The Inspire Project: Ewan East

Tell me about your background and what you do if you work, the area you live in, etc.

I am a PhD student who has just finished an MA in Music Composition at York St John University. After living in York with my fiancé and completing my undergraduate degree we moved back to our home city of Lincoln to complete a PGCE at Bishop Grosseteste University and enter the world of secondary teaching.

What is your Ph.D. about, what year, and why York SJ?

After completing my Masters, I have continued at York St John University to study for my PhD in Music Composition. This allows me to reach my future career goals and to remain in a supportive, creative university community.

What is your PGR journey? What steps did you make, hardships, hurdles, dreams, and reasons why you wanted to be a PGR?

During my PGCE I got married, entered a pandemic and my wife became pregnant. The PGCE concluded early because of the pandemic, and I landed a role as a teacher of music at a local secondary school. I hoped to enter my NQT year with my future career plans focusing on a long-term career in secondary education, but this was not the case. Fueled by the challenge of teaching music during a pandemic and fighting an ever-losing battle of a healthy work life balance, I was broken mentally, and I needed a change.

With the support of my amazing wife Niamh, we took the decision to swap roles. I would become the stay-at-home parent and she would enter the world of work and take steps towards her own career. With my view on teaching in secondary education now completely disrupted, I shifted my career goals towards a future in lecturing.

My time at York St John as an undergrad had allowed me to experience amazing lecturers from the Music department and be involved with the creative world the university provides. My career path and desire to be back in a creative space led me to apply for my Masters. After suffering with mental health issues throughout the previous year, studying my Masters provided a welcome and much needed change of environment, improving my health and also allowing me to spend plenty of time with my son to develop a bond that I had struggled to form throughout the first year of his life.

The coursework through the Masters allowed me plenty of opportunities to develop myself as an artist and re-enter that creative world I had greatly missed. In particular, an independent project provided me the space to create my largest and most personal work to date. A series of 3-minute piano pieces focusing on the symptoms of depression.

Pieces of Depression can be found here, or to the right: 

The album portrays my own experience with depression and aims to encourage conversations around mental health. My presentation at the Eat, Sleep, Research, Repeat Conference explores my development of the pieces and provides attendees with an insight into how, why, and what I composed. I hope that my music and these words can show that mental health issues can be overcome and can lead to beautiful art and career development.

Who inspired you to study for PGR and why?

I would like to thank my wife Niamh East, for standing by me and supporting me throughout the toughest times and my postgraduate experience. My parents Gail and Simon East, for equally supporting me and following my university experience with huge interest. Lecturers throughout my time at York St John are Dr David Lancaster, Dr Murphy McCaleb, Dr Morag Galloway and all the music department. Finally, fellow students or alumni of York St John who have been there and helped me get this far: James Thornton, Hannah Garton, Chris Palmer, Iggy Lee, Emma Jackson and Neelam Chohan.