BA (Hons) Applied Music Degree
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While attending Feis Rois in Ullapool, I learned that my brilliant fiddle instructor, Anna-Wendy Stevenson, who is an accomplished Scottish composer and traditional fiddle player, is also the creator of the innovative BA (Hons) Applied Music degree at the University of the Highlands and Islands! I stumbled upon this program while doing some research in preparation for my Fulbright and after interviewing Anna-Wendy, I would apply for any or all of the BA (Hons) Applied Music degree in a heartbeat. Its flexibility in location, delivery and content focused on creativity, composition, recording, performance practice, and ensemble skills allow students to fit the degree to their life. With 13 campuses throughout Scotland, students can choose to study on-campus, at home and online. In this interview, Anna Wendy Stevenson gives an overview of this beautifully designed program:
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Through a combination of online learning, video conferencing, and four residencies held throughout Scotland, students have many opportunities to perform together, collaborate, and engage in their communities. Students may be living far apart, but the cohort is strongly connected. According to Anna-Wendy, "Our students are getting a lot more support and connectivity in a program, which is delivered using blending learning because we discuss not just the subject matter, but what that subject matter is sitting on. And that is sitting on discussion about values and discussion about belief systems and discussion about code of practice." But if you're interested in the culture and environment, you again have 13 University of the Highlands and Islands campuses to choose from and can attend several throughout your course of study. Here are two films produced by Anna Wendy Stevenson that capture the beauty of these places:
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The BA (Hons) Applied Music degree is for all students of all musical backgrounds and ages. Currently the program has students 70 students ranging from 17 to 78. Here are two more films produced by Anna Wendy Stevenson showing this diversity of students in the program and how the program has impacted them and the communities in which they are involved:
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The five required modules and one elective for the first two years of the program help prepare students for jobs in education, business, and performance:
Required Modules
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Electives
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Four Residencies Held Throughout Scotland:
Anna Wendy designs four residencies throughout the year in which students apply their learning by working together on a theme. Anna Wendy shared several examples during her interview, but I will highlight just one: the Far Flung Corners Collective project, which is a schools-based music education project in partnership with SoundStorm Music Education Agency exploring the similarities and differences between the cultural and physical landscapes of South West England and the Scottish Outer Hebrides. Students from the BA Applied Music program worked with schools in both communities to help write a school song or anthem. This project made the finals of the Herald Higher Education Awards 2017. The video below is a performance of one of the pieces at Celtic Connections in 2017. These are the kinds of experiences the residencies provide.
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A Creative Model for Alaska
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Alaska and the Scottish Highlands and Islands share a lot in common: indigenous culture, remote communities, breathtaking landscapes and welcoming people. The BA (Hons) Applied Music degree program is an innovative and creative model that other institutions facing similar challenges/opportunities should explore. It was an honor to interview Anna-Wendy Stevenson and have her as my fiddle tutor. I learned so much as an educator and musician. I end with these final words from Anna-Wendy on the subject of sustaining the Gaelic language and culture. I'm excited to visit the Isle of South Uist this summer when I attend the Ceolas Uibhist Summer School of which a Gaelic language class is built into the daily schedule for all participants.
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