February Scholar of the Month
February’s Scholar of the Month is Ali, one of our 2023–24 Senior Scholars. Ali is a clarinettist and saxophonist and has been with Hounslow Music Service since he became a LMF Scholar in 2015. He is interested in Music Composition and Music Technology and hopes to study this at higher education level.
We asked Ali about how he’s finding his Senior Scholarship so far:
What Senior Scholar events have you taken part in so far, and what have you learned from these experiences?
I've had the privilege of getting to visit Guildhall School of Music and Drama along with other Senior Scholars where we took a tour of the school as well as learning about the system, student life and courses. Having had doubts about going to and moving on to university next year, this event opened my eyes about life after sixth form which changed the whole perspective and thoughts that I had prior to this event. I learnt about the many available courses, that range from performance, composing and technology, each having many options under it, as well as exploring the vast music facilities in the school, from recording studios to live theatre halls where music students mix with the drama students to create a performance of music, sound, and drama.
What are you enjoying about being an LMF Senior Scholar?
Having the chance to visit these places such as Guildhall has opened possible opportunities and my options within my career. It's also given me confidence because when writing things like my personal statement, I've been able to mention this achievement of being an LMF Senior Scholar and knowing that universities will see this has given me motivation to keep going in my music career no matter what. I look forward to visiting more events with the LMF Senior Scholar team and learning about more musical related aspects further into the year.
What musical events are you looking forward to most this year?
The main musical events I'm looking forward to this year are the concerts I will be part of from both my school and Hounslow Music service. These concerts will most likely be the last concerts I have with my school and Hounslow Music Service as I'm off to university this year and I really want to make these concerts count. I'm also looking forward to visiting Abbey Road Studios with my classmates where we'll have a full tour of the facility and meet with people from the music industry itself, where I hope to gain some experience and possible contacts for the future.
What are your musical goals for the future?
My main goal for my musical career in the future is to be an audio and recording engineer, working within the music industry with various artists and music producers in the studio. I have a big passion for working with music technology that is found within studios and working with audio from songs that include aspects like mixing and mastering. I hope my musical knowledge about this subject will improve by the time I finish university and I'll be prepared enough to work in the music industry as a professional.