Music: Hannah Donkin
Name: Hannah Donkin
Course: Music
Hometown: Alsager (near Crewe), East Cheshire
Favourite thing about Sheffield:
Not the hills! For me, Sheffield is the perfect combination between a thriving, lively city with copious opportunities, and the intimacy and friendliness of a local town.
Favourite thing about the University:
My favourite thing about University is the opportunity it brings, especially in Sheffield and none more so than for music. There are always competitions to enter, new groups, ensembles or societies to join, weird and wacky concerts to attend, guest speakers and free master classes; something for everyone!
Favourite thing about your department:
My favourite thing about the department is being united with so many people through the same common interest. Being surrounded by such like-minded people all enthusiastic about the same thing as you is very exciting.
Why you chose your course:
For my A Levels I studied English Literature, Maths and Music and with no concrete career aspirations I thought I would pursue what I enjoyed most; music! Ubiquitous in our culture, I feel music plays a fundamental role in society and therefore felt it would be an extremely rewarding subject to pursue at a higher level – which it is!
Career Aspirations:
At present, I have no definitive plans for the future. I think I would like to study further after University with the hope of entering into a music based career, perhaps something concerning music therapy, music for infants or something totally different, for example law. Although uncertain at the moment, I hope the many transferable skills gained from my degree will make me a prime candidate for a vast array of job opportunities.
What you hope to achieve as a Student Ambassador for Learning & Teaching:
As SALT for the faculty of Arts & Humanities, I hope we can, as a team, connect the separate departments together and make each department more aware and reliant upon each other, for example with regards to sharing resources, promoting the awareness of opportunities in the city across departments, or sharing study skills sessions. Through this I hope we can also encourage people to engage in activities outside of their degree to make sure they are not only getting the most out of their own degree, but of the whole faculty!
Interests/Hobbies/Other activities:
As a music student I enjoy being involved in lots of musical activities! I am a member of SUWO (Sheffield University Wind Orchestra) and have just come back from our 2012 tour to Maastricht, Holland, which was great! I also attend and take part in regular concerts as part of Sheffield University Concert Series, and teach piano to several students around Sheffield.
Your top tip for studying:
Turn off the internet. For me, if I find myself wasting time on the internet I know I am bored, so if you find yourself uncontrollably opening Facebook, take a break and have a Nesquik!