Class of 2007
BA (Hons) Performance Music
Country: United Kingdom
Job:
Lead Brass Tutor – Opera North
IF YOU STUDIED YOUR UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMME AT YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY OR FOUNDER COLLEGES, DID YOU GO ON TO POSTGRADAUTE STUDY?
Yes
WHY HAVE YOU CHOSEN THIS PHOTO AS YOUR YSJ SNAPSHOT?
The first is a picture of my graduation day, with Magz, my girlfriend at the time. It was the culmination of a fantastic three years and pretty much the start of the journey to where I am now. The second is mine and Magz’s wedding day, outside Quad West after we got married in the university chapel. It seemed a fitting location as that was where we met (well, the music block, but we couldn’t really get married there). The final picture is me and my brass team at Opera North. That’s where I am now, working as the Lead Brass Tutor for their In Harmony project where I have been for the last four years
WHY WOULD YOU RECOMMEND YSJ TO SOMEONE?
I’m going to say the same thing I said when I returned in January 2022 to speak to the 3rd year music students. YSJ is a (relatively speaking) small campus and it feels like home. You get to know faces and places and everyone is so friendly and supportive. It feels a very cliché thing to say but I wouldn’t be who or where I am today without St John’s.
It’s a club you never leave – I’ve run into Old Johns in my current job, my last job, and my son’s new headteacher in September is an Old John – and it’s one you can rely on for support in the future.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY OR FOUNDER COLLEGES?
YSJ is a small, friendly campus, close to the city centre and had (and still has) amazing facilities. When I came to look around and audition everything felt ‘just right’ and that gut instinct was spot on.
WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING SINCE COMPLETING YOUR STUDIES?
I have had a colourful journey since leaving YSJ. After graduating I spent a year doing seasonal work before completing my PGCE in Secondary Music at the Institute of Education, University of London (now UCL). Once I had qualified I started working as a peripatetic brass teacher and freelance trumpet player in London. Some of my favourite contracts were on a cruise ship and with a circus in France. After I married I worked as a teacher of music, music technology and media at a SEND provision school for a year before moving back to being a peripatetic brass teacher, this time in Stockport and Tameside. For the last four years I have been Lead Brass Tutor with In Harmony Opera North where I have been working with my amazing team to bring instrumental music to students in the less affluent areas of Leeds, Halifax and Huddersfield. The highlight of every academic year is having 120+ students from our afterschool provision in 6 schools come together to make music (and new friends) in the Howard Assembly Rooms in Leeds
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE YOUR SPECIFIC COURSE?
Music was always the path I wanted to take and the course at YSJ ticked all of the boxes. It covered the genres of music I was interested in as well as music technology and collaborations with other disciplines, such as dance.
WHAT WERE THE BEST FEATURES OF YOUR COURSE?
The opportunities for collaboration, practical community music experiences, a lunchtime concert series were some of the best features. Access to some of the best tutors was a big draw – I actually wrote one of my essays on David Lancaster and got first hand interviews – and the support was second to none.
HOW DID STUDYING AT YSJ HELP IN YOUR CAREER SEARCH/SUCCESS/CURRENT ROLE?
YSJ – the staff, friends and other folks there – gave me the confidence to go for every opportunity. The course gave me the skills to make the most of those opportunities. Being an Old John gives me the pride to keep striving to make a difference. YSJ has a fantastic reputation in education!
WHAT ONE PIECE OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A CURRENT STUDENT, OR ONE ABOUT TO GRADUATE?
Grab every opportunity going. They won’t all pan out but you will gain invaluable experience.
Make friends, not contacts. In any industry getting to know people opens doors to work and support.
If you’re a music student/graduate, learn ukulele and recorder! Music services love people who can teach them as part of First Access.
