Popular Music Performance Personal Statement Example

From a young age I have been very interested in popular music and It's culture. My interest started at my family gatherings. My older cousins used to bring their instruments with them and play pop songs everyone knew and most times it ended up with everyone jamming and singing along. It was thrilling to be a part of and I was very intrigued by the way people can play instruments together by ear. I feel very grateful to have a musical family, It's given me a real appreciation for many different styles of music and cultures.

I play the bass guitar. I took it up after being fascinated by the deep sound and liked working together with the drummer as the solid foundation of an ensemble. I also play various hand drums which has taught me about some aspects of drumming and helps me play tighter. In school I learnt mainly by jamming with my friends. This quickly turned into a band and opened up the opportunity for us play regularly in school assemblies and start playing gigs in our local area. I started to learn about what is was to be a musician and I knew I wanted to take it further. I went to Walsall college to study a BTEC in popular music. It was very hands on
and opened up my eyes to the greater world of music with lessons covering live sound, theory, producing and many more areas. It taught me a lot about how life can be in the music industry and about the jobs that are part of it. Overall college taught me many skills that help me get employed as a musician, like being able to think on my feet with improvisation.

I have played bass for a range of bands including function, church, metal, rock and acoustic. It's shown me the importance of being able to play many different styles and this gives me the ability to take more musical opportunities when the arise. Although playing an instrument is something I like to take seriously, I really enjoy it. I've learnt that when playing a show, just small things like being early and having a band dress code can really make an impact on how the band is received by the audience and venue staff. I consider the bass guitar to be my main instrument but I like to explore other areas of music too, as I find it essential to being a musician. I have an acoustic act with my brother. It has taught me about song writing, the use of vocal harmonies and computer software like Ableton Live to make audio samples and loops for the act.

I have had experience within other areas of music too. In my gap year in New Zealand I worked as a promoter for a pub, on top of my day job. I found it was mainly about convincing people that my venue and acts are worth seeing with a great deal of social networking, flyering and posters in key areas. Having done well as a promoter I got the position of choosing some of the bands, becoming a part of the events managing team. I found this to be a big responsibility and very rewarding. It helped me develop a closer relationship with the rest of the staff and the bands, giving me more opportunities for work.

In my non-musical interests I like to build and repair computers. This has given me an appreciation for quality with my builds and to be thorough in checking for faults with connections and systems. It's a skill which links with my live sound abilities. I also like to go to new places and experience new cultures. I have learned a lot from my time in New Zealand about myself and the music business and want to travel more in the future. It's also given me an appreciation and a much bigger interest in world music.

From my experiences over the past few years I am set on choosing music. I have a great desire to learn and with my experience in promotion and currently working on two different musical projects and working towards grade 6 theory, I really want to take myself to the next level of education. I feel that University is the way to get to that next step, with new learning and life opportunities.