Switch off from studying technophysics as a choirmaster

Philip Schreyer cites understanding why things work the way they do as the main reason why he decided to study technophysics - and reports: His subject combines elements of physics and mechanical engineering and offers a wide range of specialisation options. The Master's graduate finds balance in music: he recently directed a project choir with 70 singers.

As an A-level student, Philip Schreyer wasn't sure what he wanted to study. He first got a taste of university life and looked around: ‘Back then, when I was still at TU Kaiserslautern, I just sat in on lectures, for example in maths or electrical engineering.’ He then stuck with TechnoPhysics: ‘The concept of this degree programme appealed to me. Especially the interdisciplinary approach and the wide range of specialisation options.’ Born in Mehlingen, he started his Bachelor's degree in the 2017 winter semester and then went on to complete a Master's degree. ‘You can choose many courses freely.’ And there are many practical seminars: ‘We work in groups on smaller projects. We once designed an autonomous robot that travelled around a course.’ Teamwork can also be learnt along the way.

Degree programme with a high practical component

‘We take far fewer compulsory theory courses than on a pure physics degree programme.’ A high proportion of practical work is typical of his degree programme. And what is the most challenging aspect of his degree programme? ‘My biggest personal challenge was that I had a poor background in maths.’ He wasn't able to use much from his basic maths course at grammar school: ‘That fell on my feet.’ These deficits were gradually remedied, with the preliminary maths course being an important starting point. Another challenge: ‘Studying in the standard period of study is actually utopian for technical subjects.’ Sometimes this is not possible for organisational reasons alone, he says. ‘Most people take longer. It took me 14 semesters. So as far as possible, you should take a relaxed approach to the whole thing.’

Part-time organist and choirmaster

The 25-year-old finds a balance to his studies as a choirmaster. From February to September 2024, he conducted the 70-strong ‘Projektchor Heilig Geist’ choir to mark the new construction and consecration of the choir organ at the Catholic parish church of St. Mary in Kaiserslautern. A temporary position - and not the first choir that Philip Schreyer has had the honour of leading. Music is his other great passion: ‘I came to church music training through playing the organ, during which time I discovered the joy of singing and conducting choirs.’ This part-time qualification took three years, which he completed while still at school - parallel to his sixth form studies. This resulted in a long-term part-time job as an organist and finally also as a choirmaster - both activities that were easy to combine with his studies: ‘Many appointments are at the weekend. And as a student, I was flexible anyway.’

‘I no longer have a problem giving presentations. I'm no longer as nervous when I speak in front of people’

And what are his tasks as a choirmaster? ‘I choose sheet music that suits a planned performance. And recruiting people for the choir. There were a lot of organisational things to sort out and rehearsals to plan, but luckily I had support with that. In the end, I led the choir rehearsals, rehearsed notes, worked out musical details and accompanied them on the piano.’ This also meant dealing with many and very different people. The ‘soft skills’ he acquired in this way, as he says, are good for his future career: ‘I no longer have a problem giving presentations. I'm no longer so nervous when I speak in front of people.’

TechnoPhysics instead of music: looking back, the right choice

Philip Schreyer is in the final stages of his degree programme. In his Master's thesis, he worked on the spectroscopic analysis of thin films of organometallic molecules. He does not yet know what the future holds for the soon-to-be Master's graduate. There are many career opportunities in industry, for example. However, he wants to stay true to music as a hobby, as far as his time allows. Looking back, he sees the fact that he studied a natural science rather than music as a good decision: finding a permanent job as a musician is difficult. And always having to deliver as a full-time musician is probably demotivating in the long run, he says. ‘But this gives me the freedom to choose projects I enjoy.’ He has his technical and scientific degree in the bag - he will certainly be able to put the knowledge he has acquired to good use in the near future.