Balancing Music and Engineering
Throughout the stages of her life, music has played an important role for alum Nicole Simone. After graduating from the University of Waterloo with a joint honours degree in Music and Systems Design Engineering in 2016, she returned to Conrad Grebel University College’s Music department as the accompanist for the University Choir in 2018. “People often come back to choir after graduation, which creates a strong, supportive environment,” she reflected.
“I’ve always been passionate about Music. I knew I wanted to do at least a minor,” Nicole said. She chose to study Systems Design Engineering, and once she got to UWaterloo, she enjoyed her music courses so much that she decided to add Music and double major. She hoped that the joint honours would give her a good balance between artistic goals and a career in engineering. “Music is flexible enough that I could pursue it while working in any field,” she said.
To combine Music with Engineering, Nicole carefully planned her courses and sequencing. “Make friends with your academic advisor,” she recommended, for anyone considering joint honours in Music and Engineering. “For me, it involved a lot of creative organizing since there is less flexibility in Engineering, and sometimes it meant taking extra classes.”
In her fourth year, Nicole combined her engineering design project with music. "We built an image recognition program. It looks at someone who is conducting and uses image recognition to detect the baton and then uses that to control the tempo playback of midi music.” Nicole was able to test the project on some of her classmates in a conducting course she was taking at the time.
As the accompanist for the University Choir, Nicole plays along with the singers in rehearsal as they learn the music. If there are any vocalists that lose their place, she plays their part so they can hear it and jump back in. The choir often sings with ensembles, so in rehearsal Nicole plays the orchestra parts on the piano.
“I really love the community in the University Choir,” Nicole shared. “It’s unique in that there are community members as well as students from the university.” The choir includes people who have sung all their lives, and some who are new to singing altogether. The diverse range of backgrounds and experience contribute to a welcoming atmosphere for anyone who enjoys singing and being part of something bigger than themselves.
“I play for fun in my free time," Nicole shared, when asked where else music shows up in her life. She is an accompanist for voice recitals, master classes, and the Kiwanis Music Festival. She is heavily involved in the local community theatre scene. “I am mostly a rehearsal pianist for different shows, but sometimes I do music directing as well.” This fall, Nicole is working with Kitchener-Waterloo Musical Productions on The Wizard of Oz.
As an undergraduate, Nicole was an off-campus associate at Grebel and enjoyed being part of the close-knit community while living at home. The fact that the Music Department and most of her Music classes were at Grebel was a bonus. “I did several terms of Instrumental Chamber Ensembles, which I really enjoyed,” she shared. Nicole also took courses in conducting, music history, music theory, studio, and capped off her degree in Music with a grad recital.
Beyond kindling a lifelong love of music, studying Music at Grebel provided Nicole with skills and lessons that are valuable for more than just making music. “From conducting classes to playing in music ensembles, I learned how to communicate clearly and work towards common goals with others, which really translates to working in an Engineering team.” She also learned how to perform well under pressure, thanks to recitals and music studio courses. “In my job right now, I have to be on call, and if something goes wrong, we have to figure it out on the spot.”
“Music and Engineering were a nice balance,” Nicole said. “It was good for me to have something completely different to focus on when I needed a break from studying for Engineering.” Nicole finds success both in her software engineering career and her unrelenting pursuit of musical projects. Her accomplishments showcase the possibilities and rewards of combining another field of study with Music.
Adding Music to another degree either as a double major or a minor is possible in nearly every faculty and program at UWaterloo. When minors or double majors are not an option, most Music courses are offered as electives, and any student can participate in a variety of ensembles.
