Welcome Pack ———— Rethink Music Education

Year 2021/22

——— bimm.ac.uk Welcome To Your BIMM Institute Congratulations On Being Offered A Place! ------

Welcome to your BIMM Institute Birmingham 21/22 We believe that everything you do while at BIMM is acceptance brochure. I would like to congratulate preparing you for your career. For that reason, your you on your successful place at the UK’s leading career doesn’t begin when you leave, it begins now. provider of modern music education and ask that We will provide you with numerous opportunities, you please take some time to read through all the and I encourage you to make the most of every single relevant information here to help your transition into one – whether they be gigs in local venues, college life. performing at our open days, producing tracks for your fellow musicians, working at festivals, BIMM Institute Birmingham is the seventh college auditioning for record labels, or promoting a local in the BIMM group, opening its doors to the first venue – these all give you valuable experience which cohort of students in September 2017. Our portfolio you can use to demonstrate your ability to future of degree programmes include Popular Music employers or clients. Performance, Songwriting, Music Production and Music Business, Event Management and Music The degree programme will be challenging at times, Journalism, Music Marketing, Media and and you will need to work hard to get the most from Communication and we now offer a Joint Honours your time at BIMM, but never forget that you are degree. This combination of disciplines creates an not alone, we are here to help you when you need it. effective microcosm of the music industry for you You are also surrounded by many other students in to network within and start your journey towards the same boat, who will also be happy to assist. The ultimate success. person you help today, will be the person who can offer you an important gig in the future. BIMM’s tutor roster is made up of music industry professional musicians, songwriters, producers, I’m looking forward to working with you this artists, managers and entrepreneurs, who have not academic year, and I can’t wait to hear and see what just learnt how to do it but are actively out there you can achieve. doing it. This means that their experience in the real word yesterday, will be relevant in your lectures Antony Greaves today, ensuring that the curriculum is always at the College Principal cutting edge, to best prepare you for your own future in the industry. Contents ------

Induction and Enrolment 5 Student Support 8 Student Life 12 Transport 15 Get Connected 17 Freshers’ Guide 19 Faculty Information 21 ———— Induction And Enrolment To study at BIMM Institute, you will need to complete enrolment. You will be sent instructions on how to Useful Contacts enrol via email. There are up to 3 stages to complete enrolment before you become a registered student. ------

Stage 1 – Enrolment Form Enrolment Support Complete the enrolment form and upload essential [email protected] personal information, as detailed at the bottom of Monday – Friday 9am – 8pm (GMT) this page. You must complete the enrolment form Saturday 10am – 4pm (GMT) before you can begin studying on your course. How UK – 0344 2 646 666 to complete this stage will be sent directly to you via email. Admissions [email protected] Stage 2 – Tuition Fees We need to confirm your tuition fees. You may be Student Support asked to contact student finance for verification. [email protected]

Stage 3 – Logging in to BIMM systems Finance The last part of enrolment is making sure you have [email protected] access to the applications and systems you will use daily as a student. We will issue you with your IT credentials and show you the student portal where all applications are in one easy to use place. Online Enrolment

Induction & Freshers’ For Your Course Closer to the start of the course, your college will contact you with induction and freshers’ information, ------look out for this in your inbox and on social media platforms. Some of the events offered to you will be All students are required to complete enrolment. essential for you to attend and others will be more You will have been sent an e-mail with a link to the informal events. Make sure to take full advantage of enrolment portal, which will guide you through all the activities and events the colleges are putting on the required processes. Below are a list of things that for you. MUST be completed before you can start the course:

Induction events include important information Enrolment form – must be completed in full and about your course, give you the opportunity to meet submitted – the link to this form will have been sent your course leader and your future classmates. to you by e-mail. Passport style photo – this will be used for your student ID card. Please follow the guidelines on the enrolment form. You will not be able to enter BIMM Term Dates buildings without an ID card. ------Proof of ID – we require proof that you have the right to study in the UK. Ideally this will be a valid Semester/Term dates passport. You will upload a copy when completing You can check the dates of your course here. the online enrolment form.

