A musical life

“The course opened so many doors for me. I had the chance to intern at major events, connect with industry partners, who subsequently employed me, play in bands, organise live music events. But you have to realise the opportunities that are there and just grab every single one with both hands,” she said.

During her degree, Kate – who also sings, plays guitar and runs live sound – organised live music events on the roof of her apartment building.

That led her to open a live music lounge in Lismore, before she partnered with Northern Rivers Performing Arts (NORPA), managing events and coordinating artists.

She now collaborates with a host of local organisations on projects that range from community festivals to live performance and still finds time to do a bit of songwriting and performing on the side.

The COVID-19 lockdown has put some of those on hold temporarily, but Kate is not phased. She is using the period of relative quiet to pursue other creative projects, including her handmade signwriting business, Stroud De'signs.

A bit of quiet is probably not a bad thing. When restrictions do ease, it'll be full steam ahead to swing the remainder of a Create NSW Music Now project for live music (that began at the Dusty Attic venue in Lismore and will conclude with NORPA) into action. "It will be a beautiful thing when we can gather again," said Kate.

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Southern Cross University's Bachelor of Contemporary Music is offered at the Coomera and Lismore campuses and is being taught completely online in Session 2, 2020.

Find out more about our Music and Creative Arts degrees.