Student Spotlight – Matthew Johnstone

What inspired you to study at Riverside Music College, and how has your experience been so far?

To be honest, I was working a dead-end job even after getting my degree in business a good few years ago. When I started taking DJing more seriously, it got to a certain point where I needed to ditch the corporate life and do something more creative full-time. Applying to Riverside made complete sense because getting the knowledge and skills opens – and, to some extent, has already opened – doors to so many different lines of work that can work in tandem with my DJing. Friends who studied here have instilled me with so much confidence to apply, and I am still feeling that way with my first year just about wrapping up.

You are very involved in organising events in the Glasgow Music Scene such as Pass the Ox Fam! and many others Can you share with us any upcoming events, gigs or plans that you are excited about outside of Riverside?

I’m doing vinyl DJ lessons at St. Luke’s for Record Store Day in collaboration with Blitzkrieg Records. This is a special one for me because I feel really passionate about teaching people how to DJ after struggling for a long time trying to teach myself how to do it. Excited to see what records people bring along with them and to connect with people wanting to learn.

And yeah, Pass The Ox, Fam! has been a great outlet for me to connect with the dancefloor play charity shop records. Oxfam Music actually come along and set up a stall to punt records at the parties too which just makes it so much more of a vibe. I’ve got two planned for May and July in McNeill’s, both with stellar line-ups. Buzzing for it!

What makes you proud to be part of the Glasgow Music Scene?

Tenacity and variety. Both the live and late-night scenes are persisting through so much political and economic adversity and even still the output of creativity is still going strong. The nightlife scene in particular is especially great. Good Clean Fun does alcohol-free clubbing. Hot Towel has poetry, food and DJs playing on a hand-built sound system. Haram Haram hosts the new and seasoned DJs from the SWANA community. Healthy are the biggest risk-takers with their 12-hour parties, techno ceilidhs and having the most diverse line-ups in the scene. It’s full throttle and I’m here for it.

What skills or knowledge have you gained at Riverside that you’ve been able to apply in real-world music industry settings?

It’s mostly the wee daft things for me. I now know I can be insufferable at parties talking about how I can hear the difference between an MP3 file and a lossless one. I know where to place my speakers in my living room so I can get the best sound. More sincerely though, I’ve managed to set up a PA system and used microphone techniques to capture crowd noise. Applying these skills early on is setting me up for a win when I dive into full-time!

What are your long-term goals in the music industry, and how has your time at Riverside helping you prepare for them?

I’m going to knuckle down as a sound engineer so I can work in a bunch of different venues not just in music. That’s the goal over the next few years after I finish up here. We’ll see what happens after that!

What advice would you give to someone considering studying at Riverside Music College?

Make it as fun as you can with the people around you by doing DIY stuff or just hanging out loads. Study together as well, it helps! Aye, the goal is ostensibly to get industry ready, but you’re not going to have nine pals helping you to mic up a stage forever, so cherish it whilst you can and have a great time.