April Scholar of the Month
Azjuné is one of our 2018-22 Scholars from Haringey and is a dedicated and committed musician. She started learning the trumpet in year 4 at her primary school and was nominated for a Scholarship the following year. Now aged 13 and in the final year of her Scholarship, she is an accomplished trumpeter and a budding composer!
Azjuné working with a member of the Riot Ensemble at our Creative Composition Playing Day in November 2021
In her mid-year report Azjuné’s teacher told us that her technical ability has been improving over the last few months. She has extended her range and is making a full centred sound in the upper register. She plays with strong intonation and a good tone quality, and is working on developing her dexterity. Azjuné is currently learning a broad range of repertoire from both Classical and Jazz syllabuses at Grades 3 and 4. A confident improviser, she can utilise major, minor and pentatonic scales. She has an outstanding ability to play back phrases by ear, and her sight-reading has shown impressive and rapid improvement this year. She is a key member of Haringey’s Intermediate Wind Band.
Azjuné regularly attends LMF events; she took part in our Creative Composition Playing Day with the Riot Ensemble back in November, and was a member of the Celebration Ensemble for our 10th Anniversary concert at the Southbank Centre in February, performing a new arrangement of Rachel Portman’s A Celebration alongside fellow Scholars and Graduates under the baton of Leon Bosch.
We were delighted to hear that Azjuné has developed a passion for composing her own music at home, often using samples of her trumpet playing. Recently she has been exploring and experimenting with film and video-game music, so you will hear her piece in the video below has a cinematic quality. Her trumpet teacher recommended that we check out Azjuné’s compositions, writing:
“I’m always so impressed and inspired by the compositions of Azjuné. She has written a number of tunes in a variety of styles and they all have a professional production quality to them. She is starting to collaborate with her older siblings, writing music together, which she is excited about. Great to see that Azjuné is excited and enjoying music making, I’ll be interested to hear what is produced in the coming months.”
We are thrilled to be able to share her latest composition, ‘Mission to Saturn’.
We asked Azjuné a few questions about her music-making:
What have been the highlight(s) of your LMF Scholarship?
One of the main highlights of my experience with the London Music Fund is visiting and playing in iconic places. City Hall, The Milton Court Concert Hall, Royal Academy of Music (and others) are places I doubt I’d ever have had the opportunity to see without my scholarship. On top of that, I have managed to meet and learn from several very talented artists and musicians.
What do you like most about playing the trumpet?
The charm of playing the Trumpet is the fact that it is such a vociferous instrument. You always feel bold, strong and loud when you pick it up. Personally, I think it makes playing a lot more fun. It is also a key instrument in several genres such as Jazz, Soul and Classical music.
How and when did you start composing your own music?
I have never been a person that particularly liked being on stage but music is still one of my favourite things to indulge in, whether it be listening to or making it. I started my composing journey in lockdown. While trying to find something new and fun to do, I found music composing to be quite addictive.
Are there any composers, performers or musicians who inspire you?
Like most people, I enjoy a lot of films and games and I rarely ever pass up the opportunity to listen to the soundtrack or research the composer or the sound design. I wouldn’t say I have any exclusive favourites but I am always open to new artists and genres.
Do you have any advice for other Scholars who are interested in writing their own music?
My advice is to pick a genre or theme you like (mine would be space and techno) and experiment with it. You could also try a couple things like layering or sound effects to personalize it. Also, if you have a specific sound or note you like, use it in your production as the best part; it’s all yours!