A very creative college, full of artistic development, innovative and a great environment to be a part of. My experience so far has been great and I would recommend this college.

The chances of getting a job are really difficult, but that’s what being a musician is like.

There is a lot of artistic development in LCM because of the creative practitioners who work one-to-one with you on your individual, creative needs. The teaching is first-rate as the tutors themselves are well established jazz and classical musicians. They are all so experienced so you can really tap-in on their knowledge. You are not just restricted to one teacher, you get such a varied range of teachers and you have access to all of them. There are also people who visit LCM from the States and Europe who come and do masterclasses with us. I would say the teaching is second to none.

Do we have a students’ union?! I guess this proves that they have not really made much of a presence in the college which is disappointing.

Facilities are good though more room availability would be great. I would suggest having dedicated teaching rooms to free up space for practice rooms, at the moment they are integrated and it’s hard to find rooms for your own practice when half of them are taken up by teachers during the day. We are the only all Steinway conservatoire in the UK – though bear in mind that most of these are only designed by Steinway and not produced by them!

There are superb places to go drink and see live music.

There is lots of support provided: counselling and finance help is definitely provided.

My time at Leeds College of Music so far has been astoundingly significant and almost exclusively positive. As one would hope, I have learned and continue to learn a great deal that is hugely important to my development as a musician. I have met and befriended a great many delightful people, both students and staff, many of whom may in future or do now present opportunities for work. I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience of living in Leeds, although I remain unconvinced that large city life is really for me. The college has helped to fund my studies of the Estill Model of Voice, which is perhaps the most important component of my current professional development. I wouldn’t claim there is nothing I would change about the college, the course or my experience, but I would definitely say I’m thoroughly satisfied with all three and that I’m very glad indeed that I came here. For a singer in the jazz or pop idiom, I really feel that Leeds College of Music has a superior faculty to most other conservatoires, at least in the UK.

This question is a little more complex to answer in my chosen profession than in most. I am not necessarily looking for simply ‘a job’, rather a succession of performance jobs as well as private teaching. In both areas I am already working to some extent, so I would probably answer the original question “quite easy.”

Being given the opportunity to immerse oneself fully in the artistic idiom. The course provides all the information necessary for the student to become the best possible musician, as well as an environment in which they can put that information into practice with a great variety of other musicians. This combination of information and communicative practice is, I would say, the best thing about my course.

I would say they are very good. The student union has grown and changed greatly since I started, and I view the changes as an improvement. They run a good deal of events, and of course the societies, but more importantly if you have a question or concern and raise it with the SU they are prompt and thorough in their reply.

I chose to rent privately instead of move into the student accommodation. By doing so I was able to find a flat in a nicer location at a cheaper price, though I can see that there are potential benefits to the student accommodation – principally that even at ‘home’, one would remain surrounded by fellow musicians. Of course whether that would be helpful would depend on the individual, and in my case I felt it would be more beneficial to live in a more hermit-esque fashion.

The facilities are generally excellent. The library has a very good stock, and it is easy to have any scores or recordings you need ordered in. Between the library itself and the two computer rooms one can always be sure to find a PC should it be required. The Mac rooms are similarly plentiful, and stocked with more industry-specific software than you can shake a stick at. There is a good stock of instruments available to borrow from Facilities, from the common such as guitars to the rare such as renaissance wind instruments. Facilities also stocks a variety of commonly required items such as vocal microphones, jack leads, cymbal felts, etc. The studios in college are of very good quality and the microphones available for studio use are excellent. Practice rooms in college are all stocked with pianos, mostly Steinway uprights, with a few rooms having grands or baby grands. The wonderful piano in the Venue is available for principal study pianists to practice on in some cases. Although the pianos are of good quality, they could be better maintained. They are not tuned as regularly as I would like and it is not uncommon to find a dud note, squeaky key or stiff pedal.

It’s very hard to pin down one favourite thing, as Leeds presents a great many delights. The galleries and museums are very fine, and most are free to visit and open quite lengthy hours. There are many parks and areas of woodland which I particularly enjoy visiting. Of course the most important element of Leeds life with respect to my studies is that it’s a phenomenal centre for culture and all the arts. Not only are there the excellent galleries, but there are also many, many live music venues with regular events, a fantastic variety of theatres, dance companies, etc. etc. So I would have to say my favourite thing to do in the city is to engross myself in the beautiful areas and in the artistic outlets.

The only society I have joined is the LGBT Society. There are many others available and I have heard good things about them, but I felt that I would rather spend my time involving myself with the more musically based extracurricular activities on offer than on sports societies or similar.

The pastoral support and general student services at Leeds College of Music really are excellent. Student support has dedicated staff to assist students with finance and accommodation, a disability advisor and counsellors. There is also a learning support unit who assist students with dyslexia or other learning difficulties. The college also provides free weekly lessons in the Alexander Technique. I have used most of the services, or otherwise dealt with the departments, and have found the student support staff to invariably be friendly, approachable, competent and efficient.