Q & A with 2025 graduate Jeremie Boudreau, Bachelor of Music
Jeremie Boudrea in DalJazz Ensembles Spring Swings and Sings Concert, 2025 (photos: Kate Hayter)
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Jeremie Boudreau is receiving his听Bachelor of Music, with a concentration in composition this spring, 2025. Read more about his time here, and his journey at 海角社区app.
Tell me a bit about yourself before you started university?
As a kid, I was into video games and nerd stuff. I always had an instrument in my hand, either violin or guitar, and was always listening to a ton of video game music.
The decision to take up a degree and pursue music came when I was graduating high school. I'm like, 鈥渨hat do I love to do鈥�? I realized it鈥檚 been music all along. It's the one thing that I just don鈥檛 get tired of immersing myself in.
Do you have a favorite memory from your first year?
I made some really great buddies in my first year. We would cram four or five of us in one practice room, like sardines, and we would just sing and jam to old 70s and 80s tunes. Your Beatles, your Bee Gees, your Led Zeppelin. Anything by Prince.
It was really great to have something like that in between your classes, duties, and the stress of university. Music that's just for the fun of it. That's something you tend to forget to do as a musician.
Jeremie performing with the 海角社区app Symphony Orchestra, in Concerto Night 2025
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What surprised you about the Fountain School of Performing Arts?
I came here thinking I was just going to do classical guitar. But the scope and the range of what you can do here extends far beyond its foundation of classical music. In my four years here, I've been able to play in big bands, contemporary music ensembles, improv and new music scenarios. I've been able to do devised theatre with theater students and dancers. I've performed as a guitar soloist with an orchestra at the Rebecca Cohn, which is insane to me.
Provided you're motivated enough, you can really check out everything the school has to offer. There鈥檚 a lot of intersection and collaboration that goes on. The 鈥渨hat if鈥� question will take you far here.
What type of classes here inspired you?
The composition program is so special. It鈥檚 really given me the glance of what it takes to be a composer in the real world. You learn how to workshop pieces with professional guest artists and put up a professional score for the jury. You learn how to create professional applications. There are so many things that are required of you in the composition class that mimic real life.
Also, I gained a lot of skills in the Musicology classes that have big final papers due at the end. I learned to think critically and to hear other people's perspectives. Thinking concisely and being able to articulate what you want to say is a very important skill to have, not just as a musician.
Did you receive any financial support here? Was that part of your journey?
We're very lucky to have the Fountains supporting our studies. I was worried my first couple of years but there are lots of opportunities to apply for funding within the school, and in the community. The Nova Scotia Talent Trust, for example, is also a great resource.
What's your dream job?
I want to be recognized for the bodies of work I put out as a composer. There鈥檚 a lot of music in my head, projects I want to explore. I just want to create, be it classical music or jazz pieces with trios or big bands, or even just tunes I write for myself. These last two years of 海角社区app鈥檚 music program, I've had a lot of opportunities to make stuff and have gotten comfortable with that sensation of self-doubt that comes with putting something out.
Any advice for students new to 海角社区app?
Go into university with an open heart.
Don't keep your energy closed. Don't take yourself too seriously in the first couple of years like I did. I was just so, so anxious. I hurried and rushed to make everything happen all at once and to figure myself out. Find your friends. Hang out, do the coursework, but don't get in your head and try to do everything all at once. Have fun with it in the beginning. Then, in the last few years you can buckle up a little.
What's up next for you?
I鈥檓 headed to University of Toronto to take a master鈥檚 in music technology.
How does it feel to be graduating?
It's weird, honestly. I've had a packed four years with wonderful opportunities. I've met some crazy, awesome people and wonderful professors. Musically, I'm a completely different person now than the one who started the program. It just changes you.
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