Sam Young - Music
At Warwick, I had a somewhat unusual A-Level experience. I initially studied four subjects — French, Music, Latin and Drama — before deciding that music conservatoire was the route I wanted to pursue and subsequently dropping to just two A-Levels, to facilitate more practice time. I focused my efforts on extra-curricular opportunities, such as composing a piece for performance at the Royal Albert Hall in Lower Sixth, or conducting the whole school musical production of Les Mis in Upper Sixth. Both were unforgettable experiences that still hold up as highlights in my life.
The only slight hiccup came when I (admittedly quite last minute) decided I wanted to apply to Cambridge which, on the back of only two A-Levels, was relatively unprecedented. I genuinely believe it was the extensive extra-curricular opportunities I had been afforded during my time at Warwick that allowed me to be offered a place on the music course at Trinity College. I ended up turning down my place at Cambridge (and subsequently my place at Berklee College of Music) because the traditional university route felt restrictive and academic — I felt I needed a more vocational, practical means of studying.
After two years of working in local theatre groups and drama schools, I was offered a full scholarship to study on the Master’s course at the Royal Academy of Music, specialising in Music Direction and Jazz Piano. Since graduating in 2021, I have worked extensively in musical theatre and pop. I currently conduct MJ the Musical on the West End, have supervised numerous theatre projects both in London and New York and recorded with award-winning artists such as Tom Misch. I am blessed to be able to do what I love for a living, a career borne from the bravery to trust that the traditional academic route of a university education was not right for me. I have Warwick Sixth Form — and, in particular, my inspiring teachers — to thank for that.