Taking part in the BBC Radio Scotland Young Musician of the Year 2016 was by far the best musical experience I’ve had, and I had far from expected to be there.
The preparation put into it was really nothing like I’d had to do before. Writing out all the arrangements and chords for our sets was something I had never done before so I found it quite hard, and choosing what tunes I was going to play was such a hard decision! But I think having to do that added to the whole experience for me, as I’d never done it before and although it was hard work, it was exciting to know that the end result would be all my work and that was a really good feeling.
I was extremely nervous for the final, but at the same time I was so excited that I was experiencing this with five incredible young musicians and getting the opportunity to play in the beautiful City Halls in front of lots of supportive family and friends as well as the amazing musicians that were the judges. When I got on the stage and started playing I was less nervous and really enjoyed myself. The whole competition was such an incredible experience with a very deserved winner!
The competition is such an amazing opportunity for young musicians in Scotland and I would thoroughly recommend going for it!
Hannah MacRae