CELEBRATING FIFTY YEARS OF MUSIC ANNUAL REPORT www.lcm.ac.uk @LeedsMusic WELCOME Old School jazz musicians placed great store in positioning We will further diversify our curriculum in the years ahead, LEEDS COLLEGE of MUSIC themselves historically within the music, best summed and our footprint in Quarry Hill is set to expand considerably, up in the expression ‘know where you come from, know with this year’s Skyline Library the first of a number ANNUAL REPORT 2015/16 where you’re going, know where you’re at’. Throughout of major projects. 2015/16, Leeds College of Music did exactly that, as we celebrated our opening in 1965, embraced the challenges and These projects will bring LCoM closer to the city core at a 03 Introduction opportunities of the here and now, and plotted our future time of renewed cultural energy in Leeds, driven by the city’s direction with the launch of our strategic plan 2015-20. bid for European Capital of Culture in 2023. It is an aspiration 04 2015/16: The Year at a Glance we wholeheartedly endorse, along with new initiatives such 06 Legacy Big Band Our plan is built around three quality pillars: exceptional as the Leeds BID, with whom we collaborated fruitfully in learning, musical discovery and collaboration, supported 2015/16. As a small specialist institution, collaboration is 08 Artistic Output by a further three growth pillars of sustainability, team in our organisational DNA. As a music conservatoire, it is 10 Alumni Activity development and exemplary facilities. These pillars provide in our artistic genes too. 2015/16 was an important year LCoM with the foundation on which we’ll progress our aims for seeding new partnerships, not just in Leeds, but right 12 Community and deliver our vision to be a leading European conservatoire. across the continent, as we commenced building our own Music Symposium European community, from Rotterdam to Copenhagen. Elsewhere in this report you’ll read of the many special 14 Finances moments that punctuated our 50th anniversary year; glittering Our students are creative explorers, and it is right that 16 Marc Almond occasions with pop icons, joyful musical reunions of old we should be exploratory too. We are proud of our friends, and sharing the transformative power of music with first half century in Leeds, and the city’s contribution 18 Looking Forward: Our Estate communities throughout Leeds. More than just celebrations, to the economic, social and cultural powerhouse that these events have left a legacy, driving the conservatoire is UK music. Together, we are looking forward. 20 Members & Supporters forward to have greater artistic and social impact. Of course, teaching and learning is our overarching focus and our quest for continuous improvement in all aspects of the student experience was at the fore in 2015/16, from innovative new microstudio environments to a bespoke Gerry Godley mentoring scheme for female students. Our commitment to Principal & Managing Director rigorous academic standards was endorsed by the QAA in March 2016 on successful completion of LCoM’s first Higher Education Review since 2007. We also made significant improvements in many areas of the National Student Survey, with an overall satisfaction rating of 80% that now places Libby Raper LCoM above the UK conservatoire average for music. Chair, Leeds College of Music Sustainable growth informs our thinking, and in 2015/16 our Board of Directors student numbers increased by 5%, to 1200. Our distinctive offer of undergraduate pathways in Jazz, Pop, Classical, Music Business and Music Production, as well as Foundation and @LeedsMusic Postgraduate Degrees, BTEC qualifications and a thriving Photography David Lindsay Saturday Music School cemented our reputation as Europe’s Tom Arber largest and most plural conservatoire. 3 4 Workshops & Masterclasses www.lcm.ac.uk % We ran over 50 workshops and 2015/16 670 masterclasses, 97 featuring artists and industry professionals THE YEAR After Graduation of the highest calibre 97% of our 2015 graduates are 50 58 in employment or further study Concerts six months after graduation We put on over 670 AT A GLANCE concerts and events 2015 Graduates % FE Progression 83 83% of our graduates 88% of our 2015 achieved a first class or FE further education upper second degree students progressed to higher education, % became employed % or took a gap year Short Courses Award for Excellence 88 We ran 58 short courses We won the Music and summer schools Student Satisfaction Teacher Magazine Editor’s Award for Excellence % 11 Student Numbers Our student numbers5 grew by 5% Overall student satisfaction Satisfaction with was above the conservatoire the Students’ Union average for music increased by 11% % % % Times Higher 20 49 55 Education Our Virtual Learning HE Applications Postgraduate Undergraduate FE students Environment was students students nominated in the