How The Piece Hall in Halifax is inspiring futures with music masterclasses under Erik 'Blu2th' Griggs

But now, teaming up with The Piece Hall in Halifax, he is to run masterclasses offering insight into the music industry today.

The Piece Hall's reputation as a music venue has only grown in recent years, hosting some of the biggest names in the business from Sting to Tom Jones.

This now, said trust chief executive Nicky Chance-Thompson, will help to develop the next generation of creatives under the umbrella of The Piece Hall Academy.

“West Yorkshire has been establishing itself as a hotspot for arts, culture and creativity for some time now and The Piece Hall is firmly at the heart of this," she said.

"As our reputation grows, we want to carry others with us on that journey.“It’s an absolute coup to be able to bring an artist with such an immense musical pedigree as Erik to Halifax to share from his skills, talent, wisdom and contacts.

"I’m truly thrilled we are able to offer this potentially life changing opportunity to the young people of Calderdale.”

The course is aimed at young people aged 14 to 18, and is to be held next month with Calderdale College and Calderdale Music.

Erik is a multi-platinum selling, Grammy nominated, multi-instrumentalist, singer, producer and songwriter. Across different genres, he was a bass and keys player for Aretha Franklin and also collaborated with Eminem as part of Dr Dre's Aftermath production team.

Now, through events programme manager for the Trust Aaron Casserly Stewart, two cohorts to attend the weeklong masterclass will be taken through the process from creating a track to getting a mix ready to share with a record label or artist.

Erik 'Blu2th' Griggs said: “I look forward with excitement to adding 36 new people to my worldwide student family.”

The first element of the Academy, a live events skills bootcamp with Production Park in Wakefield, is already underway.

Calderdale Music – lead for the Calderdale Music Education Hub - has been working alongside Calderdale College and The Piece Hall to develop opportunities. Director David Heywood said initiatives such as this can help build brighter futures for the children of the region.

And David Malone, principal of Calderdale College, said this was an incredible opportunity: “We are fully committed to giving our students real-world experiences and this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to collaborate with such a renowned star who has worked with some of the industry’s most iconic names.

"We’re looking forward to seeing what our students can achieve as part of this masterclass. I have no doubt they will remember this experience long after they leave college.”