I slightly reluctantly decided to turn down London Conservatoire places to study music at St Catharine’s College. I was nervous as I really wanted to play and wasn’t too interested in certain aspects of academia. I suppose a big part of my motivation was to broaden my horizons a little, as I had become quite blinkered over the past few years. One of the big attractions on that front was being told that the performance standards at the university are very high: this was certainly true.
During my first few weeks I was able to audition for, and get involved with, many of the university ensembles including the jazz orchestra (CUJO) and the symphony orchestras (CUMS and CUSO). I was also heavily involved with many social aspects of my college: playing football (badly), other societies, and just generally doing everything but studying really. During these weeks my details were passed on to a PhD student who needed a new horn player for his jazz quartet. Through this recommendation I ended up with a weekly jazz quartet residency in a local pub which continued for most of the time I spent at university. The performance opportunities I had at Cambridge were really second-to-none: I was playing regularly with a jazz combo, big band, symphony orchestra, and chamber orchestra, as well as all of the other small projects that were always coming up. As importantly as this I was living with, and hanging out with, a broad variety of people, not just musicians! Alongside some of my musical partners-in-crime, I formed a band called the Brass Funkeys. This band is still going strong 13 years later and through it I have had the opportunity to play all over the place on big festival stages (Glastonbury, North Sea Jazz Festival), amazing venues (Koko, Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club) and everything in between. Plus, more importantly, I still get to hang out with some of my best mates all the time!
As I moved through the degree I found that I was able to gradually tailor the course to my own musical interests. I was particularly impacted by the dissertations I wrote on the Chicagoan free jazz scene under the guidance of Prof Sam Barrett. Interestingly, I have found that some of the aspects of the degree that I had little interest in at the time I was studying, have sparked later exploration in my career: notably counterpoint and fugue, string quartet composition and harmony. I think that the further I go into my career, the more I’m grateful for the breadth of subjects that were covered.
After I finished my undergrad, I stayed at the University to complete a PGCE in secondary music. I was always interested in education but had no idea just how many new avenues this would open up for me. One of the big advantages was that I was able to stay musically and socially active whilst going through a course that famously consumes a lot of your time. I followed this by staying in the city and teaching for 2 years, whilst again remaining active on the University music scene.
After spending a year travelling around South America armed with a trombone and a backpack, I started a jazz postgraduate degree at Guildhall School of Music and Drama; I was offered a fellowship at Guildhall after I graduated, so stayed on for an extra couple of years running the jam sessions, and some rehearsals. During this time I also began to put my teaching experience to good use and move into the world of music workshops, something that is still a big part of my career.
As an artist now my time is split between performance, workshop leading, education and composing/arranging. As a pop trombonist I have had a chance to perform and tour with artists such as All Saints, Shed 7 and Raleigh Ritchie. I am also the musical director of the London Garage Orchestra. As a jazz trombonist I have worked with The London Jazz Orchestra, The Grand Union Orchestra and Yolanda Brown. I also have a residency upstairs at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club.
I run workshops for National Youth Jazz Orchestra, Cambridge Jazz Festival, The Barbican, Spitalfields Music and London Music Masters, and I am Head of Music at the Cambridge School for Visual and Performing Arts, running a music foundation degree and also devising a postgraduate degree.
I compose regularly for all of my originals projects and am also doing a little commercial work: I have written the theme song for a recent UKTV show (Live at the Moth Club) and have just written and recorded arrangements for the new Rock School brass syllabus.
I’m grateful for all the opportunities I had at Cambridge. I learnt a lot, grew a lot as a musician and person, and made lifelong friends and collaborators who have shaped my whole career.
Vij Prakash studied music at St Catharine’s College.
