Congratulations to South Korean music student Han-Byul Jung on winning the inaugural SAE scholarship with Schoolmusic to receive support to advance her career.
The SAE initiative aims to celebrate musical talent and provide aspiring musicians with opportunities to take their creative journey to the next level.
Organised in partnership with Schoolmusic, a leading South Korean online retailer of musical instruments and equipment, the competition was launched in 2024.
Each year, one winner is selected from a pool of applicants who uploaded self produced audio tracks to the Schoolmusic website. The prize is a coveted music software voucher worth over £1,000, alongside 10 online or face to face one-to-one lessons with a Korean music producer.
Han-Byul won a full software production suite, the Total Studio Max from SAE industry partner IK Multimedia.
Commenting, Han-Byul said: “From a young age, my dream has always been to become a composer. Music has been more than just a passion for me – it has been my source of strength, courage, and hope throughout my life.”
“Like many musicians, I have faced my share of challenges and moments of self-doubt. There were times when the path ahead seemed uncertain, and I wondered whether I had the ability to keep going. In those moments, the journey often felt overwhelming.”
“It was during one of these difficult times that I came across the SAE Institute. Taking part in it renewed my energy and reminded me of the joy and purpose that first made me fall in love with music. The experience gave me the confidence to believe in myself again and to keep pursuing my dream.”
“Receiving this scholarship is not only a great honour but also a powerful encouragement. I am deeply grateful to SAE for granting me this opportunity and for inspiring me to stay true to music and never give up.”
“I will continue to grow as a musician, striving to create music that connects with people and sharing it with the world. This scholarship is a stepping stone toward that dream, and I am determined to make the most of it.”
Ace, SAE’s Head of Industry Partnerships and Business Development, commented: “It’s so encouraging to see so many great entries for this new scholarship partnership with Schoolmusic in collaboration with SAE in this first year of offering. The calibre of submissions was very high and Han-Buyl Jung really stepped up to the mark. Congratulations!”
Han-Byul has already booked the one-to-one production lessons with Chris Lee, an ICMP alumnus and professional producer/engineer now based in Seoul.
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SAE offers two-year accelerated degree courses in growth creative media industries – Audio Production, Content Creation & Online Marketing, Game Art Animation, and Games Programming – all aimed at helping the next generation of creative professionals get ahead.
