Graduates from Music Production degrees at Leeds Conservatoire have gone on to professional careers ranging from Recording Artists, Sound Designers, Broadcasters, Producers, Film Composers, Sound Engineers and Orchestrators to Digital Marketers, Teachers and more! We spoke to programme leader Craig Golding about the Music Production programme at Leeds Conservatoire, before catching up with a range of Production graduates now working in industry.
How does Leeds Conservatoire's unique environment prepare Music Production students for an industry career?
"Leeds Conservatoire is a hub of musical creativity and an excellent environment for budding music producers. Rather than being in a separate department (like you often find in universities), Production students are at the core of the conservatoire and can collaborate daily with fellow producers plus all of the incredible musicians from all our programmes, benefiting both their in-class assignments and their own projects.
The facilities at Leeds Conservatoire are incredible, with industry-standard recording and mixing studios at your fingertips. Students on our course have practical, hands-on learning from staff who have all worked in or are still active within the music industry."
How are Leeds Conservatoire's Music Production students introduced to the industry?
"It's always a highlight when students can work and network with industry contacts such as Grammy-winning Andrew Scheps (Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Adele, Ziggy Marley), who recently worked with students and gave feedback on their music. It's great when students realise that the skills they learn at the conservatoire are industry-standard and transferable to external studios and settings.
Our guest masterclasses are always amazing, with recent visits from Producers, Musicians and Engineers such as Glen Scott (Mary J Blige, Craig David, Backstreet Boys), Warren Huart (Aerosmith, Korn), Mike Spencer (Rudimental, Emeli Sande) and Olga Fitzroy (Foo Fighters, Coldplay)."
What careers have you seen your Music Production graduates go on to?
"It's an amazing feeling to watch graduates go on and achieve success in a wide variety of career paths - including music producers, artists, editors, technicians, engineers, broadcasters, AV specialists, teachers and more. There are also many opportunities in live theatre, events, TV, and radio for production graduates to explore. Our course is jam-packed with creative opportunities and students often find themselves exploring avenues they didn't even know were available."
Meet some of our Music Production graduates:
Film, TV & Theatre Composer: Hollie Buhagiar
Hollie Buhagiar is a multi award-winning composer based in London, who specialises in crafting bespoke scores for film, TV and Theatre.
She has worked on a plethora of award-winning projects including shorts, feature length films and series, and collaborated with Grammy and Academy Award-winning engineers in the finest studios across London.
Read more from Hollie
Music Producer: Michael Denny
Michael Denny is a highly versatile composer, music producer, sound designer and multi-instrumentalist. Michael is a specialist in producing music for meditation, mindfulness and wellbeing, and has produced music for a variety of apps, including Calm.
Most recently, he was commissioned by Aerial Festival to create an immersive sonic map which explores the diverse landscapes of Cumbria. The piece combines musical compositions and experimental sound design with a spoken word narrative from award-winning writer Simon Sylvester.
Read more from Michael
Sound Assistant & Boom Operator: Matt Gill
Starting on our 2-year Foundation Degree (FdA) programme before topping up to a full BA in Music Production, Matt has carved out a successful and highly varied career in the industry.
His work as a sound assistant and boom operator has seen involvement in iconic TV shows including Peaky Blinders and films such as Kingsman: The Golden Circle.
Read more from Matt
Radio Producer and Composer: Kate Lloyd
A former student on our Music Production programme, Kate Lloyd later found work as a Technical Producer for BBC Radio 3.
She balances her time composing original material under the alias 'Kloyd' alongside creating bespoke production music for moving image.
Read more from Kate
Studio Engineer: Ben Matravers
Upon completion of his degree in Music Production, Ben Matravers was readily able to establish himself in the wider industry.
A versatile producer, musician, songwriter and studio engineer, Ben set up Song Mason Studios and has worked with a diverse portfolio of artists to date, most notably Hannah Trigwell and Easy Life (the latter of which were included in the BBC Music Sound of 2020 longlist).
Read more from Ben
Digital Marketer & Strategist: Chris O'Gorman
Chris O’Gorman has spent a decade working in digital marketing and strategy within the music industry, including as Head of Digital at Capitol Records.
He now has his own company, Moledro Digital – a digital marketing agency focusing on industries including music, TV & film.
Chris has won numerous industry awards and has led digital campaigns for notable artists including Sam Smith, 5 Seconds of Summer, One Direction and Little Mix.
Read more from Chris
