Russell is currently studying MA Popular Music and Culture at Leeds School of Arts. In this blog, he talks through his experience of being a mature student and how he’s found the course so far.

Course: MA Popular Music and Culture

Tell us a bit about yourself, why you chose to study your course and what interests you the most about the subject area? 

I completed my first degree in Sociology back in the pre-inernet days of 1989, and have been teaching Sociology for over 30 years. A few significant life changes in recent years left me thinking that it would be enjoyable to cut down on the teaching and return to education, at the age of 56, purely for the love of learning.

As John Miles once said (obscure and cheesy 1970s reference) 'music was my first love, and it will be my last, music of the future, and music of the past' so it was always going to be a music-based course I opted for. To find one that had some sociological links was a veritable marriage made in heaven! 

What have been your highlights of the course so far? 

I'm studying for my MA part-time over two years. The first year's highlights have included modules in popular music history, and popular music analysis. The former culminated in a conference paper which focused on aspects of punk mythology which was great to research and write. Knowing a decent amount about the music was the easy bit, given that punk /post-punk was my early gateway into a love of music.

Applying knowledge of the music to wider theoretical and historical issues was more challenging, and I felt a great deal of satisfaction in producing my first piece of academic work for 35 years! For the latter module, I analysed The Velvet Underground's 'Heroin'. I can only hope that my fellow course-members weren't traumatised by the sounds of John Cale's screeching viola.

Can you tell us about any opportunities you’ve had as part of the course?

Directly linked to the course, I've been able to explore routes into lecturing as a future career. It's possible that there may be teaching opportunities that arise in the near future, which would be interesting. I've also had the opportunity to attend some great events, with a stand-out being a talk delivered by Gavin Butt relating to the Leeds Arts School scene of the late 70s/early 80s. 

Hearing about some of my favourite Leeds' bands (The Gang of Four/Three Johns/Mekons) in the place where they emerged was fascinating. I was able to improve my (computer based) music production skills via an intensive three day course learning about pro-tools, which I've been putting into practice in recent months, in my role as an enthusiastic amateur musician. 

What are your plans for when you complete the course? 

I genuinely don't know! I simply wanted a course that I found interesting, rather than one that led me down a particular path, and it hasn't disappointed. I'll be 58 when I finish the course, and I feel lucky that I'll have been able to indulge my passion for music in a new and stimulating way at this stage of life. Doors may open, or they may not, but I'm happy either way!

What would you say to someone who is thinking about studying the course? 

I can only speak for myself, but I'm so glad I decided to go for it as I've loved the course. The range of ideas, alongside the enthusiastic and supportive lecturers, have made the whole experience wonderful. The other members of the group are lovely too! Everyone has their own musical background and expertise which makes discussions and/or presentations even more interesting.

I think it's about time we - as a society - started to re-introduce the idea of education for it’s own sake, rather than seeing education as a monitised commodity. What could be better than filling your head full of ideas about music? Go for it, you know it makes sense.