Academy of Music. We have their pictures on the wall.”

It is clear from the spark in Bob’s eyes that music is his passion. He knows he created the opportunity to touch the lives of countless people, to create a legacy that has, and will, stand the test of time.

“I’ve been full-time on a voluntary basis for four decades,” says Bob.

When did he get his first drum kit

“In the early ’50s,” says Bob. “I played in the Thomas Ashe ceíli band. I played in the small dance halls in Kealkill, Allihies, Castletownbere, we’d play anything!”

Bob enjoyed himself.

“We’d be out all night! Playing music was a wonderful profession. Entertaining people with compatible musicians in lovely atmospheres was just great.”

Did he meet his wife in a ballroom of romance? “I probably did,” says Bob, who lost his first wife to cancer and also tragically lost two of his six children.

Bob, still drumming at 89, has the beat of music in his heart.

“To see students go into UCC who would never otherwise have gone to college is hugely satisfying,” he says.

More than 3,000 students have benefited from the Cork Academy of Music.

“The feedback from students is wonderful,” says Bob. He is in a good place. “In all the years, we’ve never had a loan or an overdraft. We raise money when we have to.”

He must go and put his glad rags on. The music plays on. “Two of my grandchildren are musical,” says Bob.

The legacy he created all those years ago lives on. “The rewards are life-changing.”

Cork Academy of Music (CAM), Griffin Burke Building, North Monastery Campus, North Monastery Road, Cork.