I can honestly say that my week at the Sound and Music Summer School has been one of the best weeks of my life! I was in the advanced instrumental group. It was great to work with such talented musicians they were an inspiration and changed my perspective and approach towards composing.

At the beginning of the week I didn’t really know what to expect and was slightly apprehensive about composing a piece in such a short space of time. However we were given the opportunity to work closely with the musicians and experiment with different extended techniques and find out about the capabilities of the instruments. Having the freedom to write for musicians and not be restricted by ability has really helped to broadened my knowledge of writing for instruments. David was so helpful in supporting my composition. He encouraged me to try different things, such as using various modes and exploring more interesting ways to write for instruments. Above all, pushing me to try new things I never would have thought of before which I feel has contributed to helping me to learn and grow as a composer. Sound and Music allowed me to be more experimental in my compositions and the course gave me the opportunity to really go for it in a supportive and friendly environment surrounded by like minded friends.

I loved all of the taster sessions which gave us the opportunity to try out all the different styles of music, including film and jazz, which expanded my knowledge of music that I was not so familiar with. Sound and music also gave us the the chance to meet Emily Howard and talk to her about how she began composing. She also looked at our compositions and gave us constructive criticism which was really helpful.

The evening activities were so much fun and I particularly enjoyed sound painting where we all came together with our instruments to create music in a way that I had never experienced before!

It was an amazing experience and I loved meeting so many like-minded people all sharing the same interest, yet each producing a unique piece by the end of the week. It was so helpful to be able to share ideas with fellow students and musicians and I learnt so much about how others compose which has definitely influenced my own work. The concerts given at the end of the week were a true representation of everyone’s hard work. Thank you so much to the Sound and Music Summer School for such an incredible week, it has not only taught me so much about composing, but also helped me to realise what I really want to do. I hope to be able to work with some of these amazing people I met again in the future!