Robert King
BA (Hons) Applied Music
I hadn’t considered university at all for a while – I only came to Applied Music because it was recommended to me by another singer-songwriter who was on the course. If it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t’ have known that there was a course out there that suited me at all.
I came to the course with not much experience outside of busking and playing occasional gigs – now I feel like I have a good grounding in lots of different areas of music-making, e.g. using compositional software, recording equipment, DAWS etc. It has also given me a network of other musicians to keep in touch with – and in the music industry, the more people you know, the better!
It’s so tailored to your individual journey as a musician, regardless of genre or experience. Although my knowledge has expanded in so many different areas through studying Applied Music, ultimately all the big creative choices rest with the student: the course is there to help you become the best version of yourself as a musician, not to nudge you in a particular musical direction. I don’t know of any other courses that do this, and that’s why I didn’t look for it! As a singer-songwriter who plays acoustic-steel-string guitar, no classical or popular music course offered anything that fitted my style. Applied Music offered me a scope that was broad enough for my aspirations, and flexible enough for me not to have to morph my style of music. I was also able to source my own tutor, online, which allows enormous choice!
- What are your favourite things about the university? The residencies – getting to meet up together for a period of time and work on something collaborative. And the freedom to choose my own direction. Also the openness and friendliness of the lecturers. All of these are with regard to Applied Music itself – I have no experience of the UHI outside of the course, really.
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What career direction would you like to take after studying? I would like to explore all my possibilities as a singer-songwriter – this course has strengthened my resolve in that way. But it has also opened new avenues which I would like to explore, including recording music at home that could potentially be used in film, music writing, and offering my services as a guitarist to other musicians and bands in recording or live scenarios. I’m also fascinated by styles of music and instruments from all over the world, so another possible direction is to learn more about certain cultures and instruments and become more of an expert in that area – although I don’t feel drawn to studying any of this in an academic way, I think experience and collaboration would be the way forward.