Jordan Gammon

Please tell us a bit about yourself and your current career?

I recently turned 30 and began a part time PhD at the University of Hull looking at found sound ambient composition and its use in video games with a focus on immersion. Alongside my studies, I work in jewellery and by the end of my studies I hope to have enough experience to get into lecturing as a full-time career.

How do you think the skills and knowledge you developed at Leeds helped with your career success?

Having supportive tutors within my department really helped with calculating what my next steps would be. I was able to speak to those who would advise me best on what my PhD proposal should look like and what questions to contemplate when devising one. The MMus Critical and Experimental Composition course helped me come into my own and find my own identity as a composer in music. It allowed me to express my creativity and experiment with new tools and ideas which helped set me up for PhD study.

What made you want to apply to your course and to Leeds?

Advice from tutors in my previous institution (University of Derby) led me to explore the options at the University of Leeds and after an open day and meeting with tutors, I felt like it was an institution I could benefit the most from. The module details seemed to have everything I was looking for including other avenues I was interested in that maybe didn’t correlate with my main compositional studies as much. This was really helpful as they provided interesting topics that were fun to learn about whilst also allowing me a break from my main portfolio.

What aspects of the course did you enjoy the most?  

The small intimate classroom sessions with my cohort and tutors were really helpful as everyone was very supportive despite us all having vastly different outputs in our work due to our varying creative natures. It allowed for a less pressurising environment that made the course more enjoyable.

What would you say about the learning and the support facilities in your School and at the University in general?

It was reassuring to know that any problems I had I always had someone to go to whether they were fellow students or tutors. Whenever I had an issue, I was able to seek guidance and find solutions relatively quickly.

What would you say to anyone thinking of applying to your course?

It’s a great course to explore your own creativity and build upon your skills within a small group that you can bounce ideas off and support one another. The module options keep things open to allow you to learn about something not entirely related to your main studies so you can really tailor your experience.