We spoke to Mia Millar, who previously attended sessions with us at the Safe Space Studio and is now studying music at university, about their sessions with us, and why they like making music. 

Could you start by telling us a little about yourself, your interest in music, and what music meant to you before attending YY&M?

I have always enjoyed music. I studied it at GCSE and then as a BTEC at A-level. I had always been interested in how music was produced, as I like to write my own music quite a bit. 

What led you to get involved, and how did you feel coming into those first sessions?

My mum found the link to an eight-week programme with a producer called Rob, so I signed up. It was then extended to a more constant slot. 

You worked closely with Ella and later Jo. How did they support you through the sessions?

Ella showed me ways to use Ableton successfully as I had never used the DAW before; she showed me different processes of creating music, i.e., getting inspiration from other songs. Jo introduced me to Logic, so I started learning how to produce more acoustic-based music. 

Over your time with us, were there moments when you noticed your confidence with music began to grow?

Jo started letting me take over some aspects of the production, like recording. This helped make me more confident. I wrote the lyrics for every song and asked for criticism from Joe, and he would say if something needed changing to be better. Because of this feedback, I became a lot more comfortable with writing lyrics around other people, so the session was beneficial. 

Now that you’re at university, how do you think your experience with the project has shaped the way you approach music, challenges, or new environments?

By doing the sessions, I had an idea on how to use Logic (the Digital Audio Workstation used at university), which made me feel a lot more confident doing assignments for desktop music production. I would recommend the sessions for anyone who is interested in consolidating their knowledge in production and to just have fun making music with the producers at hand. 

Find out more about the studio: Safe Space Studio