Natasha Blakemore

CHOOSING US

I decided to come to Surrey whilst I was doing my A Levels and looking for a degree that combined my interests in maths and music. I’d spent a long time looking and was very relieved when I found this course as it meant I was able to continue all my interests.

The Tonmeister course itself was definitely the biggest factor in choosing the university, as it has such a good reputation and industry contacts, that I knew I’d be well set for finding a job in the future.

YOUR COURSE

I have always loved music but wanted to understand more about the technical aspects. Since starting the course I’ve developed more of an interest in how hearing works.

There was nowhere else in the country which offered a course like Music and Sound Recording, which allowed me to further explore all my interests. DMM is quite a small department which means everyone knows each other and is willing to help. The staff are always open to feedback and value student input, which creates a great working/studying environment.

STAFF AND FACILITIES

Both the staff and facilities are great. The staff are very approachable and interested in everything the students are doing. The studios are well looked after and maintained with plenty of opportunity for students to use them. Visiting the technicians who maintain the studios is the best part of the day!

CAREER SUPPORT/ YOUR PROFESSIONAL TRAINING EXPERIENCE

Within the Tonmeister course there is a lot of support with finding a placement and looking for jobs, from tutors as well as other students. I spent my placement at Sky Production Services as a Trainee Dubbing Mixer. I did a lot of editing (dialogue, voiceover) as well as syncing and preparing projects for others in the department. The highlights were getting to mix two shows for Sky Kids and Sky Arts.

I would recommend a placement to all students as I think it was a great way for me to gain industry experience, make contacts and figure out what I’d like to do when I graduate. My time studying the Tonmeister course has positively impacted my employability, enabled me to develop my skills and gain industry experience and contacts along the way.

Running recording sessions at the university has been great, as it is a real technical challenge as well as a lot of fun.

LOOKING FORWARD

My confidence has greatly improved over the course of my degree, and I’ve gotten a lot better at presentations and feeling able to voice my opinion. After graduation, I’m considering postgraduate study within the field of psychoacoustics, as well as looking at work within the film/TV industries.