Louie Taylor

Composer & Educator
 
 
Louie Taylor
Having started music education when I was 10 years old, I took part in my school’s musical production of Bugsy Malone. Since this was in primary school, an ensemble for the pit band was not possible, due to not having enough players. So, the school hired a pianist to accompany the entire musical. I remember feeling utterly inspired by his playing and the full quasi orchestral sound he was able to produce. This is where my love for the piano began. Soon after this I heard that my mother’s best friend was looking to give away her and her parent’s piano; I jumped at the opportunity. I remember it well, it was a Zender upright piano. This lovely instrument carried me through until 2016, when I was far too big for it and could barely fit my knees under the keyboard.
Despite being immersed in music, it was around this time I started to lose interest in music generally and was set on becoming a filmmaker and keeping my piano playing as a hobby. Going on to take Film and TV course alongside History A level, I almost left music behind. Midway through the year, a great friend of mine introduced Music A level to me. Suddenly, I had an inclination that I must take the Music A level and leave my passion for history in the past. I had but a week left to change my A level whilst already being enrolled on the course. The next day I did just that and spoke to my old music teacher asking for a change of course. He was more than happy to take me on but warned me of the course’s assessments and their requirements, because, realistically, at this point I was about half as capable as I should have been to be able to take the course. Nevertheless, I decided this was where my future was bound. I was now taking Film and TV with Music. This was a perfect combination of subjects to study for me, passionate about both and they seamlessly supported each other. Around this time, I was practicing the piano as much as I possibly could to catch up with the course requirements. As a result of my determination, my Dad was able to give me the most amazing gift I could have ever dreamed for, a Schimmel Grand Piano. This was monumental to me, and was crucial to my success during my A levels and it is something I will never forget and hold immense appreciation for, for the rest of my life.
I was going full steam ahead and putting everything I had into my music when suddenly the most significant event of my life occurred, my father’s passing. For me, this was an incredibly difficult time for this to have happened, not that any time would have been any easier. In search of distraction, I decided to seriously plow through my courses and apply all the effort I had, in his honour. This is when I started becoming serious about composition and when I wrote my first major work - Piano Trio in A Major. It was also during this time that I scored many of the soundtracks to my colleagues short films.
Currently, I am studying for a Bachelor's degree in Music at the University of Bristol, and I intend to go on and do a Master’s Degree in Composition afterwards. My experience at university so far has been unforgettable and probably the most promising, productive and enriching period of my life so far. I am also offering composition lessons and composing for ensembles in Bristol. Composing music is what makes me feel at peace, at my happiest and at my best. I hope to pass on and share what I have learnt and continue to learn to those who have a passion for learning and music themselves, as well as enriching like minded creatives’ projects with my music.