Times % Applications to our HE Higher Education Leadership BA (Hons) Music (Folk) 13 courses grew by 13% and Management Awards BA (Hons) Music (Songwriting) Financial Support We distributed additional financial support to: 20% of our postgraduate students, @LeedsMusic 49% of our undergraduate students Newly Validated Courses 55% of our further education students Two new courses were validated to start in 2017 5 6 www.lcm.ac.uk 50th Anniversary Event LEGACY BIG BAND As part of Leeds College of Music’s 50th LCoM graduates from the past 50 years were anniversary year, a Legacy Big Band project invited to form the band, including musicians was created to bring together graduates who have forged careers across the globe, from the last half century and celebrate writing for West End shows, film and TV, the impact that the conservatoire has and working with philharmonic orchestras made on the local and national jazz and artists like Jamiroquai, Pixie Lott, Björk, scene, as well as the education sector. Eric Clapton and Bon Jovi. They were: Music pedagogy that focused on improvisation 1st Trumpet John Thirkell and contemporary studies was undeveloped 2nd Trumpet Robbie Robson in the 1960s and 1970s and Leeds College 3rd Trumpet Kim Macari of Music became the first institution in Europe, and one of the first in the world, to 4th Trumpet Steve Titchener structure a higher educational pathway for 5th Trumpet Tom Hill non-classical music. The Jazz and Light Music 1st Trombone Pete Beachill course was developed by pioneering LCoM 2nd Trombone Rick Taylor staff and the Legacy Big Band was a way to 3rd Trombone Kevin Holbrough pay tribute to them, as well as celebrate the success of the conservatoire’s students. 4th Trombone Chris Fower 5th Trombone Danny Barley Renowned pianist, LCoM alumna and visiting 1st Alto Andy Schofield professor, Nikki Iles, was asked to direct 2nd Alto Paul Jones the ensemble and selected a programme comprising her own original music, as well 1st Tenor Tori Freestone as that from past staff and students. 2nd Tenor Riley Stone-Lonergan Bari sax Phil Meadows Keys Nikki Iles “This project will have a lasting legacy. Guitar Alex Munk The event itself brought together some of the most creative LCoM graduates Bass Robin Mullarkey and Peter Ind, world renowned Drums Caroline Boaden bassist, talking to the audience about Vibes Matt Simm his involvement in bringing early Flute Karen Gourlay teaching approaches over from New York to Leeds was profound.” Jamil Sheriff, Jazz Curriculum Leader @LeedsMusic Images: Unity House 7 8 M a Dusk r c A lm Third Year band ‘Dusk’ were runners- o www.lcm.ac.uk n up in the Futuresound Competition, d , winning a place on the BBC Music F e Introducing Stage at the 2016 l l o w Reading and Leeds Festival. o f L e e d Sound City s C 6 1 o Five LCoM Bands were selected by , 20 l t l c e je ro g Sound City to perform on the Cargo pera P e O o Stage as part of the Liverpool Sound f M City Festival Line-up. Caro, Heir, u s Fighting Caravans, Kell and Brooders i c were all involved in the two-day, annual city centre festival. British Art Show 8 As part of the British Art Show European Collaboration 8, around 20 LCoM students collaborated with choreographer Professor Andy West (Head of Gerry Turvey and dancers from the Postgraduate Studies) and Dr. Adam Northern School of Contemporary Martin (Principal Lecturer in Popular Dance (NSCD) in October 2015 for Music) accompanied five LCoM a performance at Leeds Art Gallery. Pop and Production students to The students composed a unique Mannheim in November 2015. They piece of music from which the were taught by colleagues at the dancers would draw inspiration and Popakademie and collaborated on improvise a routine. Josie Olney Songwriting and Production projects Second year Production and with students from Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. Classical Music student, Josie Professor Andy West Olney, composed for BBC4’s 2016 documentary Kew’s Forgotten Queen Professor Andy West (Head of Opera Project Postgraduate Study) saw his book ‘The Art of Songwriting’ published Classical students collaborated with by Bloomsbury in July 2016. Manchester Jazz Festival the performers from the Northern LCoM brought ‘B-Side Night’ to School of Contemporary Dance in ARTISTIC the Manchester Jazz Festival with March 2016 as part of the opera Contemporary Orchestra performances from the Student project ‘Orfeo... Can you hear me?’, Union Big Band, the Contemporary staged at Northern Ballet. & Pop Choir Jazz Orchestra - directed by Richard LCoM’s Contemporary Orchestra Iles (Lecturer in Jazz Trumpet), and Roland AIRA and Pop Choir performed concerts OUTPUT various pieces from the Mintons with LCoM Fellow Marc Almond at Playhouse 5-piece staff band. In July 2016, we ran our first Roland both Leeds Town Hall and the Royal Our students and staff AIRA short course.