Colin is an OCA BA Hons Music Studying studying stage 2: Moving on with Composition.
"I am a Retired tax accountant from Ipswich. A semi-pro musician in various popular genres from the age of 13. I also ran a part-time entertainment agency with my wife for about 40 years. I had conventional classical piano training when young but resumed studying under my own steam when in my 50s. My main musical interests are jazz, improvisation & composition, including song-writing. Having now ceased regular gigging, my musical activities, apart from my degree studies, are mostly limited to weekly sessions accompanying my local community choir, and rehearsing/occasional gigging with a band of musical neighbours, which I formed during lockdown."
Find out more about Colin's experience as a student of OCA below.
What is your previous educational experiences and what drew you to OCA?
Having started working as a semi-pro musician in my early teens, I paid little attention to academic work, consequently only ending up with a couple of O levels. On retiring, I decided to make good some of my earlier academic failings, this time studying the subject for which I had the most passion. I had always dabbled in self-taught composition, mainly song writing and instrumental jazz, so I surfed the net for purely online music degree courses specialising in composition, and which would broaden my general musical knowledge. Thus commenced my journey with OCA, the only institution I could find that offered this facility at the time.
Can you describe your OCA journey?
Surprisingly, I have not found any specific aspect of my course to be particularly difficult, given my total lack of previous Higher Level education, and my age when I started (74). My main problem has been keeping to time limits (I've had to obtain two deferrals so far, and I'm only just over halfway through my course). Sight reading has always been my Achilles heel, but I've found that analysing scores, and reading the dots while listening to a piece of music - things I never did before starting my course - have helped somewhat. Improvisation has always come naturally to me but never have I attempted it in a controlled environment. My forthcoming online performance, in which I shall endeavour to spontaneously improvise a sonatina, shall prove quite a challenge!
What does studying with OCA mean to you?
Being ultimately able to place BA (Hons) after my name (although unlikely that I would ever need to do it in practice) does give a glow of satisfaction. As I am nearly eighty, I don't think I'll ever need it for career enhancement!
Any advice?
Whatever your age, whatever your disability, don't be put off. Both tutors and admin staff are generally very supportive, if you have personal issues and, unlike conventional 'brick' institutions, you can work at your own pace to understand and solve problems. If I can do it, you can do it!.
Where can we find you?
N/A generally. If you check out Musescore.com and tap in Kol Paterson (my pseudonym), you can see a few ditties I wrote before I joined OCA.
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