On the perfect balance, or ‘Summery Summary’

Nearly three months and no blogging. It’s been good to have that break, but September is drawing ever nearer, my big summer plans have all been fulfilled, and it’s time to take stock of what all that was about. Looking back at these last few months, it seems to me that there’s one very clear recurring theme: balance.

Probably the most significant moment this summer was my great grandad’s death at the end of July. More important than the death itself, though, was that it happened the night before we were due to celebrate his 90th birthday. That coincidence meant that all four generations of his family were able to gather from three countries in two continents and see him one last time. That day, and the weekend after when we gathered for the funeral, demonstrated to me more clearly than ever the strong family values that my great grandparents have been able to instil in their descendants. The funeral service itself didn’t feel sad; the atmosphere was one of optimism, celebration, and often humour. A lot of hope and happiness came out of what on the surface was a bad situation.

A huge chunk of my summer has been spent volunteering at arts festivals. 374 hours and 45 minutes, to be precise. I’ve been an extra in a live and immersive Doctor Who episode at Manchester International Festival; I’ve managed a sometimes hectic Manchester Jazz Festival box office; I’ve helped the Gruffalo onto stage for his dance off with Elmer at the second annual Just So Festival, and I’ve done a whole lot more. The decision to do all that hard work while my bank balance gradually dropped will seem foolish to some – myself included during some of my less exciting volunteering episodes – but if it’s made me more employable then it was the right decision. I’ve worked hard, but I’ve been appreciated, trusted and helped by the people I’ve worked for; I’ve worked long hours, but I’ve had a lot of fun; I’ve worked for no money, but I feel significantly more prepared for a proper job than I was three months ago.

When Manchester, like other UK cities, was hit by riots on the night of 9th August, I felt disappointed. I was annoyed at myself, even, thinking I was naive to have had so much faith in Manchester and to have given so much of my time to two of its biggest festivals. I wasn’t naive, though, because the subsequent wave of defiant, proud hope completely trumped the disappointment I had felt. The crowds of volunteers clearing up the streets the next morning; the ‘We Love MCR’ campaign that has culminated in today’s celebrations – these events are proof of what Manchester really is, really means, is really capable of.

I can identify that same sense of balance in each of these areas – my family, my career (-to-be), and the way I relate to this city – and I think there’s something in that. In our roles as relatives, employees, students and citizens, it’s a valuable thing to a) be able to see the good in the bad and b) to see potential for good and play our part in making it happen. It seems a bit lofty to claim that this summer has changed my life, but I really do feel enlightened to some degree. Balance is good.

Summer summarised by scrapbook-style souvenirs

On Estival and why it’s the best of all the festivals

 
I’m writing this on a break between playing in one concert (Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings) and stewarding another (Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante). Later, I’ll go for a drink in the bar in the seminar room across the foyer, before attending tonight’s Big Band concert as a regular punter. And the next three days won’t be much different!

 

This is the wonder that is Estival 2011, Manchester University Music Society’s 33rd annual festival of music and art. The theme is the music of Russia, the highlight being Thursday night’s performance of Shostakovich’s heart-stopping 5th Symphony.

 

Pop along if you’re in Manchester – there are concerts at 1.10, 5 and 7.30 every day up to and including Thursday, but the music and general merriment basically goes on all day! Somehow, this festival manages to be educational without being dull; to be classical without being exclusive; and to have a ‘festival atmosphere’ without being a rowdy, drunken, muddy mess. Take that, Glasto.

 

estival.co.uk

On the end of second year, and the beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning, or the beginning of the end of the beginning…?

Well that was it – the end of another academic year. In 366 days’ time (give or take) I’ll cease to be a student and start being unemployed. Well…hopefully not, but it’s not at all unlikely. Work – any work – is not easy to get hold of by any means. But you don’t need me to tell you that.

The question is should I take whatever work I can get, regardless of the sector or the pay? Should I stick it out stubbornly and wait for that ideal arts job, with those lovely people in that plush, sophisticated office? Devote incredible time and effort to an internship without any guarantee I’ll get a return on my investment? Or perhaps I should just chicken out of the real world altogether and sink back into university. That’s not a bad idea – there is funding out there if I work for it – and a Masters in marketing or management would certainly serve me well when I do find myself in a job.

Suggestions on a postcard and/or in a comment, please!

I hear you, Princeton and co.

On long days and why rock is the antidote

Yesterday was a bit of a slog. Here’s a quick breakdown of why:

• 0900-1030: Revision for Friday’s Arts Administration exam. Some of it was current and exciting; a lot of it was tediously academic.
• 1100-1205: Music Society committee meeting. Whilst I’m very excited about Estival, our annual four-day musical extravaganza, I’m not so excited about the ins and outs of the Personnel Policy.
• 1230-1500: More revision. And some Facebook.
• 1515-1745: Orchestra rehearsal. It felt like we spent two hours on the same dull few bars of Glazunov’s Violin Concerto…not one of my Desert Island Scores at the best of times.

Then, after a quick cheese toastie, I headed off to Stockport for band practice. Expecting to be far too tired for yet more rehearsing. But I was so wrong! Within minutes of playing, I found energy to play out of nowhere.

I owe it all to the sheer euphoria of Sparks, our incredibly exciting new anthem. Building from a simple opening to a rousing finale, this song is the ultimate cure for tiredness!

Have a listen to the first verse – but ignore the intro, as filmed by Zeb…

On losing my work experience buddy but why I’m happy for her

The blog posts are going to have to be a little more sporadic at the moment, folks – that’s because we’re in the middle of May, that time of year when students’ attentions suddenly turn towards their degrees, and away from everything else. Of course, it’s not quite that simple in a music student’s world: for one, last Thursday saw my band Always Awake‘s live debut. It was very successful, very well attended, and very good fun; I can’t wait for more of the same! Oh, plus we launched a stonking new EP.

Meanwhile, we’re edging ever closer to Estival, the Music Society‘s week-long annual music festival. It’s a huge undertaking, especially given how close it is to the climax of the academic year. I’ve got a lot of concert managing to do, but with the combined forces of the outgoing and incoming concert manager teams to work with, we can’t go far wrong. More about this soon, but for now just trust me that it’s going to be great!

In other news, I was looking forward to having my good friend Caroline alongside me during my crazy summer of work experience/volunteering, but she’s gone and got herself a real job, the rotter. While it’s a shame to miss out on her company, I’m really pleased for her, plus really encouraged that it really is possible for someone in my position (which is remarkably similar to Caroline’s this time last year) to go straight into an arts job immediately after the end of uni.

Anyway, back to that degree…

Let’s blog.

Hi there!

I’m Ben Horrigan; a Hull-born, Manchester-based student, pursuing a career in the management/marketing side of the arts sector.

I decided it’d be a good idea to write a blog about my experiences once I left uni, but that’s a whole year away and I got too excited…

So the blog is set to be a healthy mixture of ‘how-to’s and ‘how-not-to’s, depending on how I get on. It’ll be about job-hunting, the arts sector, and being a twenty-something in Manchester.

If you’ve ever entertained a schadenfroh curiosity for what happens to arts students once they’ve walked the plank off the good ship Education and plunged into the terrifying depths of Real Life, then this blog is for you.