“I made an Indie rock track”
Aileen Salmon is a 4th year BA (Hons) Production of Music and Audio student from Galway but lives in Dundalk while completing her studies.
“In 3rd year the main focus of our course is our production project where we have to make a track all on our own initiative. We source the band or artist ourselves. Luckily there’s a girl I knew who was interested in doing my course next year and she is in a band. So I gave her a call and asked her to send me her band's demos. I gave them a listen and instantly knew they had a lot of potential."
"Following this, I asked them to come into DkIT where we recorded solos, drums, electric guitars and everything in one of the state of the art recording studios on campus. Then I pieced everything together, edited it, mixed it and we had a final product. It was tough and it took a lot of planning but it was so worth it once I had finished the tape."
Aileen likes having the opportunity to work with different people who have different musical styles.
"For example some musicians are happy to let you take creative reign on their work, whereas others, not so much. It's really great to get experience by having these practical elements embedded in the course. I'm learning how to work with different artists and manage the different techniques which is a really important aspect of working in audio & music production."
The BA (Hons) in Audio & Music Production is a highly practical course and in 2019 it will introduce a compulsory work placement within the programme.
"I would love if my course had the opportunity for work placement just so that I could get some experience in the industry for a significant amount of time but unfortunately they aren’t introducing work placement until next year. Having said that our lecturers always encouraged us to get out there and volunteer in the industry and are great at providing us with contacts.”
Aileen is originally from Galway and so resides in Dundalk while she studies.
“I live in the student village, so it’s literally a 2 minute walk from the campus. It’s great for when you need a lie in before a class after a night of socialising!"
"Rent is quite cheap here compared to bigger cities in Ireland I’ve lived in a different apartment each year since starting my studies and each landlord has been friendly and understanding.”
When deciding on where to study, Aileen carefully researched her options.
“I loved the sound of this course. After comparing it with other courses on offer around the country, I realised it was the best one for me. I spoke to people already studying the course in DkIT and they really sold it to me. They spoke so highly of the facilities and the lecturing staff"
"I’d definitely recommend that prospective students make an effort to speak to current students when they're making their CAO choices. This way you actually get to hear the truthful pros and cons from people like you. Attending Open Day is a great way of doing this.”
Best thing about DkIT?
“The best thing about DkIT for me is living here. I've had the opportunity to live with so many fantastic people that I will be friends with for life. I love the independence of living away from my parents and the social life too. It’s so nice to be able to live with your mates and go out or go to cinema or anything like that. I am so glad that I took the step and done it.”
Useful Links:
BA (Hons) in Production of Music and Audio
BA in Production of Music and Audio
