Personal Statement
From a young age, I’ve always loved the sound of music. Whilst growing up, my Dad introduced me to a wide range of genres which heavily contrasted from what I’d heard on the radio on the way back from school. ‘Pink Floyd’ were the first band I had properly gotten into from the age of 10, so when it got to my final two years in primary, I just had to take acoustic guitar lessons. The passion and energy that informs each of their albums awoke something inside of
me. I felt a great need to recreate their music and create similar tracks of my own. By the time I moved up to secondary school, I got my first electric guitar and started lessons again to study for my guitar grades, alongside taking Music as a GCSE. A year or two later, I joined a band at school and we played multiple events, leading up to the end of my time there. These included the ‘Meadowside Festival’, a popular local open-air event in Hampshire. We played
mostly rock songs, but ventured out with more musically complex arrangements.
I would say my biggest achievement yet would be learning the entire lead sheet to the ‘School of Rock’ musical. I had to transpose it into a more suitable key for the vocalists involved and then played it as a part of the pit band. This was a new experience for me and making sure we had it all ‘spot on’ was a challenge. We played three consecutive nights and had a great time. Playing music full-time has got to be exhilarating, right?
I have enjoyed spending all of my time in the music departments I have grown up in. I help out, which can include small maintenance jobs on all the instruments and overseeing lunchtime rehearsals when teachers are otherwise occupied. I am now the chair of my music class MMP and I know I will enjoy putting together our event and making sure everything flows perfectly. I
have so far achieved a Distinction in my college studies and I am now working towards a Distinction* overall. I am finally studying towards the grade eight practical, which is a push, but I know I am capable of anything – once I put my mind to it. I practice for two hours a day at a minimum and if there’s a technique I haven’t covered yet, I sit down and try figure it out because I want to help myself improve on my own and to the best of my own ability.
I am choosing to study within Higher Education because I like the theory side as well as the performances and I’d like to try and inspire others in the future. I see Higher Education as a great opportunity to further hone my musical skills and to be able to qualify in my teaching practice, which will help me propel me into an industry I am highly passionate about.
Recital Booklet
S.W.O.T Analysis
Ellie Thornton Music 