Vance talks to LYC Trustee Kate

LYC MEMBER VANCE WANTED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT LYC’S TRUSTEES – SO HE ASKED THEM!

“Hi all, it’s Vance from London Youth Choir here.  I trust that you enjoyed our Spring Concert. I have been a member of LYC for over five years now yet there are still so many things to learn about when we’re not singing our hearts out. One of these interesting topics revolves around trustees. I recently had the chance to interview a couple of trustees and would like to share their thoughts with you. This is because they are a massive help to the LYC team but I wasn’t even aware they existed up until last year.

 

You may be thinking “what even is a trustee?”; I too asked the same question. It’s one of those roles that’s obscure to look up and even more unusual to ask about in person. Luckily, we do virtually nothing in person anymore and I was able to connect with my first hot-seater and trustee, Kate Ludlow.

Vance: To start, can I challenge you to tell me what being a trustee of LYC means for you – in eight words?

Kate: Supporting LYC to fulfil its mission and strategy!

Vance: Could you name a choral song or piece that you wish you had written yourself due to the sentiment, melody, nostalgia or instrumentation overall?

Kate: This might be a bit cheesy but for me it would be Thomas Tallis’s ‘Spem in alium’… My mind was just blown that someone could have imagined that as a piece of music and written that all down; it almost feels like an orchestral piece but for a choir.

Vance: Definitely, we actually spoke about this exact piece in our London Youth Choir evening rehearsal yesterday! Special shout out to Arielle in the sopranos who brought it up. OK, what song defines the decade you were born in? (I would push my fellow Zoomers to suggest a song more noughties than ‘Yeah!’ by Usher.)

Kate: Whitney Houston ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ because it is so upbeat and even now when I hear that, it puts me in a positive mood!

Vance: What were your music lessons like growing up? Were you always into music?

Kate: My immediate family weren’t particularly musical. My parents wanted me to learn a musical instrument so we could have that as a discipline. Scratching on the violin was the start of my music journey and that’s why I’ve always liked that chaotic side. I remember my music lessons being a lot of fun. You were given the freedom to experiment.

Vance: I only liked music lessons once I started reading sheet music in year 7. Though I still struggle with music theory, my general interest increased as I felt less behind and more supported. So what does your role for LYC involve, are you involved in running the organisation in some way?

Kate: We’re not responsible for running LYC. LYC has an amazing team. Trustees are a group of people there to think about strategy and to challenge decisions being made in a supportive way.

Vance: What does work-life balance mean to you?

Kate: The perfect mix of hobbies, socials, family and friends outside of your job week by week so that you’re not feeling like you’re being pulled in one direction!

Vance: Any advice you could give to your younger self about finding a job?

Kate: Don’t worry about having a plan. Try working out what you like and what you’re good at. Stay curious about what other people do for a living. If you put the effort in and make connections with people one opportunity will lead to another.

“In all, I learned that trustees help LYC reach new heights by giving advice on ways to actualise ideas and decisions. On top of that, behind every role is a person who tries to find balance in their daily lives through work, hobbies or connections with friends and family. After speaking with Kate, I felt confident that I knew her job as a trustee but it never hurts to ask more than one person for perspective – so stay tuned for my next trustee interview coming soon!”

VANCE