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Toby Caswell

Alumni

I'm Toby. I am specialising in jazz piano performance, as well as taking more vocational modules such as Professional Skills and Arts Management.
Picture of music students performing, with a focus on the sheet music in front of the performers

I'd always been passionate about studying music through school and wanted to expand on this interest in further studies. Outside of school, I was also getting more and more into playing and composing in my free time, so I wanted to continue to do the things I love by studying a Music degree.

Best module?

I really enjoyed the Introduction to Jazz Styles module I studied in second year, because part of it includes getting an original arrangement played and workshopped by the Jazz Orchestra. I loved having that opportunity that is going to be very rare outside of university.

What's the most underrated spot in Birmingham?

Cherry Red's - a really nice, central café with high profile jazz gigs in a slightly hidden room upstairs on Wednesdays.

What's one piece of advice you can share for incoming students?

Don't be afraid to say yes to lots of things - you are better off trying as much as possible when you start, and then you can cut it down once you've found what you really enjoy.