The online enrolment form must be completed in full before you can become an enrolled student at BIMM Institute. ------Access and Participation

We believe that there should be an even playing Bursaries and Financial Support field and equality of opportunity, no matter We have a package of bursaries and scholarships who you are. That’s why we are wholeheartedly to remove any financial barriers when it comes to committed to widening access and participation access. These include: from underrepresented groups in Higher Education. Whether you are an applicant or a current student, • Low Income Household, Care Experienced and we strive to improve the equality of opportunity Disabled Student Bursaries for all.

What is Access and Participation? • The Fair Access Fund which offers bespoke financial Access and Participation essentially supports support to students from Black, Asian and minority specific groups of students to access higher ethnic backgrounds, low income backgrounds and education, improve your success and support career low participation in Higher Education areas development where there might have been past challenges. In particular, we are encouraging and Further Education students can also access supporting applications from underrepresented additional financial support via New College groups, such as Black, Asian and ethnic minority Swindon, our partner college. Their range of financial communities; students from lower-income support includes a Learner Support Fund and a backgrounds and areas of low participation in Higher Bursary for Vulnerable Groups. We can help support Education; students with disabilities; care-leavers; your application to these support funds as soon as and mature students. you have accepted your place with us.

We’re dedicated to making higher education more Access and Participation Coordinators equal and fair. It’s something we passionately believe Our AP Coordinators work within our fantastic and in – and it’s why our Access and Participation (AP) friendly College Student Support teams on initiatives department exists. As a team, we constantly review like the Fair Access Fund, the Mentoring Scheme, and evaluate our initiatives and progress against the and help students transition into higher education. targets in our approved Access and Participation You may have met your AP Coordinator already at Plan. That way, we can iron out any inequalities and an Open Day, they can help with any arrangements make ourselves as diverse and inclusive as possible. you may need to make in advance of starting your course, like disability support and applications to the You can also check out our BIMM Access and Disabled Students Allowance. The AP Coordinators Participation Plan here. It sets out our commitment are here to help you get everything in place before to remove any gaps or hurdles that might be in place you start your course, so drop them a line if you have for someone when it comes to access, success and any queries or concerns and they can help get you up progression. to speed and ready to go!

Our Access and Participation Initiatives and Access and Participation Student Group Support Schemes Our Access and Participation Student Group means As part of our commitment, we’ve developed that students can review and feedback on all our several targeted initiatives and activities to help initiatives. This group of volunteer students meets you thrive throughout your time with us. Each of every term to discuss progress against the targets in these initiatives provides you with the best possible the AP Plan. This student-led meeting feeds into the opportunity to succeed and progress to a sustainable Access and Participation Committee, which creates career in the creative industries. and oversees new proposals and works with the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion student group. ———— Student Support Student Support Services Counselling ------

We are committed to helping students fulfil their BIMM Institute Birmingham offers counselling to potential during their time at BIMM Institute any student in need of the service with it’s own Birmingham and we place an emphasis on supporting dedicated full time student counsellor. This free the development of our students both academically and confidential provision offers individuals the and personally. With this in mind, the Student opportunity to explore a wide range of emotional Support team is available at every step of the student and psychological issues. journey to offer confidential support and guidance on issues such as stress, disability and learning support, The counselling service provided is hugely depression and anxiety issues, family/friends/ experienced and abides by the British Association relationship problems, smoking, alcohol and drugs, for Counselling Code of Ethics. sexual health, eating disorders; as well as on-going academic and practical learning support and advice.

We also offer a wide range of additional support Disability And Learning services that are designed to meet students’ academic and welfare needs to enrich the BIMM Support Institute Birmingham experience. ------

BIMM Institute Birmingham is committed to a policy Pastoral Support of equal opportunities and provides confidential advice and support to students with varying ------disabilities and specific learning difficulties.

