The Quiet After Graduation
- Brad Johnson
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Why performance practice still matters long after the course is finished.
After graduating from formal education, I ended many years of collaboration with peers. Little did I realise how vital that was; in retrospect, it was the most important part of my conservatoire experience.
You don’t lose your musicianship after study, but you do lose the ecosystem that sustains it; the audience, the exchange of ideas, the sense that you’re all moving forward together. I didn’t notice it right away, but the quiet after graduation hit harder than I expected.
WiGS (WImbledon classical Guitar Society) began in 2018 as a small circle of friends, where Mark Nicholson and others created an informal “performance meetup” to keep playing together.
Since joining WiGS at the end of 2023, I’ve had the privilege of helping to grow a thriving local community of classical guitar enthusiasts in the Wimbledon area. I’ve offered performance coaching, recorded the professional and RCM concerts, and am now acting as Artistic Director for our recital series.
Over the past year, something remarkable has happened: we’ve seen a surge in membership, and a growing number of professionals joining too.
Mark and I began to think about how to nurture this emerging ‘advanced’ cohort with a dedicated class designed specifically for them. We soon realised that many of our new members were no longer in formal study, and that it was important to focus exclusively on those outside institutions - the group that needed this most. This idea creates a unique combination of graduates and proficient hobbyists — two groups that seldom interact.
After an outpouring of interest, I was delighted to run two pilot sessions at St. Saviour’s Church in Raynes Park.
I have to admit, I half expected these sessions to be an administrative disaster (as so often happens when trying something new). But my fears quickly disappeared once we began, and I soon found myself re-immersed in an environment that felt warmly familiar. It was equally heartening to hear from participants how much they valued the revival of the performance class post-graduating, a reminder that I’m not alone in thinking this kind of space is an essential part of musical life.
What struck me most was how these sessions brought together such a range of approaches; everything from straightforward concert run-throughs of the Segovia and Bream repertoire(s), to research-based arrangements for prepared guitar, pre-premiere workshops of new compositions, and even improvisation in the style of Bach. It was wonderful to see that we’re attracting musicians not only of the highest calibre, but also of great originality and imagination.
Equally inspiring were the musicians who had once studied guitar to a high level but have since moved into other careers. Meeting alongside established professionals, many are beginning to rediscover performing for enjoyment and creative expression. For WiGS members, many of whom are my students, the opportunity to watch concert artists iron out their performances has been an eye-opening reminder that even professionals have to manage nerves and need spaces to try out new material.
The mix of audience perspectives has also been fascinating: detailed comments on voicing, colour, and phrasing sit alongside simple, heartfelt responses like, “I liked that piece you played…I want to hear more of that!” And honestly, that’s the most important kind of test. How else do we know if what we’re practising actually connects with anyone?
In most professions, a degree marks the beginning of stability: you graduate, find a job, and your path starts to take shape. But in music, that path doesn’t exist.
While WiGS can’t promise career security (at least not yet!), what we can offer is the missing infrastructure: a space where musicians continue to meet, exchange ideas, and perform together.
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