A Level Music Technology students at Gower College Swansea got to hear from a true industry veteran recently.
Gill Taylor has 38 years experience in the music world and has worked with artists as diverse as Stevie Wonder, Frank Zappa, Blondie and Meatloaf. For the last 23 years she has managed Elvis Costello.
During her visit to the Gorseinon campus, Gill talked about her fascinating career journey. She originally worked as a metals tester on Fabian Way before entering the music industry and working in A&R, tour booking and management. She is currently working at Universal Music with artists such as Arctic Monkeys and Mumford and Sons.
In addition, Gill works with new, emerging talent, helping to guide careers and fully utilising her extensive experience and range of contacts.
“The visit was a great success where Gill plotted the course of her life and how she had progressed from her days as a runner for Motown records, working in A&R for Chrysalis and then managing huge names such as Jethro Tull and Costello,” says lecturer Simon Prothero. “Students also had the opportunity to engage in a number of discussion based activities and there was ample opportunity for questions at the end – many of them hope to study a music related qualification at university before moving into the industry themselves so this was a fantastic insight.”
The event was organised by the college’s Enterprise team via the Welsh Government’s Dynamo Role Models programme.