Long-held interest in music leads to dream career
Bachelor of Audio Production graduate Anthony Scadden was born in the Wairarapa and moved to Whanganui in 2003. From there, his interest in music began, with a move to Lower Hutt in 2010 peaking his passion further when he joined a band.
Anthony completed a Journalism diploma in Wellington in 2013, before working briefly at Park Road Post Production, selling off old equipment they had in storage.
‘‘This is where I began to grow an interest in Audio Production, and where I was recommended SIT as a place to further my studies in this field,’’ he says.
‘‘I chose SIT Audio as I was told that it had the best tutors and facilities out of any audio production course in Aotearoa.’’
Having no prior expectations of the Southern Institute of Technology (SIT), Anthony says the course was brilliant.
He enjoyed the hands-on learning, mixed with the technical knowledge of all the tutors.
‘‘And the Byron Bay experience goes without saying! It was a great way to engage in a larger scale, semi-professional working environment,’’
says Anthony.
‘‘All the knowledge I had learned prior to going over was put to good use, and expanded upon greatly without being too overwhelming. I also really enjoyed the working environment of the Audio Campus in general. Being able to go in after-hours was a great way to work creatively without feeling immensely pressured.’’
Studying at SIT gave Anthony a more analytical mindset, he says.
‘‘Learning proper research methods and essay writing, has greatly improved the way I view selflearning things for my career nowadays. I feel it made me understand more fully, mathematical and scientific concepts that I had struggled to grasp in High School. Having the applied knowledge and learning about these concepts in a tangible way opened the doors to my understanding of things that I would never have thought I’d be able to grasp. Another great opportunity I had was working at the Queenstown Jazz Festival in 2015. This was a great way to apply what I had learned in the classroom to a real-world, high stakes environment.’’
Anthony made some really close friends that he has kept in touch with through the close bonds the Bachelor of Audio Production has with the Bachelor of Contemporary music.
He also praises the excellent support network that was provided by tutors and peers.
‘‘I never felt like I was on my own, as my tutors were incredibly receptive to any questions I might have had. The library facilities are incredible, as well as the layout of the different facilities about Invercargill. It was a 5-minute walk from the Audio Campus down to the library; and a three-minute walk to the music and arts campus, where I met my current partner.’’
The free study ranked highly on Anthony’s positives list.
‘‘It’s a great initiative, that I feel every person in Invercargill is very proud to be a part of. On top of this, the opportunities offered to people from other countries to come and study at SIT was a big plus. It was wonderful living in a city with a growing multicultural population,’’ he says.
Prior to his studies, Anthony was looking for a career in studio production and mixing live music, however on completion he has changed his mind.
‘‘The experiences I had in these fields at SIT while great - made me realise that maybe my heart wasn’t in these areas. In my third year, I gained a keen interest in audio production for film - something I still really enjoy doing in my spare time.
When Anthony graduated, he obtained a job as a Production Manager by sheer chance through an acquaintance.
‘‘The role includes talking with our overseas metalwork and electronics suppliers, as well as managing a small production team and doing the occasional customer repair job. While I have learned a significant amount of electronic theory since starting in my current role, the knowledge and practical assessments I learned from the Electronics papers in particular at SIT were an immense help.’’
Anthony says he can see himself taking the knowledge he has learned from the past 5 years and applying that into the foreseeable future.
‘‘I think it is the best learning experience one could have. I’ve met young people in Wellington who, I’ve felt, have been in similar situations to me before I studied at SIT. It’s a great place to study, and moving from Wellington to Invercargill can be a real positive experience for people who have not travelled much.