Carla Langley.

We caught up with her to find out about her time at Spirit, and to see what she’s been getting up to post-uni.

Thanks for coming back to the studios, Carla. Why did you choose to study with us back in 2019?

It’s great to be back! I chose to study here because I really wanted a way to get into the industry that would benefit me more than just networking and putting myself out there. Don’t get me wrong, those are still important skills to have. I just wanted to ensure I had the industry knowledge behind me when I went and did that, and that’s definitely what Spirit has done for me.

What was your favourite thing about your course? And how has it prepared you as you head into the industry full-time?

My favourite thing was the lecturers. They’ve all got really varied disciplines and specialities which meant I gained a far wider knowledge of the industry than I could have expected. For example Jon, one of my tutors and Music Business Programme Leader, is really knowledgeable about festivals which has really helped me with my work.

In regards to how the course has prepared me for starting a career in the creative industries; I worked at festivals before my studies but was just so unprepared. Since graduating, I feel so much more confident doing my job and now know far more about how festivals work behind the scenes. I’m now able to contribute so much more to my work.

What have you been up to since graduating?

I do a lot of freelance work for Engine Number 4 within site offices, such as Lost Village and Truck Festival. Outside of that I’ve also worked at End of the road Festival, Production, and Escape to Freight Island (just around the corner from Spirit!).

That sounds amazing! What’s a key takeaway from your course that you use in day-to-day life on the job?

Especially working in festivals, knowing more about how every spectrum of the sector works has made my experiences so far so much more rewarding. Knowing how each worker operates, how directors operate – in fact just being able to understand the variety of job roles that are out there – has really helped me understand the industry and my place within it.

How did studying music in Manchester benefit you?

There’s so many world-class venues around the city, all with varying capacities. Having all those venues – big and small – in such a close proximity makes it so much easier to learn about how to organise an event. There’s so many opportunities to get stuck in.

We couldn’t agree more. Finally, what advice would you give to future students?

Start networking early, and definitely utilise your tutors. They know so much more than you think they do. They’re your first point for networking; they know so many people in the industry and can get you so far. They’ll get you further than you would if you were by yourself.

Inspired by Carla’s story? Take a look at our Music Production courses or our Music Business courses

We’ve also just launched our brand new Event Management courses!