The Music Service has had the privilege of working with many accomplished young musicians from Luton over the years. We asked some of them to share with you their experience learning and playing music and how it has helped them in their careers.
Gina Hughes – Department Administrator at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
What did you study with Luton Music Service?
Clarinet, saxophone and flute
What were your highlights?
Going on tour to different places was a massive highlight for me. I was fortunate enough to visit Malta, Paris, Edinburgh and Glasgow with various groups, although my favourite tour was to Belgium in 2011 with Concert Band where we played Hymn to the Fallen at Menin gate. An emotional and humbling experience!
Where has music taken you?
Whilst still learning with LMS, I was successful in gaining a place on the Trinity Junior programme which I attended every Saturday. I then studied clarinet with Michael Harris at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire for my undergraduate degree. Here I was extremely lucky to have had many incredible musical experiences such as playing with Joe Broughton’s Folk Ensemble at Cropredy Festival to an audience of over 30,000 people and performing Verdi’s Requiem which was broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
What advice would you give our students?
Try and explore as much music as possible, whether that be listening to different genres and composers or playing new pieces that you find interesting. If you feel inspired, then run with it and see where you end up: you never know what you might discover and learn to love along the way!
