My name is Maisie Ellul, and I am a 2nd year Music student at Manchester University. It is an amazing city and university to study music in.

My course is made up of a 3-year structure. First year is a foundation year that allows all the music students to learn skills, and all become knowledgeable about anything that they may have not covered in A-level. In first year, you will do an introductory musicology module that helps to teach you great academic writing skills and just really interesting historical facts about music and its emergence. For Second year, you get to pick any of the music courses you would like. This allows you to make you degree you own and enjoy every bit of it. Personally, I am a composition geek, so I picked all the composition modules that were available to me. I have also picked to do a musicology module to do with culture of different world music and history of post 1900. The staff have been so supportive with looking at my compositions. They give great feedback that always help me take my music to the next level. As part of the course, you also get an academic advisor to help you with anything to do with your degree, share any work that you are proud of, share any concerns about the course or about your personal life. I am very grateful for my academic advisor; he is very kind and helpful; he has helped me multiple times with career decisions.

It’s hard to decide which module is my favourite because they all have interesting qualities that leave an everlasting impression with me after every lecture. I can’t wait to start recording sounds for my electroacoustic composition and to learn how to compose for a piano as I know this is something I am working on at the moment. I love the music and its cultures module as it teaches you about different cultures of the world, which can be very interesting as there are endless amounts of indigenous cultures out there to explore both in the world of books and ethnographic fieldwork.

I am a student living at home; if you are interested in being a student living at home this does not limit you at all. There are plenty of lockers at the student union allowing you to put any heavy books, or equipment in the locker for the day. Making friendships as a student living at home is just as easy. It gives you the advantage as your friends may not know much about the city. This may be an opportunity to take them to the best café in town or the shops that have the nicest clothes to shop from.

Whoever you are! Wherever you are from! Manchester University is the most welcoming university to come to. There are plenty of opportunities for young students like us.

Written by Maisie Ellul, a 2nd year BA Music student

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