Dean Melville

HND Music graduate Dean Melville had a positive experience at NESCol after deciding to pursue his hobby as a career. The 2020 pandemic meant that Dean, along with many others, found himself with a lot of free time on his hands.

Music had always been a hobby for him, being a keen drum, guitar, and bass player, and he found practising during lockdown gave him a sense of purpose. This, combined with the progress he’d made through the hours invested, was his motivation to find out what options were available to him at College.    

Dean was delighted to discover that NESCol offers courses at various levels, ensuring that everyone can pursue their passion for their chosen subject area, irrespective of prior qualifications or experience. He was advised to start on the Level 6 Music course since he had not studied Higher Music at school and completing it allowed him to progress to the HND.  

“There are so many standout moments from my time on this course! During my time at NESCol, I can say I have performed in Aberdeen’s top music venues including the Lemon Tree, Krakatoa, and Drummonds. It’s so great that the college can offer people of all ages those kinds of opportunities. “

 As well as the opportunity to perform at some of Aberdeen’s top music venues, Dean spoke about a project that was a real standout moment for him during his time at City Campus. “The opportunity to write, record and produce my own EP (a mini album) was incredible. The knowledge and skills I gained as a musician were invaluable and I think it’s been one of the highlights of my life so far. “

He also mentioned how his fellow students and the music lecturing team contributed to the positive experience he had at College, “I’d like to highlight how lovely my class was. We were all like a big family at the end of the course and I feel proud of them all! I can’t wait to see where we all end up in the music industry. “

Dean continued, “The teaching and support from the lecturers was outstanding and I felt they cared about me and my classmates, always having a moment to spare if you needed to chat or some extra help. We were also given access to some top-tier pieces of equipment during the course, and it was nice to feel trusted by the staff to use the high-quality resources they have in the basement classrooms and studios. “

In addition to his studies, Dean also volunteered for local Aberdeen organisation, Big Noise Torry, which is a music education and social change programme. He did so to complement his teaching project in the second year of the HND but enjoyed it so much that he continued there.

He explained, “I’ve loved volunteering and working with the young people and have always felt appreciated and welcomed in every session I’ve been part of. I would encourage anyone interested in music and teaching to volunteer, it helps you appreciate the different skills you didn’t even realise you had as a musician and as a person. “

 After his positive NESCol experience, Dean is currently taking a gap year from education and hopes to do some travelling. He plans to go on to university and aspires to go into teaching, while also writing and performing his music.