A first: Megan graduates on the bagpipes
When she graduated from high school, Megan Hachmang knew one thing for certain: she wanted to study music. “I always liked connecting with people,” Megan explains. “My music teacher at school was a graduate of the Music in Education programme at ArtEZ. I realised I could learn so much by following in his footsteps.”
Come along and audition!
When Megan went along to the ArtEZ open day and asked if she could study the bagpipes, the head of the programme had to step in. “The students I was talking to just didn’t know how to react,” Megan recalls. “But Jeroen Katier, the head of the programme, was full of enthusiasm from the outset.” He told her, “Come along and audition! We’ll find you a teacher.” His openness made Megan even more determined to study at ArtEZ.
Breaking new ground
Teacher and alumnus Annemieke van Doesburg was signed up to give Megan one-on-one tuition. Megan is the first student in the country to study the bagpipes as her main instrument at academy level. In the first week of her studies, she hit the regional headlines: ‘Enschede breaks new ground with first bagpipes lesson at academy: “It’s a wonderful thing!”’ The media interest was so intense that the director of ArtEZ Academy of Music had to have a quiet word with her. “He warned me to take good care of myself and not go beyond my limits. That kind of guidance is very helpful.”
Inspiring each other
Another aspect of the Academy that appealed to Megan was the atmosphere in Enschede. “As soon as you walk through the door, you feel that everything is fine and that it’s okay to be yourself. It’s a great place to discover who you want to be. Personally, I love the fact that everyone here is open-minded. That’s something I felt right away,” she says.
“In year two, you get to work with the Music Therapy programme,” Megan explains. “I teamed up with a Music Therapy student for an internship in special education.” The two of them prepared lessons together and learned a lot from each other. “It was a very valuable experience and gave us new insights.” Outside classes too, students from different programmes find ways to inspire each other and work together. Megan has been asked for her card several times. “Students from other programmes, MediaMusic for example, think it’s a really cool idea to use the bagpipes. As an element in a game soundtrack, for example.”
Innovation and improvement
“Inclusiveness and freedom are definitely part of my experience on the programme,” Megan says. “Cutting-edge subjects, such as moLAB, also feature strongly.” moLAB encourages students to use technology to innovate and improve music education. “Incredibly valuable and also unique. We learn to incorporate modern instruments and technology in our teaching.”
A taste of working life
Within the programme itself, there are also plenty of opportunities for collaboration. Alongside writing her thesis, Megan was involved in organising the annual music production. In close cooperation with other graduate-year students, she put together a major concert that spans the entire programme. This involved everything from rehearsals and arranging a venue to the challenge of dealing with high costs. “It’s been so valuable working on a project like this. It really gives you a taste of how to tackle these things in working life,” she says.
Not just for funerals
Did Megan get to play the bagpipes in the show? “I sure did!” she says. “I played the pipes as part of a rock song.” Rock and the bagpipes may sound like an odd combination, but for Megan, that’s the whole point. She wants to open people’s eyes to different sides of the instrument. “I want to show them that bagpipes are not just for funerals. During showcase evenings, I like to play the pipes during rock songs. It’s a great way to show that there’s a modern side to the instrument.”
Judging by the reactions she receives outside the academy’s walls, Megan’s crusade is having an impact. “At showcases, people often come up to me and say ‘What a cool thing to do!’ or ‘It’s so great to hear the pipes like this!’ People often have no idea how versatile the bagpipes can be.”
Full circle
“The classrooms and schools where I teach usually have no access to the bagpipes,” Megan says. “My broad training and basic knowledge of other instruments like guitar and piano enables me to focus more on these instruments during my lessons.” For her thesis, she is exploring whether there could be a place for the bagpipes as part of music lessons in secondary schools. “I am doing the research at my old high school, with the same teacher who inspired me to study Music in Education. It’s a real full-circle moment for me.”
Come in and take a look around
Megan has a clear message for prospective students who are keen to play a unique instrument at the academy: “Just do it! Music is a wonderful outlet for all kinds of things and it’s great to be able to carry that through into teaching.” She doesn’t feel the need to give tips. “This is a programme where everything works out. Come inside and take a look around. Chances are you’ll feel at home immediately, thanks to the lovely people, great teachers and a very good atmosphere.”
On second thoughts, she does have one tip for anyone still trying to make up their mind: take part in the ‘student for a day’ programme. “As a student for a day you really get a personal insight into a typical day on the programme. You are paired with a Music in Education student who will look after you throughout the day and take you along to all their classes, rehearsals and other activities. That’s something I would definitely recommend,” Megan concludes, now in her final year as a student.
After graduation, Megan hopes that she can transition directly into a teaching role. Who knows, perhaps the skirl of the bagpipes will soon be ringing out in music classrooms everywhere.
Read more about the programme Music in Education
