LCoM is pleased to announce that it will continue to receive funding from The Wolfson Foundation to the amount of £30,000 per year for the next three years.
The grant will provide significant support to students on both the undergraduate performance pathways and the Saturday Music School at LCoM, widening access to music education.
Of the funding awarded to LCoM, £25,000 will be used for Instrument Grants for students on performance-specific undergraduate degree programmes. The funding will help to facilitate the crucial transition between studying and entering the world of employment by providing students with specialist equipment prior to their final year of study. Grants will be awarded to students based on financial need and exceptional musical ability.
To date, The Wolfson Instrument Grants scheme has generated significant impact for some of LCoM’s most talented and financially deserving undergraduate students, providing over £100,000 to 81 individuals. Students have repeatedly cited the purchase of a new instrument as the leading factor contributing towards a successful performance in their final recitals, with one student saying;
“During my final year of study at Leeds College of Music I found that the instrument awarded to me by the Wolfson Instrument Grant was an indispensable tool that has aided my musical development and helped me with musical projects.”
The remaining £5,000 of the grant will provide scholarships for young people attending LCoM’s Saturday Music School, which helps to develop talented musicians aged 9 – 18 years. The funding comes at a time when resource for creative subjects in schools is becoming increasingly squeezed, and alternative music providers such as LCoM’s SMS are more needed than ever.
Professor Joe Wilson, Vice Principal and Director of Curriculum at Leeds College of Music said;
“We are delighted to be awarded this generous grant from The Wolfson Foundation. LCoM is committed to making music education accessible to all, and it is fantastic to have this support in place which will help us to develop talented young musicians, and also enable degree students to prosper in their final recitals and beyond.”
The Wolfson Foundation is celebrating 30 years of its music education programme, which has awarded £5.6 million to young musicians at the UK’s conservatoires to help individuals from all backgrounds to access high quality music education.
