Jack

Jack Gilder completed his studies at Fareham College in the summer of 2021, achieving a Distinction* in both his Level 3 Extended Diploma in Music Performance and Production and Higher National Certificate in Music. We caught up with Jack to see how he is enjoying studying at Solent University and plans for the future.

“When I left school, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in the music industry but I was not sure what route that would be. The level 3 course was brilliant, it gave me the opportunity to experience and learn more about the different sections of the industry. This experience helped me to decide on my future direction, I now want to progress into teaching music. The Level 4 appealed to me in particular as there is an additional teaching qualification included as standard. Having completed this course means I can work as a tutor or teacher of music.”

“Being given the opportunity to explore the different avenues of the industry during the first year of my level 3 really helped me make a decision about my future progression. I was able to focus my attention on certain sectors that interested me most and during the second year specialise further. I was surprised by my decision to choose to teach as I had never considered this route before, however, when completing the mandatory work experience element for my teaching qualification on the Level 4 I discovered I had a passion for passing on Music skills and knowledge to my own students.”

“During the Level 4, the lecturers enabled us to take our time with each module and as a result, I was able to excel at each individual element rather than just focusing on passing them. For all our performance-based assignments our lecturers put us into a band, we would then rehearse and work on our assignments together. This helped with our performance on stage as we all developed a close relationship.”

“The pandemic really put things into perspective for me, I made a decision to stay at Fareham College to complete my Level 4 as I knew from experience the value of the education I would receive, even if that was delivered virtually. Having completed the latter half of my Level 3 qualification online I had confidence in the teaching available and believed I would get something back from continuing my studies at the College. Another deciding factor for me was the relationships I had built with the lecturing staff and the value-for-money as the HNC was significantly cheaper than a year at University. Having now spoken to friends/classmates who decided to go directly into University during the pandemic I am pleased with the decision I made.”

“The HNC is a fantastic platform to transition from Level 3 to higher-level study or enter into industry directly. There was no pressure to go one way in particular and lecturers supported us to understand the best route for us.”

“I am currently completing my degree at Solent University in Popular Music, Performance and Production. As a result of the extensive link between Fareham and Solent and my previous qualifications, I was able to enter directly onto the Level 5 (2^nd year). Once I finish my course I would like to study for a Master’s in Music and eventually maybe a PhD. I would like to teach at a further education level and university level and would love to return to Fareham College to teach the next generation of music professionals.”