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Hi everyone, I’m Theo, I’m studying MA Global Governance and Diplomacy, and am a Bass in Chamber Choir for this academic year. My music background is in choral singing – in my youth as a chorister at St Albans and later joining NYC in 2016 – but am new to LUUMS and to Leeds as a whole, having done my undergrad in Politics at Birmingham. During my time in Brum, I was a Choral Scholar and served as President and VP of Politics Society, and wish to apply this musical and pastoral experience to the postgrad exec position.

Many individuals practiced music to some capacity in their youth but long gave it up prior to coming to university. Despite this, university is frequently considered the best time to rekindle an old hobby or art, or simply to try something new. Despite this, postgrads are often much less likely than other students to get involved in societies (and I do not have a reference for this, soz). It is therefore important to encourage postgrads to get involved, and through employing my past musical and pastoral experience, I can contribute to improving this aspect of LUUMS ensembles, socials, and events for postgrads and the wider university community.

Hi everyone,

My name is Arisa Hara.
I am originally from Japan but I live in New York City.
I am currently a postgraduate student here at University of Leeds studying Arts Management and Heritage Studies. In LUUMS, I am a part of the Sinfonia Orchestra and will also be joining Chorus as well.

In my undergrad, I was involved in various leadership roles from a student advisor whom talked to first-years about how to prepare for their university experience to being the vice-president of a multicultural arts club on campus. From these leadership roles, I gained experience in communication skills of working in groups as well as organizing fun events for students.

As your postgraduate representative, I hope to bring postgraduate students together in the LUUMS community to get to know one another. As well as, be the proactive member to communicate with the LUUMS executive board of any problems or state any suggestions or ideas to make LUUMS enjoyable.
No matter what your background, I want LUUMS to be a fun and an inclusive place for everyone.

Hi everyone, my name is Annis and I am running to be your LUUMS Post-grad Rep for 2023/2024! I am a 4th year Music and Music Psychology Integrated Masters student from Edinburgh and my pronouns are she/her. I started playing both the piano and cello around the age of 7 and continued my musical studies at The City of Edinburgh Music School for 6 years, where I achieved my two Grade 8’s. Outside of school, I was involved in several ensembles including The Edinburgh Youth Orchestra and the National Youth Choir of Scotland. I sang with the choir for 10 years and was lucky enough to perform for the BBC on both television and radio. In 21/22, I was fortunate to be a Manager of Symphonic Choir, last year I was your Secretary and this year I am conducting Symphonic Choir!

Why do I want to be Post-grad?

I have really enjoyed my time in LUUMS over the past 3 years, but especially last year as Secretary! I am running for Post-grad, as I love being organised, working as part of a team, and positively impacting others. Through all my musical experiences, I have been lucky enough to have seen how music can provide a safe community and family for many. For 23/24, we introduced the Wellbeing and Inclusivity Rep, which I was able to suggest as Secretary last year with the support of committee and LUUMS members at the AGM. As Secretary, I was responsible for piloting taking LUUMS into schools with the Societies into Schools Programme. If I was elected, I would like to continue to work on this, to inspire the next generation and make music accessible to all. I would love to continue growing the community of LUUMS and I am passionate about creating a great experience for all Postgrads. This year I am a Course Rep, so I believe with my LUUMS experience and my Course Rep position, I will be able to bridge the gap for Postgrads within and outside of the School of Music, by being a friendly familiar face. I am excited for what LUUMS have lined up this year and would love the opportunity to help make Postgrads feel as welcome as possible!

Previous experience:

My previous experience includes co-managing Symphonic Choir (2021-2022) which allowed me to develop planning and time management skills, while gaining experience of ensemble management. As Secretary (2022-2023), I gained valuable experience of being on committee, working as part of a large team and doing admin. My greatest achievement was organising auditions week, which was approximately 180 auditions in total! Despite the week being challenging, I am proud of the hard work I put in to help the week run smoothly which enabled the four auditioning ensembles to gain members for the year. Outside of my LUUMS life, I’ve worked as a Front of House Assistant during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and as a Personal Assistant, which enabled me to learn how to be calm under pressure, crowd manage, and be empathetic and respectful. I also took a gap year before university, where I worked as a Pharmacy Pre-Pack Assistant with the volunteer charity Project Trust in rural South Africa. I was responsible for 1000 patients HIV medication, which enabled me to learn how to deal with a large workload and work through it systematically and calmly without getting overwhelmed. While I was there, I also taught private piano lessons to children in the community. During this gap year I built up my resilience, and life experience too.

Thank you for taking the time to read my statement :)