For Grace Gillanders, committing to a career in the music industry is as terrifying as it is exhilarating.
Grace Gillanders
“Sometimes I have self-doubt,” the 17-year-old bass guitarist said.
“I think, am I good enough to be doing this? Is this a smart thing to be doing? Am I going to be poor? Is this a reliable path?”
But there’s nothing else in the world she can picture herself doing.
“My absolute dream would be to perform on a stage for my whole life,” she said.
“I don’t care what music I’m playing, I don’t care where I’m playing, I just want to perform on a stage. If that doesn’t work out, I’d be totally stoked to do anything else in the music industry.
Grace, who plans to study a Bachelor of Commercial Music at Victoria University of Wellington next year, is this year’s winner of Cambridge High School’s prestigious Rob May Scholarship.
The $1000 prize goes to gifted to a graduating student continuing their career in the arts.
“I was very shocked but so, so happy that I shed a couple of tears,” she said.
“It solidifies my dreams. It says other people also believe in me and that I can succeed. It’s quite huge for me as a confidence booster – it gives me that extra push to know this is the right thing.”
Grace also won the Sullivan Award for All Round Excellence in Music and her band, Clean Up, took out the Top Musical Duo or Group award.
Clean Up was a top 10 finalist in Smokefree Tangata Beats, an original youth music event celebrating Aotearoa and the South Pacific’s unique cultural influences, in September.
Principal Greg Thornton said Grace had been deeply involved in music inside and outside of school and contributed significantly to Cambridge High’s jazz band, guitar ensemble, concert band and Clean Up.
In March she won a $1000 scholarship commemorating Cambridge and New Zealand country and rock legend Ritchie Pickett.
The passionate musician also plays bass guitar for local band Pineja, which formed at Cambridge High School.
“Playing gigs with them is my favourite thing to do in the world,” she said. “It’s just my ultimate happy place.”
Grace Gillanders
