Unit 11: Personal Statement

 Since the age of 6, drumming and music in general has been a huge part and the most important aspect of my life. I have had many inspirations that led me to pursue my natural ability of drumming and music, but the main ones were my father and grandfather.  My chief influences are drummers such as Stewart Copeland from The Police, Ringo Starr from The Beatles, and Mick Fleetwood from Fleetwood Mac. My inspiration for music comes from the feeling I get playing my own pieces on stage and seeing the crowd connect with a feeling or sound that I created. This is incredibly special to me and has really pushed me to get my musical knowledge as strong as it can be through my drum grades, my Music GCSEs, and these past two years the UAL Extended Diploma. The encouragement from my teachers and parents has made me certain that studying music on a higher level is the best choice for me. 

I am currently studying Music Production and Performance at Gower College Swansea since September 2024, and a big part of this course has been recording and playing with my band Cascadia. Before my first performance with this college band, I had performed a handful of gigs at Swansea Rock School, where I did my first performance at 8 years old and connected with many different musicians. 

Last year I was introduced to what mixing and mastering was in college and since then I have taken pride in any opportunities to mix songs. I love being given an unmixed piece and working as hard as I can to make it the best I can, and the thought that I made this big of a change to a mix really motivates me with working harder on a mix. For example, last year we were given the task to do a final major project, this unit stood out for me because it contained all the work aspects that I enjoy working on, such as planning, research, writing, recording, artwork, mixing and mastering. During the project, I developed my skills further such as organising time, working closely with others, delegating tasks, and completing tasks within the specified time. 
Aside from this, I have taken my own time to research into mixing and recording since I am very intrigued into those topics, such as microphone placement, compression, and mixing vocals. We were given different tracks to mix in Logic, and I really enjoyed doing this because it helped me get a better understanding of what each tool does. 
I plan to do some work experience over the summer in local music venues such as Bunkhouse and Swansea Arena to learn more about music technology and I plan to play a lot more gigs this year across Swansea since its one of my favourite things to do. 

I am really looking forward to learning more about production and mixing music as it is a particularly good skill to have and it is one of my main favourite things to do aside from playing. The profession I would like to have after completing this course is either a sound engineer or a music producer. 
 
Another course that I am highly interested in is Criminology. After completing GCSE History I very much treasured the course and its contents such as learning about crime and punishment. A big passion of mine has been doing my own research aside from my current course into things such as why people commit crimes and how psychology plays a massive role in why people partake in illegal activities. I really look forward into getting a better understanding of criminology and studying criminology further and being able to do placement in probation. Ideally, I would like this course to lead me into a policing career.