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The University of Southampton
MusicPart of Humanities

Jonathan Fashole-Luke BA Music, 2007

Session musician, agent, composer, performer, promoter and lecturer

Jonathan Fashole-Luke's Photo

I studied Music at Southampton from 2004-2007. I chose the city for its reputation for great student experience, the university for its academic standing and the course for its variety of modules and subject choices.

I majored in performance and I found this course’s unique balance of academic and practical approaches to study quite refreshing.

Since graduating I have been working as a session musician, composer, promoter and lecturer. I am a multi-instrumentalist specialising in live piano performances. My festival appearances include Montreaux, Vienne, North Sea and Vienna Jazz Festivals, Glastonbury, Bestival, Boomtown and Isle Of Wight Pop Festivals. I have appeared at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club and performed live on BBC2s Later With Jools Holland. Most recently, I have been working with Chart-topping UK vocalist Alexandra Burke, and reality TV star Tallia Storm. I also organise a number of open music events around Southampton with opportunities for musicians of all abilities to network and perform together. In 2010 I co-founded Golden Groove Entertainment music agency, which has won several local awards for its services and now has additional offices in Central Europe.

My Music degree gave me a good grounding in music history and the progression of Western harmony which has benefited me as a pianist. I also found the modules on ethnomusicology and music therapy very enlightening and the songwriting and jazz theory classes were invaluable. I majored in performance and I found this course’s unique balance of academic and practical approaches to study quite refreshing.

During my studies there were many opportunities to integrate myself into the local music scene, meet musicians from other disciplines around the university and get involved in university music societies as well as the wider musical community in Southampton, and I have found these experiences invaluable in my working life.

I really like that my career is so varied. Working as a musician allows me the opportunity to be creative and set new challenges each day: As a promoter I have the opportunity to meet new people, which results in a varied professional and social life; As an agent, I am able to draw together different elements, ideas and talents to create a unique experience for a client’s special event; and I have found that being a lecturer is in itself a learning opportunity, and I particularly enjoy helping to guide the next generation into their intended careers.

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