The Student Support team holds individual one- We are committed to ensuring that students with on-one sessions with students to discuss any issue specific needs are provided with equal access to their they may be struggling with. These are strictly chosen course of study and facilities. The College is confidential and can include any topic ranging from working towards removing any barriers which might personal issues, attendance and assessment related prevent an individual from actively participating in queries, discussion of special considerations we may student life. need to take into account to support your studies and booking into one of the other support services If students indicate on their application and/or pre- we offer. We actively encourage students to book enrolment form that they require further support, appointments to come and meet us at any point then a member of the Student Support team will be during their studies for extra support; the Student in contact to arrange an individual consultation. This Support team are always available on site for a chat is to ensure all requirements are catered for. when the college is open. Students with registered specific Learning Difficulties and an official Educational Psychologist Report completed after the age of 16 may be eligible for DSA (The Disabled Students’ Allowance).

DSA can fund additional support such as specialist one-to-one mentoring, reasonable adjustments and technological aids. Students who do not have an up to date Educational Psychologist Report, or just suspect a specific learning difficulty should contact the Student Support or Learning Support teams, who can assist with the relevant assessments and advice on accessing support.

You can find more information regarding DSA (including eligibility and application forms) here Academic Tutorials www.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowances-dsas/ overview ------

We advise that students apply for this as early as Students are encouraged to book regular one- possible to ensure that support can be put in place to-one tutorials to work on technique, master at the start of the academic year, though there is no their academic writing and discuss their skills, formal deadline for applications to be received. development and long/short term career goals. Tutorials give students a unique opportunity to be If you require any additional information or individually guided by the most experienced industry would like to discuss this further with one of professionals in the country. the Student Support team, please contact [email protected] It is encouraged that you can book tutorials with any member of the BIMM Birmingham faculty, even if We work with students with a wide range of they are not specific to teaching on your course. disabilities, including but by no means restricted to:

• Specific learning difficulties (such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD) • Mental health difficulties (such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety) • Students with autistic spectrum and asperger’s syndrome • Long-term medical conditions (such as HIV, cancer, multiple sclerosis) • Unseen disabilities (such as diabetes, asthma, epilepsy) • Sensory impairments (such as visual/hearing impairment) • Mobility or physical impairments (such as paralysis, arthritis) ———— Birmingham Life Birmingham is jam-packed with amazing live venues. Here are seven of the best… Sunflower Lounge, 02 Eating Out Arena and Institute , The Mill, The Castle and Falcon, The Night Owl, The Flapper and, Dead Wax ------Vinyl Bar, so you can spend less time searching and more time gigging. Birmingham boasts a flourishing and diverse restaurant scene. Catering to all budgets and tastes. Birmingham has long had a history of vibrant Foodies flock to the Balti Triangle which is the home nightlife. From ‘60s Brumbeat venues like the Plaza and birthplace of the Balti Curry. Ballroom in Handsworth to ‘90s superclubs like Godskitchen and Gatecrasher, the city has always Birmingham’s Chinese district sits alongside celebrated good live music. These days, though, traditional pub grub, meaning you really are spoilt Birmingham is fast gaining a reputation as one of the for choice, (Dining Club, Baked in Brick, Original most exciting places in the UK to discover new music. Patty Men). For those with more expensive tastes Birmingham has a number of Michelin star Whether you’re after intimate acoustic shows, restaurants including Turners at 69, Purnell’s and booming B-Town indie rock or hands-in-the-air Simpsons. electronic beats. Regular food festivals offer Michelin starred food at student prices throughout the city. Monthly food and farmer’s markets such as Moseley’s provide fresh, Shopping local produce. ------The Great Outdoors Birmingham with its iconic bullring centre that offers over 110,000sq m of retails space including the eye ------catching skin of the Selfridges store with its 15,000 aluminium disks. With the largest Chinatown outside Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery is home to of London and the biggest Jewellery Quarter in the largest collection of pre-Raphaelite artwork Europe. It’s little wonder it’s in ’s top 3 most in the world, as well as collections of silver, visited places to shop. The Birmingham Frankfurt sculpture, ceramics and ancient and social history Christmas Market has over 200 stalls and brings galleries. The Gas Hall Gallery houses a constantly an unrivalled sense of merriment to the city at changing programme of exhibitions. Entrance is Christmas time. free except for certain exhibitions. One of Europe’s leading contemporary art galleries, Ikon is stylish, Throughout the year other highlights include the progressive and recognised for its individuality. Mailbox complex and the grand central Birmingham The Ikon exhibits the best international and British with its flagship John Lewis store. art in a changing programme of exhibitions and events. Admission is free. Birmingham Museums has extraordinary venues that provide a fascinating glimpse into Birmingham’s rich and vibrant past and showcase world class museum collections. Digbeth Dining Club started in 2012 and is a multi-award winning food, music and entertainment event, with dishes from £5 from over 22 traders every every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Culture Transport ------

