A talented young musician is fundraising so he can attend a world-leading music school in America, after landing a highly competitive spot.
Electric bassist Louis Stringer first picked up a guitar when he was 13 and is now one of just 20 students who have scored a place on the Master of Music in Global Jazz course at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.
Thanks to a scholarship provided to graduate students at Berklee’s Global Jazz Institute, Mr Stinger’s tuition fees ($40,450) are entirely covered by the university.
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However, all the other costs – such as visas, accommodation, amenities, transporting instruments, books, travel and equipment – still pose a financial challenge to the 24-year old.
Mr Stringer now hopes to raise a total of £23,000 throughout the year to ensure his studies can take place.
He does not “expect” to raise that much money before he leaves for America this August, but instead hopes it will be an on-going fundraiser to cover his outgoings as an international student.
Mr Stringer, of St Mary’s Road in Oxford, currently works as a freelance musician after graduating from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, where he studied jazz.
He did not intend to apply for a Masters degree at all until he heard about the course at Berklee from a friend who had also studied there.
While at Berklee, Mr Stringer wants to improve as a musician and composer and learn from the world-leading tutors on the course, a number of whom are direct inspirations for him.
He explained: “Two of the tutors, Ben Street and John Patitucci, they are my heroes.
“I have been lucky enough to meet and have a lesson with Ben and that got me out of the tunnel vision I had of being base player, just doing this niche thing in the south of England.
“It opened my scope to what else you can do with it.”
As well as improving his skill, Mr Stringer is keen to use his talent for good.
He said: “There is quite an interesting element of the course where they have a lot of modules and focus on using music as tool for social change and how music has played a role in movements throughout history.
“I want to see how we can further use our career path to do something more than just entertain.”
The response Mr Stringer has had to the fundraiser so far has been “amazing” and “sort of unbelievable”, with the amount he needs to just get over to American nearly covered.
You can donate to Louis Stringer’s fundraiser here: gofundme.com/f/yzx637-help-louis-raise-23k-to-study-at-berklee.
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This story was written by Sophie Perry. She joined the team in 2021 as a digital reporter.
You can get in touch with her by emailing: sophie.perry@newsquest.co.uk
Follow her on Twitter @itssophieperry
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