Music alumna on why she chose Falmouth, the creative cycle and releasing her new EP

After leaving her psychology degree in pursuit of creativity, BA(Hons) Music alumna Anna Roscoe wasn’t initially sure which direction she wanted to go. It wasn’t until she heard Falmouth’s Head of Music, Dr Antti Saario, compare the creative cycle and music itself to the movement of waves at an open day that she realised music was the right choice for her.  

Now, Anna is celebrating the launch of her second EP, entitled Waves, which is a project that explores a new romantic relationship and the healing that came from it despite it not lasting whilst still carrying the grief from her first EP, Grieving the Living.  

Anna shares with us what drew her towards studying music, how doing so left her feeling as though her musical world was expanding with new ideas and how Falmouth’s coastal backdrop, being surrounded by waves, has influenced the way she thinks about her creative process.

Deciding on music

When Anna first went to Falmouth University’s Open Day, she still wasn’t sure if studying music was the right choice for her. Before visiting, the questions that raced through her mind were the common questions prospective students ask: ‘Will it take away the joy I feel if music becomes something I have to study, analyse and write about? How will I cope if I have to meet deadlines but don’t have any inspiration?’  

“When I came to the music area, there were three courses at the time: BA(Hons) Creative Music Technology, BA(Hons) Popular Music and BA(Hons) Music,” Anna told us. “I had an interest in all three, so when I saw the three tables ahead of me, I wasn’t sure where to go. But then my feet started walking straight towards the BA(Hons) Music table where I met one of Falmouth’s lecturers at the time, Chris Best, and had a really affirming conversation. I told him I had recently left another university after studying psychology for a year, and he shared that he had also originally studied geography before finding his way towards music later in life. This gave me the reassurance I needed that everyone finds their own path into their passion; it’s not always the case that you know straight away, or that it will even be your first choice.  

“I then went into the main area, where Falmouth’s Head of Music, Dr Antti Saario, was about to give a talk. It was a strange experience, as it felt like that talk had been made especially for me. Antti described the creative cycle using the metaphor of waves; how no one feels creative all the time, and that creativity comes in cycles. He spoke about how even the most famous artists will still feel nervous before performing, and how the confidence you have in your music can also come in waves.  

“In that moment I felt seen and knew studying BA(Hons) Music at Falmouth was the right choice for me. It was as if Antti had put everything I’d been feeling into words.”

How Falmouth made its impact

Now six years later, having just released her second EP Waves, Anna wonders if this talk first inspired her title track.  

“It’s amazing to think that two conversations with lecturers could have such a massive influence on my life and music. I wonder if Antti’s talk had always stayed somewhere inside me, waiting to be written into a song when the time was right. Thank you, Antti, for giving a talk that would have such a big impact on my life.  

“Would I be recording my music now if I had never decided to pursue my passion? It’s hard to know, but I do believe there was something important about actively choosing to study BA(Hons) Music, both internally and externally. To do a degree in something that felt so precious to me felt like a risk; I didn’t want to lose my love of music. But becoming a student of music helped to solidify something inside me about who I was and what I wanted to pursue.  

“I’m not going to say it was easy. There were times when the creative briefs challenged me, times when I struggled with group projects. There were times when I felt as though I wasn’t good enough at my instruments.  

“But there were also times when I could feel my musical world expanding with all these new ideas. Times when I wrote songs that I never would have written without being immersed in that creative environment. Times when I recorded drums in a studio and helped my course mates record their music. And perhaps that is what the creative cycle is all about.” 

Reflecting on her creative practice

“To summarise it with the ending lyrics from the title track, Waves: “I feel, I heal, I make... It comes in waves.”  

“I don’t know when I’m going to write my next song. Even as I write this, there’s a tiny voice in my head saying, “What if you’ve written all the songs you’re ever going to write?” Writing music is such a mysterious and magical process. It’s very rare that I sit down and consciously decide to write a song. I just have to trust that it will happen — which can be incredibly difficult to believe sometimes.  

“I hope this project reassures people that everyone goes through different stages of creating art and bringing new projects into the world. There is a time for producing and creating, but there is also a time of winter, just like the seasons. You can’t constantly be in summer. Sometimes you are creating, sometimes you are resting, sometimes you are questioning everything and sometimes you are simply waiting for the next wave of inspiration to arrive. And when it does, it brings me so much joy!”

External links

See more on Anna’s Instagram

Listen to Waves

Explore BA(Hons) Music