Conor Manning

I chose Surrey purely because of the Music and Sound Recording (Tonmeister) BSc/BMus course! I was interested in engineering as a teenager, but I also really loved music and wanted to take it further than just a hobby. Somebody told me about the Tonmeister course when I was 16, and I knew immediately it was the one for me, bringing both worlds of study and personal interest together.

I enjoyed the collaborative feeling about the course as a whole. Class sizes are very small, so everyone ends up being friends with everyone and it also creates lots of opportunities to work in groups throughout the various coursework assignments. Everyone starts at roughly the same level of knowledge, and it’s fun figuring things out and experimenting with music together. The facilities at the Performing Arts Technology Studio (PATS) are top notch. It was amazing to have had access to that kind of equipment, and it definitely measures up to the standards of professional recording studios in the outside world (and hence prepares you well for it!)

"Somebody told me about the Tonmeister course when I was 16, and I knew immediately it was the one for me, bringing both worlds of study and personal interest together."

For my Professional Training placement, I worked with Michael Price, an Emmy award-winning composer and pianist on a freelance basis. I started off organising a load of Michael’s unpublished production (TV) music, and by the end I was writing music alongside him for various TV music albums. The highlight for me was having the opportunity to work in the same office as him, and always being able to ask him questions about his experiences in the industry. I probably learnt way more from simply being around him and watching him work, than from doing the actual work itself. I can’t speak for other fields, but I think within the music industry it’s absolutely essential to have industry-relevant experience. I’m more confident, understand how to manage my time way better, and I’ve gained a whole load of awesome friends for life (who also just so happen to be great professional contacts too!)

Without doubt my greatest achievement of my final year was co-writing Piece of Your Heart by Meduza (featuring Goodboys) and seeing it rise to number two in the UK singles chart.” Having a hit single even before graduation was really special. I’m potentially even more proud of my dissertation! For me, handing in my research project was the culmination of all my time at Surrey. It was reassurance of how much I’ve learnt since I first started the Tonmeister course. All I can say is that I’ve had a great time. For me, Surrey had the perfect combination: an amazing course, great quality of life/study, and a super convenient location. It will always be really special to me, and I hope that I get to keep coming back!

Discover more about our courses in music and sound recording, including our BSc or BMus Music and Sound Recording (Tonmeister).