1. Festivals The city hosts over 50 festivals a year, BIMM Birmingham is well connected to the rest of the including the International Jazz Festival and Moseley city via public transport. Funk & Soul Festival. • Train - Birmingham has 8 local railways that cross 2. The is one of the most the city and make moving between venues and popular theatres in the UK and has over half a million attractions easy and simple. Birmingham New Street people visit each year. is the largest and busiest of the three main railway stations in the city centre of Birmingham. It is a 3. The NEC holds over 500 events per year, ranging central hub of the British railway system and makes from art exhibitions to the Crufts dog show. travelling throughout the UK a breeze. Having gigs in the surrounding cities and towns is now easier than 4. Home to the City of Birmingham Symphony ever with the Midland Metro which will whisk you Orchestra, Symphony Hall is one of the world’s between Birmingham and Wolverhampton. Network greatest concert halls. West Midlands provides online timetables, fares including day tickets and passes, ticket purchase and 5. Birmingham is the birthplace of the legendary rock route planning. To visit the Centro website, use band Black Sabbath and is known as the Home of www. centro.org.uk Heavy Metal. • Bus & Metro - There are busses to all suburbs and 6. Football clubs: hosting Aston Villa, West areas of Birmingham making Birmingham brilliant Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City FC there is for easy affordable travel. There is a huge network plenty of games to enjoy. that links everyone to everything. Night busses that go throughout the evening and early hours to places 7. The Belfry hosts the Ryder Cup Golf tournament as far away as Coventry. Getting home from a gig is and is the Headquarters for the Professional Golfers safe, cheap and easy. Network West Midlands has all Association. the timetables and fair information online for easy ticket buying and route planning. More and more 8. is home to local buses have facilities such as low floors for easy Warwickshire County Cricket Club and is also used access for wheelchair users and pushchairs. for Test Matches and One Day Internationals. www.networkwestmidlands.com

9. The is an International • Taxi - Birmingham’s well-regulated taxis are Athletics venue that hosts major athletics especially convenient for those with heavy luggage events, and is currently preparing for the 2022 or returning late from a night out. TOA taxis are Commonwealth Games which Birmingham is hosting. Birmingham’s black cab operators. They can be hailed in the street or reached at one of the many 10. A thriving gay village on Hurst Street, with plenty taxi ranks in the city centre; the main ones are at of bars and nightclubs. The area is renowned for its New Street Station, Stephenson Street and Digbeth vibrant and friendly atmosphere and is the heart of Coach Station. the city’s annual gay pride celebrations. • Bike - With miles of canals and a compact city 11. If you love to party then Broad Street is for you, centre, what better way to explore Birmingham and with its half-mile stretch of bars, restaurants and the wider region than by bicycle? There are cycle nightclubs. The Arcadian, set in the city’s China Town lanes or paths on many of the major routes into region, offers a more relaxed range of bars playing a and across the city that take in some of the city’s variety of music. beautiful parks and waterways en route. National cycle route 5 also runs through Birmingham. 12. The is located at Centenary Square, the city’s most important public open space in the heart of Birmingham’s city centre’s Westside. Free to use for all students - open till late.

