Grace Guse

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BA Applied Music

I was an adult learner of the Clarsach, keen to progress and wanting more, so my teacher Rachel Hair suggested this course. It has been the most fantastic adventure right from the moment I filled in the application form. I am so grateful for this opportunity to grow as a musician; it hasn’t always been a comfortable process, but I wouldn’t have missed it for the world! Because you can do this course whatever your genre, the learning is really bespoke to the individual. Cross-genre collaboration is exciting and I have learned so much from seeing how my classmates responded to the different tasks.

grace

The tutors are enormously helpful, available to answer questions and ready with helpful suggestions when I get stuck. The informal teaching style is great and the tasks are open so we have the opportunity to learn more about what interests, and can be useful to, us.

Before the course I had never composed any music at all and had very little confidence in myself as a performer, now I’m leading a community choir and performing songs I have written myself.

 

  • What are your favourite things about the university? Making friends with other folks on the course, feeling myself growing as a musician, and knowing I have the wholehearted support of my teachers.

  • What career direction would you like to take after studying? Once I finish the degree I would like to do more performing and I have an audition with Live Music Now Scotland coming up. I will continue singing in the church choir and leading our community choir and I’m looking forward to composing and arranging music for them to sing (something I wouldn’t have been able to do without the course).