In November 2021, I received a place to study a Masters degree in Composition at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Due to financial difficulties, I was unable to accept the place and had to defer it until the next academic year (2023/24). While I am saving as much as I can through my full-time job, the tuition fees are high, and I will be unable to meet my goal in time without help.
I studied my undergraduate degree at the University of Aberdeen where I found my passion for composing. I experienced a traumatic event during my first year, which the University failed to support me through. This meant that I was unable to have a normal university experience, as my time was taken up by an exhausting struggle to be recognised and protected by the University. I am hoping that with a fresh start in Birmingham, I can use this second chance to have an enjoyable university experience. Studying in Birmingham will also allow me to fulfill my ambition to further myself as a musician and, hopefully, become an established composer
A lot of my work centres around making music more accessible to those with financial barriers to music. Working class young people in the UK deserve equal opportunities in the Arts and I seek to help facilitate this empowerment through my personal encounters in my work. Although I have been incredibly lucky to have had musical education as a young person, I have faced many limitations due to my working class background. Despite this, I have been able to develop my passion, and the only thing I currently lack is the material means to take this next step into my future.
I would be honoured to contribute to the incredible work being produced by female composers in the UK at the minute. I have been inspired by countless groundbreaking musicians to explore and experiment with my compositional style, devoting much of my free time to personal creative projects, teaching myself how to compose, record, and produce my own music. In particular, I am inspired by the works of Anna Meredith, who has personally been incredibly supportive during my struggle to progress my career. Until looking into Anna's work, I hadn't realised that being a composer was a viable career option.
At this juncture, having furthered my skills alone to the best of my ability, the natural next step is moving forward in a formal education setting.
If you'd like to hear some of my work, here's a link to my soundcloud:
https://soundcloud.com/abscassidy
Cover Photo by Sally Jubb