Achieve the Extraordinary

[00:00:01] Speaker 1 When you start your time here at RBC (Royal Birmingham Conservatoire), you'll be surrounded by people who have similar aspirations to you and or want to just make great music together. So this leads to really great friendships that will last a lifetime, but can also lead to the forming of chamber ensembles with your mates and networking opportunities that you can call upon all throughout your career. Being part of the arts, design and media faculty here at BCU gives you the chance to play on video game soundtracks, film soundtracks and even art exhibitions. I was lucky enough to get my first professional seat in an orchestra called The Chinese Orchestra at the end of my second year, and RBC managed to tailor my course to allow me to go around the world and perform as a professional trumpet player. As School rep for the Conservatoire, this has  given me the opportunity to have meetings with senior staff and other students to discuss how we make the curriculum more inclusive and even how we program concerts to make sure it's as diverse as possible.

[00:01:04] Speaker 2 So I'm a music tech student. Wherever your interest lies, there is a specific room designed for that purpose. Whether that be recording, mixing, mastering or editing. We have several studios with incredible control rooms, with SSL mixing desks and live rooms with a variety of very nice mics. My confidence has risen to levels I didn't know I could reach. I think one of the greatest experiences of being a RBC has been the opportunity to join the Folk Ensemble. Once a week we meet up and we get the opportunity to tour across the UK. It's also a great place to meet people and feel integrated in the RBC community. Primarily, we play folk music, but we take influence from music all around the world and it's all fused with elements of rock, metal and jazz. The course is designed in a way that means that we get a lot of 1 to 1 time with professionals in the industry. The insights I've been given have been so amazing.

[00:02:08] Speaker 3 I have spent most of my final year looking at music education. I've focussed my major project on looking at strategies behind music education in schools and school projects, as well as delivering a music workshop in schools, in a care home and in hospitals. As the course has gone on, I've been given more chances to learn about how I best learn because of the independent study. The University facilities are right on the doorstep of the Conservatoire, and the Curzon Library is only a five minute walk away. The library is great for sheet music and it's also great for any research books we need for our projects. Every student has access to the support services at BCU and the mental health team have been a great support to me throughout my time at university. I've been president of BCUSU's LGBTQ+ Society for the last two years, where we work on improving the student experience for LGBTQ+ students and offering a safe space on campus. My time at university has helped me grow as a musician and as an individual. I'm excited to build my career using the skills that I've learned.