Chineke! Junior Danya Rushton offered full scholarship at the Royal College of Music

Huge congratulations to our Chineke! Junior, Danya Rushton, on being offered a full scholarship from the Royal College of Music

What made you decide to apply to the Royal College of Music?

I applied to four conservatoires: Royal College of Music, Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Royal Northern College of Music. I was very fortunate to be offered scholarships by all of them and I am extremely excited to be taking up a place in September at the Royal College of Music with a full scholarship. My decision to apply was based on the course and the teachers that I will be working with. Ultimately, I chose the Royal College of Music (RCM) as I felt that it offered me the best pathways to achieve what I want in my future.

I know that I want to do more than classical playing and I discussed this in my audition. I felt that the audition Panel had a good understanding about what I want to do in the future and they were keen to support me with this.

I had also heard from friends who were studying at RCM and they were happy and said that the support is really good. I am neurodivergent (I have diagnoses of autism and ADD), so this was a big factor for me. I also thought a lot about the student body at RCM and felt that I would be joining a diverse cohort where I already knew some people and this would help my learning experience and help with collaborating.

What does it mean to you to win this place?

It means a lot to me for several reasons:

Being at a conservatoire will provide me with the necessary training to develop my skills and be around other musicians. I know that I will have access to great teachers and opportunities to work in ensembles and to collaborate, which will all help me.

It also feels like encouragement and validation of my decision to pursue a career as a professional musician. Over the past few years I have spent a lot of time on my music: I attend The Purcell School of Music and on Saturdays I attend the Junior Royal Academy of Music- so six days a week term time. In the holidays I attend orchestral courses, including Chineke! Juniors, so it has been a large commitment to pursuing music. I feel that this will open up new possibilities for my musical education and career.

Being awarded a full scholarship is a huge honour and I'm incredibly grateful for the support. I'm really grateful for the opportunity and excited to be joining the RCM community.

To what extent has music shaped your identity and development as an individual?

Music is such an integral part of my life - it would be impossible to separate it from who I am. Ever since I was in primary school, music has been my way of expressing myself. I was extremely shy and really struggled to interact with other children. At times it was so bad and I would not talk to anyone. When I started playing the violin when I was eight years old I realised that the only time when anyone noticed me was when I played my instrument or sang. It was the only time that I felt heard.

How has being involved with Chineke! Influenced your musical development? How does it differ from other youth ensemble groups?

I can still recall my audition with Chi-chi Nwanoku when I was twelve years old. I was very nervous and, to be honest, I don't think I played very well in my audition, but Chi-chi was very encouraging. From the moment I attended my first Chineke! Juniors rehearsal I felt I belonged. I had played with my local music service string orchestra but I had never felt that before. For the first time, Chineke! Juniors made me realise the importance of diversity in the classical music industry and think about the composers we were playing and it was great to showcase music by composers of colour, that I hadn't known about before. Being in Chineke! Juniors made me question why I hadn’t been taught about these composers at school. I can also remember that one of the first conductors I worked with at Chineke! Juniors was Sri Lankan, which held particular significance for me, as my grandfather is Sri Lankan. Seeing someone from a similar background really inspires you.

Chineke! Juniors made me realise that by including musicians and composers from various backgrounds classical music becomes more accessible and reaches a wider audience. The other thing which is very important is that it provides role models, which really motivates you to succeed. It wasn't until I joined Chineke! Juniors that I realised the importance of attending a Junior Department at a music college.

Being in Chineke! has given me a sense of ambition. It has helped me learn from peers and mentors.

I will forever be grateful for the opportunities I have had through Chineke! Juniors: it was my very first experience of leading a section and playing concerts at venues like The Southbank Centre; Kensington Palace; Woolwich Works, Kenwood House and on the European tour in 2022 we opened the Lucerne Festival at KKL, as well as playing at the Konzerthaus and Concertgebouw.

Chineke! Juniors also gave me the opportunity to perform on BGT in the televised audition and semi-finals, as well as alongside Robbie Williams for Soccer Aid 2022 and at a concert in April 2023 with Clean Bandit.

All of these experiences have helped to reinforce that I want to be a musician and also that, although I'm classically trained, I enjoy playing pop music and connecting with a broader audience. I know that all of the opportunities that I have had with Chineke! Juniors have helped me to get to the point where I am with my music. I also want to mention that I have learnt so much from Chi-chi. She has taught me the importance of speaking out when something needs to be addressed. Her guidance and encouragement have given me the courage to do this.

What would your advice be to other young musicians like yourself looking to study at a higher level? What would you say to encourage them?

I started playing the viola when I was ten. Compared to all of my peers who were serious about their music, I started music lessons very late and playing an instrument and classical music were things that my parents really didn’t know anything about. Many of the kids around me were already at an advanced stage and I remember being discouraged by a lot of adults that said that it would be unrealistic to apply for a music place at secondary school.

As a musician, it's really hard not to let a performance define your self-worth and it isn't always easy to keep going. Practice can feel tedious and tiring. It sometimes feels very demotivating but it's so important to keep going. Don't fixate on a fear that you might not succeed.

As Chi-chi taught me: it's important to remember that failure, ambition and perseverance are all related. The only time you fail is when you don't try at all, so keep going!