So far, it has been an absolute rollercoaster which I do not want to get off. I have had some amazing opportunities thrown at me all thanks to LCM. It’s been amazing.

Facilities are strong but could be better. Practice rooms are well equipped with Steinway pianos; you wake up every morning knowing you can practise on good quality instruments to work with. The problem is that it’s difficult to find practise rooms to work in in the first place due to the online booking system which requires you to book up to 2 weeks in advance to really guarantee you a place.

I have ADD and the disability service at the student services section help me out to no end. I have weekly sessions with a personal tutor where I discuss essay strategies, practise routines, how to approach work and various other things. They are really quick and reliable and provide lots of equipment to work with. They are in constant contact with you to ensure that you are getting exactly what you need out of the sessions.

The SU are great for the most part. Aside from the work that the president does, which is excellent, all the members of the committee that are belong the president could be a lot more pro-active in what they do.

Leeds is an amazing city, there’s a little bit of everything for everyone. It is so high in culture; there are galleries, museums, music scenes. There are venues that host jazz music, if you’re into classical there’s Opera North, there’s also the Northern Ballet Dance, West Yorkshire Playhouse for theatre. Leeds is a real hub of culture.

I have joined the LGBT, cycling and LCOMSU radio societies. One of the great things about these societies is that it bridges the gap between cross pathways; you meet people you might not run into in college. It is a great way to socialise with people on other pathways and could well lead you to make some collaboration.

The course is really geared towards the real life aspect of being a musician. First year focused on what it takes to be a good musician, and second year took that a step further by building up a portfolio career which is what is needed in the working world. There is a lack of integration between the different pathways, there is not a lot of desire from, for example, production students who wish to record classical students or the classical genre because it is not something they listen to, or because they do not know how to deal with those sorts of acoustics. Students should also take more advantage of the opportunities LCM provide, many students do not seem to engage much in what is going on in the college.

LCM has helped me so much with finding paid work. I have had an unlimited amount of work offered to me. This summer, I went on an all-expenses paid tour in Europe for an opera company based in Belgium, all courtesy of a visiting tutor at LCM who encouraged me to apply and advised me on auditioning for the project. This example is just the tip of the iceberg, I have done a hundred and one things thanks to what LCM offer.

Student halls are not good value. I opted for the most premium flat in Joseph Stones, which is shared between 3 people and had a “superior” room and bed, despite that it was extremely poor value. Halls are good for being social and making friends, but truthfully speaking, this can be done in any setting and not just student halls. Students should realise this instead of worrying about having to be in halls in the first year and encouraging the owners of student accommodation to charge such high fees. The only redeeming factor about living in JSH is that living amongst musicians normally means your neighbour does not mind you practising your instrument (at a reasonable time).

I have enjoyed it, it’s had its ups and downs but it has definitely been positive for the most part. The most difficult part to face is finding work after graduating.

I like the facilities for the most part, though more practice rooms could never hurt even if that is an unrealistic request. The Library is well stocked and I’ve rarely needed to search elsewhere in order to find something I need.

Disability support was helpful helping me to recover from my tenosynovitis.

I guess it’s ok, I’ve never really had anything much to do with the union at LCoM.

Travelling Man is my favourite shop to go to, even if it more expensive than online due to all the events they organise.The Elbow Room or Fab Café is my place of choice if I ever end up going out late.

None at LCoM, have however joined LUUMS, Anime & Manga and Sci-Fi at Leeds university. More music and nerd-dom in essence.

The best part of my course I feel is the amount of opportunities I have available to me. The contact time I get with my 1 to 1 tutor for the violin is invaluable as well as the other modules which hopefully help prepare myself for later life. LCM does have some negative aspects, in particular, the general administration is very unorganised. For example, masterclasses and workshops are informed to students at very short notice so there is little time to prepare, and results in very poor attendance by participating students and audience members.

Hard. Will need a lot of work outside of just playing which my modules choices will help with.

Joseph stones house, whilst well equipped was prohibitively expensive. The only saving grace was that it was part of the College building, meaning making my way to lectures and other college activities.