ASPIRING young musicians hoping to secure a place at Bournemouth’s ACMR music academy will be auditioned by Eighties pop star Mark King.

The Level 42 singer and bassist will audition 16-20-year-olds for a limited number of places on the performance diploma course starting this September.

Auditions will be held at ACMR in Wimborne Road, Kinson, on Wednesday, February 20. There are just 15 places up for grabs.

Mark said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be a patron of ACMR and I’m looking forward to spending some creative time with the students here.

“As a fan of music of all kinds, but leaning heavily to the rock and pop genres, I can only imagine what such a fantastic facility might have afforded an aspiring young drummer from the Isle of Wight, as indeed I was.”

A successful audition will lead to the offer of a place on the course which will see the students following in the footsteps of former ACM students, including Ed Sheeran, Lawson, Newton Faulkner and You Me At Six.

The qualification gained from the course is the equivalent of two A-levels and leads onto a degree course at the world-renowned ACM in Guildford.

The auditions will be held for drums, bass, guitar and vocal students and applicants should call 01202 590101 to book an audition.