Music careers

"My motto is to listen to as wide a range of music as possible..."

What is it you do?
Freelance composer/performer and 6th form music teacher.

What does this involve? Describe a typical day?
The best thing about working in music and teaching is that there is no such thing as a typical day. One day I might be teaching a group of A-level students about Berio, conducting my college orchestra in a performance of Pulcinella or leading an improvisation workshop for kids; another day I might be busily rehearsing for a performance of Boulez's Domains, composing a piece for the BBC Symphony Orchestra or attending the premiere of one of my new works. Variety is one of the best things about working in music!

Roughly outline your career path...
I studied music at Huddersfield University and then went on to study composition at the Royal College of Music before training to teach in the post-compulsory sector. I am currently doing a PhD in composition whilst I work as a teacher at The Sixth Form College, Farnborough. I undertake as much freelance composition work as I can and also do some performance work when I have the time. I want to raise my profile as a composer and develop myself as an education worker, both as a teacher and freelance workshop leader.

What made you decide to make a career out of music and how old were you at the time?
Music has been my passion ever since I can remember. When I was about six-years-old my family moved from Wales to England and we acquired my grandmother's piano; I fell in love with it immediately and began having piano lessons. From that point I've never really looked back! I took up the saxophone as a teenager and discovered composition during my undergraduate degree at Huddersfield. There has never really been any question in my mind as to what I wanted to do for a career - music has always been central in my life.

What training or course has most enhanced your career?
My undergraduate degree at Huddersfield was very influential upon my career. The broad course comprising performance, composition, musicology, harmony and analysis opened up my eyes to new musical horizons. It was at Huddersfield that I developed as a performer and discovered my love of composition and consequently decided to pursue composing as a career. After Huddersfield I studied the craft of composition in much more depth at the Royal College of Music and made friends and important contacts who have become central to the different aspects of my career.

How much has music influenced your life?
Music influences my life in a variety of ways. On a practical level it has become the focus of my work and my career, but I try never to lose sight of why I fell in love with music in the first place; it is the power of music to transcend everyday events and nourish the spiritual life of a person that makes it such a rewarding and life-enhancing experience. Whether as a composer, a performer or listener, music touches us in ways that nothing else can.

Do you have a particularly musical background?
Not really. My mum gave me my first few piano lessons but no one in my family really plays an instrument or sings. However my parents have always supported me and encouraged me in my musical education.

What was your experience of music at school?
I went to a state comprehensive which wasn't a particularly musical school. My music teacher was an amazing person who strove to provide as rich a musical experience for her students as possible. She taught me the rudiments of harmony and counterpoint as well as the history of Western classical music. I was able to take part in extra-curricular activities and received my instrumental lessons at school so it was definitely an important phase in
my musical education.

What sort of music do you listen to for pleasure?
My motto is to listen to as wide a range of music as possible - I have an enormous musical appetite! At the moment I am ploughing my way through Debussy's orchestral music, a folk album by Jim Moray and the complete works of Webern. Whilst I love listening to CDs and am constantly updating my collection nothing beats going to listen to live music; I recently attended the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, a great place to hear cutting edge music, and I'm going the Royal Opera House soon to see Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring.

Who or what has inspired you most?
I have been inspired by many people in my life. Musically, one of the most important experiences was when I used to belong to a youth dance company run by Veronica Lewis and was given the opportunity to perform in great venues such as Chester Cathedral and the RNCM opera theatre to live music including Stravinsky's Firebird Suite, Berio's Folk Songs and music by Simon Holt and Peter Maxwell Davies. These experiences uncovered the world of 20th century music to me and made me fall in love with new music. All my teachers have been highly influential, especially Julian Anderson, my composition teacher at the Royal College of Music, who has really helped me to develop my compositional language.

What is the best thing about what you do?
The variety of each day and the sheer enjoyment of working with music.

And the worst?
Well, before I took up my teaching post the worst thing was the financial insecurity of freelance work but that is something everybody comes to deal with in their own way.

What is your advice to young people who want to make a career in music?
Get as much advice and guidance from professionals as you can, practice hard at whatever you do, whether it's composing or performing, and make the most of every opportunity that comes your way.

What is your dream job? 
To be honest I feel like I'm job? already doing my dream job! But I'd like to shift the balance towards doing more freelance composition work and developing the work I do with young people.
www.markbowden.net

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