Composition and medicine can both be used to change ones mood and experiences. The subjective experience of music can be mapped within different emotions. The language of music is used across cultures as a form of expression without the barrier of needing translating. Curating an experience in which people feel something can also be applied to Medicine: my aim as a doctor is to guide someone in need of assistance through an experience in which at the end they feel better within themselves. I decided I wanted to go into Medicine in 2016. Specifically, 25 November 2016. As a person with autism, I am good at remembering dates, information, and facts. Medicine is a special interest for me: when I was young, I read science encyclopaedias for fun. Now, moving towards adulthood, I read the BNF and BMJ, studying new and established pharmaceutical innovations. Since childhood, I have always believed in acceptance. Acceptance of the truth, of people and decisions. I lived with my grandmother for many years, who taught me “respect is something that should be given and received by all”. I have held that view compelling others to do the same, as a Prefect and Master Air Cadet.
My musical interest stems from a young age, specifically age 5 when I began piano and recorder lessons under my church organist and choir master, Nathan Mathurin. I wrote my first composition a few weeks afterwards – a very simple piece consisting of 3 tones played in a syncopated rhythm. Since then, I have come far, working with internationally-renowned composers such as Judith Weir CBE (Master of the Queen’s Music), Sir George Benjamin and several Royal College and Royal Academy scholars in order to better understand both the music industry, and different compositional techniques. I work part-time as a studio engineer at Elements Bound Music Studio in London, working with professionals across genres to teach classical-inspired composition and music production at the studio. I have received support from numerous organisations and charities, including the Foundation for Young Musicians, National Youth Arts’ Trust, the European String Teachers’ Association, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and The Purcell School.
Since the beginning of lockdown, volunteering with a local charity to help resolve disputes refined my teamwork skills. As part of a multidisciplinary team in Ashford Mediation Service, I worked with local schools, Kent Police, and the NHS. I also designed and developed a system to improve the efficiency of referral management. Caring for and supporting others is important to me, like in the Christ Church Battersea Group, where I helped at different nursing homes, working with, and playing the piano for residents. Speaking to the residents helped me learn from them and speaking to the nurses inspired me; their skills in holistic treatment and their manner of care propelled me further into my want to pursue a career in emergency paediatrics. For 9 years, I have been teaching coding with Kano Computing and Barclays, working with children and young people. A friend and I also started a social enterprise, Tutor Eagle, making resources for students filling the knowledge gaps left by school closure. This developed my experience breaking down concepts to make them understandable; paramount both in medical school and as a doctor when communicating with colleagues, patients, and family.
Currently a student in the founding class of the Faculty of Composition at the Young Guildhall Artists’ London Centre for Young Musicians, under instruction of Ehud Freedman and Nathan James Dearden; I have continued to study music technology, Gamelan, Jazz Harmony, Voice and the Piano at the Centre, taught by Sorana Santos and Ed West. I recently received an award from the Leverhulme Trust to continue my studies at the Centre for Young Musicians. I have written music for several ensembles including the London Schools’ Chamber Orchestra and the Purcell School, and I am currently working on multiple scores both for the Royal Holloway, University of London Choir and University of Essex Drama Group. During my time here, I have also collaborated with friends and colleagues in creating new and innovative music.
A careful blend is important in both medicine and music: too much of one thing in music, and you can leave the listener overwhelmed or confused, too little and you can leave them yearning more. In medicine and human biology it is very similar: too much of one thing can potentially cause harm. I have always believed that one act can change the mood in anyone: an act in a musical, and act from a person, an act from a musician. I want a lifestyle where I can be there for a child when they are at their worst point and be the one who can help guide them and their families through a frightening and potentially painful experience with patience and compassion. I want to go into medicine not because it is a familial rite of passage nor because I want to be a hero. I want to do it to be a doctor who understands a patient, who can listen and work with them, think of them as a person, and treat them holistically.