Leeds Conservatoire

I do feel like I should have taken part in more events but perhaps at the same time, LCM could do more so in the way of providing more things for students to do.

The SU could be a lot more forward in terms of their interaction with students. Obviously this is a rather small conservatoire so, in effect, the SU is also small but they still don’t do enough work even relative to their size. The SU should hold events and activities to take part in which cover many different aspects, at the moment it is entirely focused on music and sports only.

Societies are mainly sport-based and all take place in the leisure centre next to LCM. There are no sports teams within the societies, they are more like drop-in sessions which last about an hour long where you can go and play badminton or football. Because of the lack of variation in the societies, I have not joined any. There needs to be much more variation in the societies they offer.

Student accommodation does not provide good value at all. The costly rent we had to fork out only covered the bare basics: a bedroom big enough to fit a small bed and a chair. On top of the high fees, we still had to pay extra for laundry facilities. The reception is also extremely unorganised with handling with mail, it can take up to a week for them to process incoming mail and the staff refuse to search for your package even if you know it has arrived.

The facilities and equipment are kept to a high standard with Steinway pianos in almost every room. Keep in mind though that these pianos are “designed by Steinway” and are not made by Steinway themselves which is misleading marketing on LCM’s part! The facilities desk also allows students to store their instrument there, however it would be a bonus if LCM could provide lockers or another storage room to keep other belongings to help take the physical load of students, many of whom have to carry around instruments and other equipment with them all day.

I personally like how LCM is a place where all different types of musicians come together where you can explore each other’s’ creative abilities. In terms of the lectures, classes can be too large which means there is less one-to-one interaction with your tutor. A few problems with the teaching I have picked up on is how certain points are made but not contextualised so it can be quite hard to understand parts of a topic. Being on a combined course also meant that I have lost out on one-to-one individual lessons on a specialist study instrument which is a shame.

Leeds is an amazing city because of the music scene where everything is buzzing. I regularly go to gigs and the leisure centre to play sports. There are plenty of shops and museums to visit as well.

There is not much direct support in helping students find work but I am sure if I actively seek help there will be someone who can offer advice. University is a big step so they expect you to work quite independently and so will not necessarily hand everything to you on a plate.

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