As part of International Women’s Day 2017, we spoke to current students and alumni from our Music Production courses to get their thoughts on Music Production, IWD, and women in the music industry:
Emilia Quinn, Music Production Degree
What made you choose Music Production?
I have more of an interest in making records than performing, I’m really passionate about being able to play with effects and get creative on the production and the ability to bring a whole new life to a track through arrangements and processing.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learnt on your ACM course so far?
The most important thing I’ve learned is that it’s okay to rely on other people, and essential to work with other people to get the most out of the recording sessions. It’s also a lot more fun to have other people around in the studio to bounce ideas off and learn from their experiences.
What’s your advice to women looking to get into production?
The same advice it would be to anyone looking to get into production: get as much experience as you can; take on board advice from peers, teachers, professionals and so on because you never know what will come in useful. Don’t worry if you don’t know all the numbers and letters and serial numbers of equipment like microphones, no one starts off knowing them, it will come with time. Be confident, even if you have no idea what’s going on, and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Rosie Krause, Music Production Degree
What have you been up to since you left ACM?
I’m a part of a female punk duo called MOTHER and we record, mix and master our own music. We’ve released an EP called Winter and we’re working on our next EP.
I’ve also shadowed a sound engineer at Encore Studio, which gave me an insight into mixing sound for TV.
Also, I’ve been asked to mix a cover for a band called The Paradox.
What made you choose Music Production?
My earliest memory of mixing was using rudimentary music programs on my computer when I was about 14. I wasn’t very good but it’s what first got me fascinated in the world of production without even knowing what production was. Then, I decided to take Music GCSE and by far my favourite aspect of the course was producing our own songs using Garageband. What drew me in was being able to recreate the music I was constantly hearing in my head. At the beginning, it was very much me trying to reproduce what my brain was doing and failing spectacularly, but still creating something interesting. The more I did it the more I was able to reproduce that sound and by upgrading to DAWs like Logic, it made it easier to do it in more detail. I still find that I don’t always capture what my brain is singing at me, but I’ve also realised that that’s ok as long as what I make is what I’m proud of.
Erin Evans, Music Technology Diploma
What made you choose Music Production?
About 5 years ago my parents bought me a synthesiser for Christmas; I had no idea what it was until I started writing music with it. It then developed a passion of writing music and producing music. It has changed my life.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned on your course so far?
The most important thing I’ve learnt on my course so far is to be yourself, find your unique way of making music whether you’re into EDM or contemporary music. Having your own touch on music matters.
Why should women consider music production as a career?
If they have a passion for it then go out and do it, nothing is stopping you, you just need to have the determination and skill to do it which you learn along the way.
If you’d like to join us at ACM and fly the flag for women in music, then call our Admissions Team on 01483 500 841 or visit www.acm.ac.uk/open-days/ to book a place on an ACM Open Day today.
