GSMD, (Guildhall School of Music & Drama), Classical Composition
FIRST POST: Getting ready to go...October 20th 2007
I’ve always wanted to go to University. For me, an independent person not quite yet ready for independence, it seemed to offer an opportunity to stay in education for as long as possible and earn some nice qualifications at the same time. At first, I didn’t want to do music: History, English, Drama, anything but music!
The idea of a Conservatoire was even more distant; why would I want to spend my time around a whole load of music nuts! And besides, I’d never get in! But then after GCSEs, I realised that what I wanted to do more than anything in the whole wide world was to compose music for a living and in order to do that I had to study music at Uni.
At first I still rebelled and looked at courses such as Joint Music and Italian (University of Sussex was one that I really liked), but then I realised, as much as I hated it, I am a music nut. So I started looking for composition courses, or at least at courses which had the biggest composition modules in them.
Then my violin teacher suggested Music College, where I could do a whole degree in Composition alone! She herself had gone to The Royal Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow to study Violin and had absolutely loved it. I found that the courses at a Conservatoire are generally less academically based; it seems to me that they don’t really care too much about A Levels, its about your skills as an instrumentalist or composer that they are interested in and also, as a Composer, they are not too interested in your skills as an instrumentalist: that can always be improved on.
So I applied to four Music Colleges: Royal Academy of Music and Drama, Birmingham Conservatoire, Trinity College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. For the first three I applied through the UCAS equivalent, CUKAS, but with Guildhall I had to apply direct to the College, which meant doing three Personal Statements, (as I applied to Universities as well, just in case). September was the most stressed I have ever been!
During November and December last year, I travelled around the country doing interviews, three of which paid off, with two offers of Scholarships. My view is: if I hadn’t tried, I would never have got in. Due to Conservatoire applicants being in the minority (in Cumbria anyway), I didn’t receive any information from school; In fact, I myself had to inform the school. Nevertheless, this didn’t mean I wasn’t supported both within and out of school.
It’s hard work, sometimes harder than what University applicants have, as there are interviews/ auditions. It’s more expensive as well, as there are fees for the auditions and then travel costs, etc., but I managed to claim most of this back through school. I’ve always wanted to return to London, so my natural reaction was to accept the Guildhall’s offer and now I’m writing this as a way to avoid packing: I’m leaving Cumbria today.
SECOND POST: after eight weeks....November 22nd 2007
First Impressions:
After my first day, I didn’t have a brain left. They bombarded us with so much information that I was terrified to even move less I did something wrong or forgot something. I think everyone went back to their flats thinking ‘AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!’ and I know it wasn’t just me who couldn’t remember or understand any of the stuff told to us. Thank God for Freshers’ week eh? I spent every day of that week trying to ignore the amount of information being given to us and just trying to make friends.
But in reality:
This place is the most amazing place in the world. After the first week, it all made sense! And even if it didn’t, it wouldn’t just be you who didn’t have a clue! I’m in my 8th week of being here and things are only just starting to settle down. At first, every time I checked my emails, a class would have been cancelled here, rearranged to there, a new one would appear or just a random workshop or seminar that the Composition department thought would be of interest to us. Once, I got a text saying there was a meeting starting in 10 minutes if I was interested in going!
Course wise, I’m technically the only person on my course as it’s been tailored to suit me. All music students have to go to Tutorial, (which is different for each group and your teacher chooses what they do with you), and CCM (Creating and Communicating Music, which most people hate, but actually how bad it is depends on your attitude). Composers have to do Counterpoint, (musical rules, which amazingly I don’t hate, but mainly because sometimes we get to sing), Repertoire, (which covers the compositional assignments. For example, we had to write a monody, so in repertoire we studied some monodies), Electronic Music and at the moment we are having weekly seminars with Alexander Goehr! I also have weekly one-to-one composition lessons with Emily Hall. There are also electives, so I’ve chosen History: Fragmentation of Tradition, Keyboard Musicianship, Aural (which I don’t start studying until next year) and Second Study singing, which I absolutely love!!
My days differ loads. For example, on Tuesday I had absolutely nothing, but today (Thursday), I had four lessons between 10.30 and 3.30pm without a break. Compared to the actors and technical theatre students though, my day today has been nothing. My flat mate Fred (actor), he’s in from 9.00am until 6.30 pm most days, sometimes even longer! I do always have work on though. On Monday, I have a composition deadline. I had my composition lesson today, so yesterday I spent ages desperately trying to finish it, and then was up until 2.00am writing it out as neatly as possible. Of course, today we scribbled all over it.
Away from actual school stuff (yes, we call it school or college):
The people I’m around are amazing. Everyone is into the same stuff, everyone is passionate! That’s what’s really fantastic, everyone loves what they are doing. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a techie or an actor or a musician, talk to one of them (especially my techie friends, they’re especially passionate seeing as they aren’t in the school name) and they will just talk for hours, and its interesting because they are interested in it!
My flat mates are awesome. We’re having slight washing up difficulties at the moment, only because everyone’s so busy and they’re all used to me doing it (I have strangely developed a liking of washing up), but we all get on, bar the arguments. It feels like we’ve really bonded and can be ourselves around each other, which is all that matters. We’ve also gained two honorary flat mates. One practically lives there (he keeps food in my cupboard) and the other is only over less frequently because he’s got longer days.
Money, I don’t want to talk about money.
Food, cooking is hard! I need to seriously sort my diet out!
I would like to write more now, but I’m slightly late for choir (yay, I’m in a choir!!). But all in all, I wouldn’t miss this experience for the world. It feels like I am finally living my life, good and bad, but I am in the right place for me and it is all so worthwhile.