Birmingham City University broaches the new year of students with an open-minded and welcoming approach, the multitude of social events and informational evenings ease you into the busy schedule of university life and provide you with opportunities to meet new people.
The facilities on campus at both Curzon and Parkside, give you access to many studio settings and specialised rooms that would be otherwise very expensive for a student, this includes things such as recording studios, videography studios, and podcast recording. These facilities are also of great use to carrying out any assignments or projects that require practical work.

My initial experience of BCU and university life has been an easy and seamless transition and has given me a very positive outlook on the university and Birmingham as a whole!

My university experience and I have a love-hate relationship. At the beginning I loved the course, it was full of creative people and we had so much space to work on our art. However my studies were interrupted by Covid, and we went into a lockdown, and studying music through zoom calls wasn’t really amazing. I suppose I might have enjoyed the course a lot more if we were on-site, however I still had much issues with the teachers and the material we learned. The material had nothing to do with the final assessments and very few of our tutors were actually helpful to the students. Many times I avoided asking for help, as I knew that this would only make me feel much more stressed about my project, as the tutors were rarely understanding and supportive.

If you are a passionate musician, who wish to excels in the area that you act (performance, composition or music technology), the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire is the place for you. In addition to your principal study (mentioned previously), you undergo a range of sub-modules which will further solidify your fundamental skills as well as introducing you to Pedagogy.
The facilities are new and accessible. Each performance space/hall is unique. Studios are top-quality! Each teacher has a unique personality/character and all of them are willing to help you in achieve your goals.
The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire is under the ‘arm’ of Birmingham City University (BCU). This can be stressful at times, as the communication between both institutions is not great. Furthermore, the courses at the Conservatoire are unique when compared to the courses at BCU, further adding to the difficult communication between the institutions. All Conservatoire students will be in touch with BCU at some point, so be prepared (especially if you are coming from Overseas). Although the communication between the institutions can be problematic at times, students from both institutions often collaborate in external projects. From creating an original score for a student director to being recorded for a student’s documentary.
If you are looking to be involved with music as a career, a Conservatoire should be your first choice, as Conservatoires are dedicated institutions specialized in developing your music talents. If you are looking for a place where creativity is stimulated, conventions are challenged, a friendly environment, a well-connected institution in an international and affordable city, the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire is the place for you.