Prestigious UK award is music to the ears of delighted student
A POLISH student living in Northern Ireland has landed a top music award.
Kacper Lewandowski has been named UK Music Student of the Year.
The 22-year-old, who attends Belfast Metropolitan College, was named the winner at the Royal Horticultural Halls in London.
Despite English being his second language, Kacper excelled in the Higher National Diploma in Music, achieving distinction level in nearly every unit on the programme, and completing with an overall distinction grade.
“I feel incredibly honoured to have been chosen as BTEC Music Student of the Year,” he said.
“Thanks to the amazing tutors that supported me throughout the years of my education, I was able to achieve something I never dreamed I could.”
He was nominated for the award by his tutor Claire Heuston.
“Kacper is the most memorable student that has ever passed through our music department at Belfast Metropolitan College,” she said.
“He is friendly, well-mannered and courteous, treating staff and students alike with a level of respect that is rarely seen.
“His success is compounded by the fact that he completed his courses in his second language.”
Kacper is not new to musical award success, as he recently entered an online worldwide competition — My Music Masterclass — as a guitarist.
He secured third place behind Canadian and Indian contestants, winning a substantial amount of equipment for his studio.
His production work has also been endorsed by local songwriter Peter McVeigh, who has employed Kacper to co-write and produce one of the tracks on his new album.
Kacper added: “I spent four years at Belfast Met studying music at both level three and level five and developed so much as a musician and as a person during this time.
“A career in music is now a realistic pathway for me.”
The annual awards ceremony recognises outstanding achievements of the thousands of students who study BTEC qualifications each year.
The Pearson company, which owns BTEC — the UK’s most widely undertaken vocational course — received nearly 1,000 nominations for 19 categories.