In Conversation with Joel Newsome-Hubbard

'I found being part of something so steeped in cultural history very moving. Not just the RCM itself but the whole area ...' 

1. How did you come to study at the Royal College of Music and what led you to the trumpet?

I grew up in the heart of ‘Brass Band Country’ in Saddleworth, and learning a brass instrument at primary school was more an expectation than an option. This thriving community of amateur musicians very quickly became my life, and supported by a fantastic secondary school music department I managed to gain a place at Chetham’s School of Music for sixth form. I then spent a gap year singing alto as a choral scholar at Gloucester Cathedral, before coming to the RCM to study trumpet.

2.     What have you been up to since you graduated from the RCM in 2012?

For a few years post-RCM I had a varied freelance career, with a mixture of playing, singing, choral conducting and teaching. I especially enjoyed all the travelling I was lucky enough to do as part of my performing, and I don’t regret for a minute these ‘in-between’ years. Ultimately there were no downsides to coming to a new career slightly later than other people, just considerable benefits.

3.     What led you to make the transition from performance to becoming a solicitor, specifically into charity and philanthropy law?

After I got married, in 2015, I began to wonder if spending so much time away from home and my new husband was really how I wanted our life together to be. So after a lot of thought, and trying to imagine what I might have done at university had music not been on the table, I settled on law. Studying law also had the benefit of being very vocational, so I wouldn’t do a second degree and then find myself wondering how to use it.

After 3 years of part-time study, during which time I continued to perform and teach, I began a training contract with PwC. A training contract is essentially two years ‘on the job’ training before being admitted as a Solicitor. During these two years, trainees rotate between different departments in the firm and so get to experience different areas of law. Out of my four ‘rotations’ I most enjoyed the Private Client department, and fortunately, the team was able to offer me a permanent position upon qualification.

Private Client work particularly appealed to me as it involves working with people in an individual capacity, rather than other companies. As a nosy person, I enjoy getting to know new people and finding out their interests, situations, passions etc. Within the team we help clients with their estate planning, drafting wills and trusts and setting up charities and philanthropic strategies.

It is this latter area of work that I find particularly interesting since it gives me the chance to be involved in something long lasting that can make a huge difference to people’s lives. Personally, I support various charities and organisations working in music education and youth homelessness. Working with clients who are similarly charitably inclined is very rewarding, and I enjoy learning about the different causes they support. Ultimately by doing a good job I enable a charity to realise fully the value of any donations made to it, which in turn enables the charity to benefit more people.

4.     How have your studies at the RCM helped you in your career?

As someone who didn’t practise nearly as much as they should have, I now look back on the work ethic of the fantastic musicians I was surrounded by as inspiration for working hard in my new career. With the passing of time it only becomes clearer that those musicians who put in the hardest work during their degree are enjoying the most fruitful careers.

Creativity is an important skill for a lawyer. At RCM we take creativity for granted somewhat, surrounded by very creative people. The ability to approach a situation from different angles proves very useful in analysing the law and proposing solutions to clients. Transferable skills are not exclusively practical.

5.     What is your fondest memory of your time at the RCM?

I found being part of something so steeped in cultural history very moving. Not just the RCM itself but the whole area - from the Royal Albert Hall to Imperial College’s campus to the institutes and embassies and museums lining Exhibition Road. There are very few places in the world where so much has been accomplished and preserved in such a small footprint. And the way that all these institutions and organisations work together is very special indeed.

6.     Do you have any advice for our students and recent alumni?

If you are considering a career change don’t rush to make a decision; it is likely that we will all be working well into our 70s. I think that the days of life-long careers are firmly in the past, with technological advances both creating opportunity for, and necessitating, change.

Choosing to move away from music does not mark the failure of your music career. Neither will the skills you’ve perfected as a musician be wasted, wherever your future career takes you. I worried about this when I first made the move, but I have since learned that I can bring the same passion and dedication I had to music to something new and enjoy it just as much.

There are so many fantastic and rewarding ways to engage with music, not just on the concert stage. As an audience member; amateur music-making; supporting arts organisations and charities; bringing music into your new career and workplace. Bringing music into your new career and workplace. Leaving behind a career in music is by no means leaving music behind altogether.

7.     So music still plays an important role in your life?

Absolutely! I conduct a choral society in southwest London. We are about 60 in number, and I particularly enjoy working with old friends and colleagues as soloists and orchestral musicians for our concerts.

I also try to attend every concert at one of the schools I used to teach at in south London. I am passionate about good quality music education in state schools, and Graveney School delivers quality with unparalleled success. I absolutely love to see my former students improve as musicians and enjoy their music-making.

Finally at Christmas and Whit Friday (Google it!) I dust off my cornet and play with my village brass band. The strength of community in brass bands is awe-inspiring, and the movement has given rise to many of our finest orchestral brass players. Long may this tradition continue to provide education, friendship, and cultural identity.

8.     Do you keep in touch with any of your RCM contemporaries?

I have lots of close friends from my time at RCM; some pursuing music careers, some doing completely different things, from academic teaching to interior design to politics. I’ve even been lucky enough to attend two all-RCM weddings, with a third postponed until later this year due to coronavirus.

9.     In true Desert Island Disc style, what is your favourite piece of music, and why?

Rachmaninov's Vespers.

Alongside my studies at the RCM I sang in the chapel choir of King's College London, under the remarkable direction of David Trendell. David was a brilliant mentor, a stunning musician and a good friend. We performed this piece many times, in Paris, St Petersburg, as well as around the UK. This piece for me evokes memories of friends past and present. It is incredibly atmospheric and meditative. A moment of serene calm and naivety before the tumult the 20th century brought to the Russian Orthodox Church.

10.  What do you do to wind down and relax?

One of the positive things to come out of the past year has been spending lots more time reading. I have also tried my hand at writing a novel, although much less successfully than Louisa Treger, whom you interviewed in the last issue.

In hindsight, pre-pandemic life was rarely relaxing, but enjoying meals and a bottle of wine with friends would be top of my list. Me and my husband also enjoy opera, and so visit the ROH and ENO as much as possible.

 Finally, do I have anything to plug? Not unless anyone wants to publish a slightly mediocre novel... However, I would reiterate that I am very happy to connect with anyone who is thinking of moving from music into law, or a similar field, and would like to discuss it with someone impartial. I am equally happy to provide points of consideration to musical groups or organisations that are thinking about registering as charities.