A SINGER and songwriter, who has worked with stars such as Tom Jones, Celine Dion and Phil Collins, shared tricks of the trade with Teesside students.

John Parr, a veteran of the music business of 35 years, visited Middlesbrough College's Acklam campus to speak to students on a full-time Access to Music programme.

While not a household name, Mr Parr has notched up a string of movie hits including title tracks for St Elmos Fire, Three Men and a Baby and The Running Man.

He has worked with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Demi Moore and John Travolta and collaborated with many top producers.

Among the singers he has written for are Bryan Adams and Bucks Fizz.

While at the college, he covered the topics of copyrights, contracts and royalties, as well as entertaining the students with tales of his rock-star lifestyle. He was especially keen to hear college bands and give his opinion on their music.

Dave Brace, the course tutor, said: "The innovative course we run here at Middlesbrough College prepares young musicians for the reality of the music industry. Getting experts in from the business to talk to our students is a very important aspect of the course. Obviously, all of our student bands want to make it big, and this kind of activity lets them know what to expect along the way."