Kylee Hyde (music)
My name is Kylee, and I’m studying for a Bachelor Of Music at Macquarie University in NSW, Australia. I studied at UVic from September to December of 2022, and worked at Legacy Art Gallery in January of 2023.
Connecting to UVic
I remember scrolling on Facebook through the Walanga Muru page - Walanga Muru is the Indigenous department of Macquarie University. I came across this post titled, ‘Want to Study in Canada?’ and I immediately emailed back with the requirements, thinking I wasn’t going to be selected but I should apply anyway.
A month passed, and then I got the email that I got in! I was elated. Then came the time to get my passport, get my ETA, get my flights and accommodation sorted, and then finances.
Studying in Victoria
At UVic, I had two Indigenous Studies classes and one Music and Computer Science class. Each of these were so interesting in their own way.
In Indigenous Foundations, I learned so much introductory information about the Lekwungen people and territory, and their customs and traditions. We got to discuss a lot of forms of Indigenous media and write self-reflective papers about our own upbringings.
In the LE NONET Preparation Seminar, we had so many in depth conversations about culture and politics which expanded upon what I learned in Indigenous Foundations. In Music and Computer Science, I learned so many technical things about music--it was a lot of physics and psycho-acoustics. I learned so many interesting things that stick with me now.
An internship at the Legacy Galleries
During my internship at Legacy Art Gallery, I was responsible for helping with the display and the opening event for our newest exhibit, Gule Wamkulu.
I worked for 3 weeks and had so much fun. I did a lot of administrative work, like checking people in reception, looking at archived files, editing the labels on exhibits, curating social media posts, and emailing relevant personnel. I also did a lot of practical work - I gave briefs to visitors on the exhibit, picked up orders from a lot of places, helped with the maintenance of some pieces (like touching up paint on a piece), and I hung posters around the town to promote the opening event.
I even got to sit in on a recording session with Francis Dick for her next exhibition after Gule Wamkulu. I became close with so many people there who I can call my wonderful coworkers, but more importantly, my friends. I was so sad when I had to leave because I wanted more time with them! I still keep in contact with them to this day and I’m always happy to see how they’re doing.
This experience made me prove to myself that I’m capable of doing extremely scary things, like moving across the world and living basically on my own. I have proven to myself that I can take a challenge and enrich myself with the knowledge of what’s outside my home country.