"From the outside, being successful in the music industry seems like an impossibility. But there are so many avenues for work out there for musicians, producers, DJs that I wouldn't have been aware of at all, if not for the Conservatoire. They change the way you view music from a dream, to how to make it a reality."
Meet passionate student Win Knibbs who is currently in his second year on our Electronic Music Production foundation degree.
Win came to the Conservatoire as a musician with little direction. Being here has given him inspiration and shown him how to forge a career within the music industry. When Win isn't at the Conservatoire, he's busy climbing, mountain biking and going to music events of all kinds!
We caught up with Win about his time at Leeds Conservatoire so far, and he shared his advice for prospective students.
Hi Win – Where did your musical journey begin?
My musical journey began when I was 12, and I borrowed a bass guitar from a neighbour and immediately fell in love, from 13 I was playing in bands and gigging and knew that music was a deep passion of mine.
What made you choose Leeds Conservatoire?
I have friends who have studied there in the past, they came out of the conservatoire with a knowledge of what they wanted to do within the music industry, and how to pursue it. I was also stunned at the amount of equipment available to students and desired to be a part of it!
How has your course shaped your artistry?
I came to the conservatoire as a musician with no direction and very little knowledge of how what I wanted to do, and how to do it. Being at the conservatoire has showed me lots of ways to earn money within the music industry. I now know that I'd like to pursue ambient music and production/library music as a job and a passion.
What do you think of Quarry Music, Leeds Conservatoire’s very own library music platform?
I think it's fantastic, I attended a few of their talks and was inspired by their idea! It's great that students at the conservatoire have the opportunity to create these things.
How has your course helped you with the production of your own music?
I didn't really have a keen knowledge of how production worked, most of my music before attending the conservatoire was done just by "feeling it out" rather than having an idea before jumping into a DAW. The conservatoire has educated me in numerous work flows that have helped out so much.
I love all sorts of music, so it's been difficult for me to come to a decision about what I want to do, how I want to do it. Due to the variety of music I listen to, its actually held me back in terms of aspirations, because one week I wanted to make dubstep, I'll build a few tracks, then the next week, I'll be listening to tonnes of break beat, so I make a few breakbeaty things, and then the next week, I might be listening to really mellow jazz influenced stuff, and then diving into music concrete and electro-acoustic composition.
Being at the uni and having the support of the staff has allowed me to see that I want to pursue ambient music, electro-acoustic composition and production music. These three pillars combine really nicely. Its taken 2 years to figure out what I wanted to do musically, but I would have never had the time or resources available to me on my own to figure this out. Being around people who also have similar skills and desires has allowed for growth in ways I wouldn't anticipate.
Has the Conservatoire provided many opportunities for you as an artist?
There has been tonnes of extra curricular activities, not relating to performance or writing music, that could easily breed opportunities for those who attend. For example, a lot of production music labels come in and discuss their business and there are opportunities at the end of these talks to speak to the label owners, who (at least for me) have been very open to sending music back and forth and building up a dialogue.
I think the opportunities provided are less "here is a gig, with lots of people coming to see it, come play, and here, we will pay you" and more "here is an opportunity to speak to people entrenched in the industry, and pick their brains, maybe if you build up a dialogue with them, you could build up some work with them" which I think is a more helpful way to structure opportunities as its closer to how you would get work as a creative within the industry in the first place.
So not only are there vast amounts of opportunities, but it allows you to understand what you are going to have to do, to gain these opportunities outside of the conservatoire, they prepare you for making your own opportunities when you leave. I've always been quite quiet, and nervous, and having one to one meetings with staff members has been empowering and exceedingly helpful in terms of developing my self esteem, and my abilities to see and grab an opportunity.
What's the coolest thing you've done on your course so far?
Playing a gig as a DJ, when you could count the amount of DJ experience I had in hours on one hand! I like to get stuck in, and try new things, and experience music from all different perspectives. When an event was put on at the conservatoire, I thought I'd give it a go, because I was asked, even though I don't mix or have experience as a DJ which was a great experience.
What was the best piece of advice you’ve had since starting at Leeds Conservatoire?
"Take a part time job, and pursue music, just do it. success doesn't happen overnight, approach labels, build a social media presence. now is the best time!". I was told this by a tutor after expressing that I feel like I'm just treading water, and it was motivating. I am interested in very specific parts of the music industry, and there has been lots of staff members interested in the same things, which has allowed me to see the forest through the trees, and figure out a road I want to travel down.
Why should someone study Electronic Music Production at Leeds Conservatoire? What advice would you give them?
If you want to pursue music in some way, professionally, but don't have any idea of how to gain opportunities, or how the music industry is structured, then attend the Conservatoire. From the outside, being successful in the music industry seems like an impossibility. But there are so many avenues for work out there for musicians, producers, DJ's that i wouldn't have been aware of at all, if not for the Conservatoire. they change the way you view music from a dream, to how to make it a reality. you are surrounded by professionals at the conservatoire, who are very open to discussion, and helping out any passionate individual achieve their goals.
Finally, how would you describe your experience at Leeds Conservatoire so far in three words?
Motivating. Enlightening. Informative.
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