13. Digbeth is a developing, bohemian district known for street art, independent bars and shops. It is home to the where you can attend creative workshops and Digbeth Dining Club where you can eat the best street food in the city.

———— Get Connected For industry professionals, there are numerous Networking Events exciting placements at companies across labels and promoters, publishers, PRs and magazines. ------Book a Careers tutorial to get advice on your CV or on starting your own business. We also have a well BIMM hold networking events in Term 1, which are a established festival programme, from Glastonbury to great opportunity to get together with other students the Great Escape, we have opportunities for you to from different courses that have similar musical get involved. interests. Not only is it a great way to find new friends and swap some phone numbers, but it’s also a good All students are welcome at the Careers Hub, this is place to start finding band members. where you will meet employers and A&Rs, lawyers and agents; lined up this year we have YouTube, Universal, Sony Music and more ready to come and network with you and your fellow students. Book a BIMM Gigs tutorial, get involved as soon as you get here, we’re ------looking forward to meeting you!

Once you’ve got your band together and had some rehearsals, you can audition for one of BIMM’s end- Masterclasses of-term gigs. ------We have an End of Term gig every term and utilise the amazing venues that are on our doorstep. Why Masterclasses are important. BIMM have some of music’s biggest stars on speed-dial and the pulling These gigs are a great opportunity for students to power to get them in front of you at our legendary get some live performance experience and put on a masterclasses. Leave your autograph book at home brilliant show for their peers, friends and families. and get ready listen to heavyweights such as Nile Rodgers, Stormzy, Jo Whiley, Brian May, and Mabel. Learn how they conquered the industry and how you BIMM Album can follow in their footsteps. Our masterclasses are a mix of the world’s most ------successful industry professionals. From vocalists, songwriters, producers, guitarists, and drummers to The BIMM album is a showcase of BIMM’s best label bosses and event managers. All ready to share songwriting talent. Students have the opportunity insider advice that money can’t buy. to submit their demos to be reviewed by our Artist Development team, and a selection of these songs will be professionally recorded and available to buy as a CD or digital download. What do you Learn at a Masterclass? Careers And Creative ------

Industries Team Masterclasses are an excellent opportunity to learn directly from artists and music industry professionals ------who have already succeeded in the industry.

Your career in music starts here at BIMM and we They will pass on their knowledge and hopefully have a dedicated Careers and Industry team looking allow students to learn from some of their mistakes. forward to working with you. At the end of the masterclass, there is usually a Q&A session for students to ask the guest questions about We support the next generation of music performers their careers or advice. and professionals in a number of ways, if you are a performer or songwriter, you will be invited to artist Masterclasses also give you the chance to meet the development tutorials where you will be advised on human behind the musician. During which you’ll recording, gigs, your digital profile, photography, learn all about how they worked their way to the top videos and promotion. of their game by being dedicated, determined, and hard-working. ———— Freshers Guide Freshers’ events, at the beginning of the first term, see challenging situations as a chance to overcome are a great way to meet people and make friends; something rather than a problem in your way. we’ll provide you with information about these at enrolment. You can expect club nights, gigs, Be healthy – Maintain a good diet, get adequate networking events and plenty of drinks promotions. sleep and try to be active when you can; people are often happier if they are healthy. Register with a local doctor’s surgery so that if you fall ill you can get the right care. If you are feeling stressed or sad talk Common Feelings to the Student Support team, they will find you the right support; know when you need to get some ------extra help. Make a budget – Work out how much money you When it comes to moving away from home to a new have for the term, and how much you will have to city and starting University it is a really exciting spend on unavoidable costs like rent, food and bills. opportunity for a big change. You get to make a This way you will know how much you have left to whole new start in a new place with new people. spend on yourself. Doing this will avoid running out of You might feel a mixture of great excitement and money half way through the term, which can be nervousness – what will the course really be like? Will very stressful. I get on with my housemates? Will I make friends? How do I look after myself? Don’t work all the time – As independent study is so important at University, it can sometimes be hard Please remember that you are not alone in feeling to give yourself time off. Give yourself regular breaks this way. These are all questions that everyone in and occasional days off. your situation is asking themselves. If you’re worried about making friends, or not knowing the city, or how Do work some of the time – Being away from home to make a Bolognese; remember that every other and with so much to do in a new city, it can be easy person around you feels the same way, and within to neglect your work and fall behind in the course. just a couple of days you will feel more at home and Make sure you find the time for your studies to avoid comfortable than you can even imagine. a stressful situation.

