Renaldo Ramai, a student of MusM Composition shares with us some insights into his time at Manchester.

What were you doing before your Master’s programme? 

Before attending the MusM programme, I did many notable things: I achieved the world record for fastest piano arpeggios and pending approval for breaking the world record for longest marathon playing bass. I won the national guitar competition ‘Guitar Wars’ with an original composition and pioneered music of its kind in my country being the first on Trinidad’s number one television channel ‘TV6’ at prime time performing a nine-minute virtuosic solo. Workwise, I have been employed with several music education institutes obtaining fifteen years of teaching experience and I have composed music for the TV show ‘Diversification Not Just Talk’. During undergraduate study, I composed innovative musical pieces such as ‘The Journey’ where a melody appears to move infinitely upward, and ‘The Infinite Accelerando’ where a repeating rhythmic pattern appears to infinitely increase in tempo without arriving at a higher tempo. All these activities lead me to study at the University of Manchester for the Mus.M. programme. 

Why did you choose to study this course at The University of Manchester? 

The MusM in Music Composition at the University of Manchester was my number one choice of study for a combination of four reasons: Firstly, I listened to all available music recordings of professors and senior lecturers, who belong to the music departments of the top fifty universities in the world; and found the faculty at the University of Manchester to be, by far, the strongest. Most notably, compositions by Richard Whalley, Camden Reeves, Philip Grange, David Berezan and Kevin Malone, stood out to me. This battle, of the music itself, among the leading composition professors of the world, was my prime factor in choosing the University of Manchester. Secondly, I compared master’s degree programmes of these top fifty universities and was impressed with the Mus.M. programme at the University of Manchester for its strong focus on composing and focus on the quality of music being composed, as opposed to other university programmes which contain clutter. This attitude towards valuing the music itself sold me on the Mus.M. programme at the University of Manchester. The third factor in my choice was the incentive that students will have had several of their pieces recorded during workshop performances. This was a golden opportunity for young composers and one that I could not resist. Lastly, the university’s website being more revealing, transparent, and easy to manoeuvre than other university websites, played a notable role in my choice of the University of Manchester and the MusM programme. 

How much time do you spend in classes and private study? 

Official classes may only take up about four hours per week; however, I spend over twelve hours per day on private study and still struggle to meet deadlines. On many occasions I have worked on compositions for over twenty-four hours without sleep and on rare occasions well over thirty-six hours straight. It is important to note that these struggles are due to high standards that I had set for myself; not due to a workload set by the University of Manchester. The courses require projects that are flexible, in such that the students set their own goals within a project, and therefore their own workload. 

What has been the highlight of your course so far? 

The process of having one on one sessions from the best composition professors in the world helping me to sculp my compositions, then getting workshop recordings of those compositions, surely was the highlight of my course. 

What has been the most challenging part of your course so far? 

The most challenging part of my course was finishing projects on time while meeting the high standards that I set out for the projects. Regarding course content, writing an analytical paper at the standard that I set out for that paper, proved to be quite a challenge. 

Have you undertaken any fieldwork as part of your course? 

The closest things to field work that I have done for my course were to attend music performance concerts and rehearsals. A particular highlight was attending rehearsals by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. This was part of our orchestration course and was a rare, valuable, and unforgettable experience. 

How would you describe your student experience so far? 

My student experience thus far has been nothing less than amazing, life changing and unforgettable. 

What is the best thing about living and studying in the city of Manchester? 

For me, the best thing about living and studying in the city of Manchester is the active contemporary classical music scene. There are numerous music performance concerts taking place, sometimes more than one per week, and some of these concerts feature new music and new composers. 

What kind of accommodation do you live in?  

I live in the University of Manchester’s halls of residence student accommodation. The main advantage to this is the close proximity to university buildings and having support services by the university such as security and IT related services. 

How is your international student experience at the University of Manchester?

As an international student, my experience at the University of Manchester was much better than expected; well beyond what was advertised to international students in brochures. I was welcomed and accommodated with everything that a student should have and much more, from study related support to numerous things unrelated to study. 

Do you have any tips for future students? 

A tip that I can give to future students, particularly international students, is to not arrive in Manchester too early before the start of the course; that is, before the welcoming support and events. For me, arriving in early August (due to visa and flight issues) proved to be a terrible experience that could have been avoided and I would likely have had a great experience arriving in September. It is likely that this might apply to more than just myself. 

What are your plans for life after graduation?  

On finishing the MusM in Composition, I will be pursuing a PhD at the University of Manchester. My time at Manchester will more than help my future; in many ways, the life that I want is crucially dependant on it. My training with the University of Manchester will result in the production of substantial work that aims to be a benefit to academia and the field of music. This will lead to an output of publications putting me in a position to potentially be seen as an expert within my specialization and play a paramount role in helping to secure my dream career in becoming a professor of music composition at a university. 

Anything else to add?

I grew up humble and virtuous surrounded by poverty and crime, unsafe in a country that is number seven in the world for most intentional homicides. I have faced many challenges and worked hard towards a better life. I did not have many opportunities, but I never stopped searching for the opportunity that would change my life; and I found it. The University of Manchester has afforded me the chance to make the life that I want for myself, to provide a better life for my loved ones, and to make a significant contribution to my field and to the world. The university has supported me financially, mentally, academically, and has made possible so much that was not previously possible for me. My deepest thanks and sincere gratitude go out to the University of Manchester for making my dreams come true; and I urge prospective students to consider my story and trust that the University of Manchester will go above and beyond for them as the university has for me. 

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