Rhys's UWTSD Experience
Rhys's BA (Hons) Creative Music Technology Experience
What was your favourite thing about Cardiff campus?
The best thing about my campus was the access to multiple studios. I was able to book a studio and have access to all its facilities, including all equipment and any instruments that were available. The studios also included Macs that had industry-standard software, allowing me to create music that was normally impossible with the equipment that I owned.
Why did you choose UWTSD?
UWTSD featured many creative aspects that other courses lacked. Typically, other courses seemed to have traditional views of music and would teach you about music analysis and theory. Creative Music Technology had a more creative and unconventional view on music, allowing the student to decide what they would want to do with their tasks. I was given a lot of freedom to express my music in my own way, and approach tasks with my own ideas
What did you enjoy outside your studies?
It’s fun to test out the knowledge I’ve gained by revisiting my past work and seeing how I could’ve approached things differently. Revising these songs and seeing how much they improve by using the skills gained is great for seeing how much you’ve improved as a musician.
What are you doing now, how did you get to where you are, and how has your course helped you in your career?
Since completing my final project, I’ve been occupying myself with writing music as I did during the course. I have uploaded many songs to platforms like YouTube and Spotify and am evolving my brand as a composer to increase my audience.
This course featured many lectures on branding and industry and gave insight on the harsh reality of the music industry. I was taught that choosing the correct path that a musician can follow was vital in whether you would succeed.
What was your favourite thing about your course?
This course provided a lot of freedom. I was never told to complete an assignment in a specific way. Since the other students on the course all had different specialties in music, the course felt like it had been adapted to help us grow in the ways we wanted by providing a diverse range of tasks. One day you could be recording a drum kit and the next you could be filming a music video or creating an instrument.
Would you recommend UWTSD and why?
If this course has taught me anything, it’s that there are more jobs in the music industry than you realise. You may join the course and be set on being a producer, but you never know your other interests until you try them, and those are the opportunities that will be provided for you. The practical knowledge gained from my experiences in the studios and the Mac lab is something that I couldn’t have gained anywhere else.