Be yourself! – People can’t get to know and like you for who you really are if you don’t act like yourself. Strategies For Coping There are so many people to potentially become friends with, be yourself and you will find the right ------friends for you. There are some important things to keep in mind when going through this experience of moving away from home. These will prepare you and help you to cope with any situation you stumble across.

Look after yourself – It takes time for new friends to really know you properly, which means you need to put your own welfare, health and safety at the top of your priorities.

Know yourself and what you can handle – This is a time when you can experiment and find a way of living that really suits you, but this can take time. Try not to be pressured or influenced by others’ opinions and actions. Try to make decisions about life choices in the cold light of day, so that you know how you want to respond if you end up in a tricky situation.

Confront difficulties – In a new environment it’s easy to waste time worrying about things you don’t understand or can’t control. Don’t be afraid to ask the Student Support team and many other agencies external to BIMM who are ready and willing to help you with any problem or query, big or small. Begin to ———— Faculty Information BIMM Birmingham Student Common Rooms ------

BIMM Institute Birmingham There is an abundance of student accommodation 93-96 Floodgate St within a fairly short distance of the building, and Digbeth plenty of house and flat shares run by private landlords in other popular student areas. Please take (Main entrance is on Little Ann Street) into consideration the cost of travelling and the time it takes to get to the College from where you choose to live. The following areas in particular are a good place to Student Cards look for shared student accommodation: - Birmingham City Centre ------Selly Oak - Moseley and Kingsheath You will be issued with a BIMM student card and - Edgbaston lanyard at the start of your course. It is compulsory that you wear your student card at all times when Birmingham is well connected through public within BIMM. transport services; frequent buses that run all through the night, rail and cycle lanes make it easy to get around. Please note there are no parking facilities available at BIMM Birmingham.

BIMM BIRMINGHAM Hamburg IT and Technical resources ------

To help you navigate your way through your studies Please help us help you during your time at the at the BIMM Institute we have supplied you with a BIMM Institute by : number of technical resources which are at your disposal during your time with us. Whether you want email on the go, a place to store all your data or just • Choosing a complex password that you will want to ask for technical support on all the various remember that incorporates… offerings available, we have you covered: - 8 characters or more - Uppercase, lowercase, numerals and symbols • A downloadable offline copy of the latest version of - Combine words, don’t use one word office 365 - Make up a new word that’s not in the dictionary! • A terabyte of cloud data dedicated to you • Always maintain software versions on your personal • An online self service password management tool devices that match the software versions in the • A virtual e- Library packed with resources to aid Mac Labs your studies • Backup your important work in the cloud so it’s safe • A student IT Support channel • A one stop dedicated student web page where all your resources are housed • Mac Labs with an extensive software estate for qualifying courses We’re Here To Help You ————

We are committed to helping you throughout your studies with us at BIMM Birmingham and offer a wide range of support services designed to meet your academic and welfare needs, don’t hesitate to speak to us whenever required.

BIMM Institute 08442 646 666 93-96 Floodgate St [email protected] Birmingham, B5 5SR

——— [email protected] bimm.co.uk