Drawing inspiration from a module in Music Journalism, BA Music (Combined) graduate Ellie Palmer has recently started a role as Online Editor for Pianist Magazine. As the UK’s largest specialist publication for those who play the piano, Ellie will become Assistant Editor of the magazine early next year.
In the next instalment of our Careers in the Creative Industries series, Ellie muses about her recent entry into the world of content creation and provides some top tips on how to write in an engaging and compelling manner.
What has your journey been since leaving Leeds College of Music?
I spent roughly a year after graduating freelance writing for music companies in America, Australia, Germany, and the UK. I then joined Pianist Magazine as Online Editor. From January 2019 onwards, I will also be Assistant Editor of the magazine itself. I found the job on a random job feed I was looking at online. I knew I was qualified, so I just went for it.
What skills did you gain during your time at LCoM that are useful to your current role? Does your knowledge of the music industry help?
I took the Music Journalism module which taught me a huge amount about writing various types of content. The music industry knowledge I gained is what gave me the edge over the other job applicants. They needed someone who knew the industry well, and had already studied and worked within it.
How did the module you undertook in Music Journalism help?
I learnt a lot about the basic structures of various types of content, and how to approach each type in a way that will make your piece stand out from the crowd. I write content every single day for Pianist, so gaining these skills at LCoM has certainly helped.
What attracted you to a career in this particular area?
In the same way I adore creating music, I've also always loved creating content. I love creating something that is mine that I can then put our into the world for people to see.
What do you see as the future for print, online and digital publications?
If we look at other global publications, we are seeing print numbers decreasing rapidly. Online content is already huge, but I think we’ll also see digital publication sales soar past print publication sales very soon.
Pianist magazine includes some sheet music, tutorial CD, how-to-play articles, interviews and more. What do you think has contributed to the magazine’s success?
The key to being successful as a publication is to simply fill a void that no-one else is filling. That’s why we are the best-selling magazine for piano players. We also know that 99% of our readers actually play the piano. So, we really focus on the reader.
What top tips would you give someone wanting to write engaging and compelling content?
1. Research your audience and find out what they want to know. Use this to write content that answers their questions.
2. Don’t waffle.
3. Write in threes – it will make your content more humorous, satisfying, and effective!
Find out more about BA (Hons) Music (Production with Popular)
More about Undergraduate courses
