Since 2020, The Royal Musical Association Student Committee continues to operate in a hybrid fashion. Despite the difficulties brought on by the pandemic, the RMA Student Committee for 2021 were able to have a vibrant and successful 2021. We thank the previous committee for their efforts on optimizing the RMA student webpages, student blog contributions, conference organization, and all the other behind-the-scenes work that often goes unnoticed.

Our most recent event, the BFE/RMA Research Students’ Conference, took place in January 2022 at the University of Plymouth and online. We were happy to share this as a hybrid conference, as last year’s was strictly online. During the conference, whether in-person or online, we were still able to bring you all the benefits from an in-person experience, which included skills training sessions, student papers, composition and performance workshops, concerts, and social events. You may read the conference report, written by a PhD student Ellen Stokes, here.

We also helped launched a new RMA study group during the Mental Health Workshop. The Music and Mental Health Group aims to raise awareness of the mental health crisis among musicians through the prism of music education, creation, and performance.

We would also like to thank the students who followed our Call for Candidates and applied for membership at the RMA Student Committee.

We are pleased to announce your committee for 2022 below:

Student Representatives for 2022

•             Barbora Vacková, University of Huddersfield

Barbora Vacková is a PhD candidate and recipient of the Scholarship in Contemporary Music Studies at the University of Huddersfield. Her research project focuses on conditions for female compositional activity in Czechoslovakia under state socialism (1948-1989). Vacková has presented her research at several international conferences and her thesis on Scottish-Czech composer Geraldine Mucha was awarded the Prize of the Czech Minister of Education in 2017. On 1-2 April 2022, Vacková is co-organizing an online RMA Study Day(s) “Women and Gender in Art Music of the Eastern Bloc: Current Perspectives, Future Directions.”

•              Nyle Bevan-Clark, University of Southampton

Nyle is a second-year postgraduate researcher in Music at the University of Southampton. His research is interdisciplinary, and he is co-supervised by the Department of Sociology at the University of Bristol. Nyle’s current research project asks what the ethnographic study of local music-making experiences in post-industrial South Wales can tell us about community, class, and identity. His research encompasses everything from pub singalongs to Elvis impersonators! He completed his undergraduate study in Music at Southampton before completing an MA in Music Studies at Cardiff University.

Ordinary Student Members for 2022

•             David Dewar, University of Bristol

David Dewar is a mature, part-time PhD candidate in the Music department at the University of Bristol. His research interest falls in professional and amateur music-making in the early twentieth century, in their interactions and collaborations. His project is part-funded by the Colston Research Society. The use of music in social prescribing is also one of his contemporary inter-disciplinary themes. David has been a musician for many years, latterly as a professional organist, harpsichordist, and conductor. For some years in the 80s/90s David was also a freelance horn- and handhorn-player. He is currently Director of Music at the Dame Monica Wills Chapel, the university’s only collegiate-style chapel.

•             Madison Miller, University of Wolverhampton

Madison Miller is an international PhD student studying music soundscapes at the University of Wolverhampton. Her current research is a multimedia creative practice in soundscapes, incorporating sights and sounds through online channels. This is done using field recordings and photography that inspire relaxation. Her academic background is in various subjects, having a BA in Philosophy, English, and Psychology (USA), and an MA in Media and Communication (UK). She currently volunteers as Digital Officer for the Music and Mental Health Group, has won 2 consecutive awards for operating Society of the Year at the University of Wolverhampton for founding the Doctoral Students Society, and holds 2 awards for her photography presented at the University of Wolverhampton Student Research Conference.

•              Niamh Gibbs, London College of Music/ University of West London

Niamh is violinist, pianist, and composer from London with many years of experience across different genres of the music industry. She is currently a PhD scholarship recipient at the London College of Music, where her research focuses on the use of music and sound design to evoke Romantic aesthetics of ‘The Uncanny’ and supernatural. As a violinist, she has performed in recording studios, orchestras, theatre productions and events including the BBC’s 75th Holocaust Memorial Day Ceremony. Her compositions range from soundtracks to sound design and original songs which have been featured on radio stations and commended in high profile music competitions including the 2020 Tune Into Nature Music Prize. As well as being a member of the Royal Music Association Student Committee, she is also an Equality Champion at her university, helping advocate for more inclusive policy, environments, and access for marginalised communities in higher education. 

We are pleased to have our new committee in place for 2022 and look forward to this year!

Madison Miller

Additional Information:

To learn more or join the Music and Mental Health study group, please visit: https://musicmentalhealthgroup.wordpress.com/

To learn more about other study groups, please visit: https://www.rma.ac.uk/about-us/chapters-study-groups/

To view other groups and blogs ran by students, visit: https://www.rma.ac.uk/students/other-student-blogs/