Life at Leeds Conservatoire is not just about study. In this section you will find out more about the social life at Leeds Conservatoire including what you can do when you are not studying. You will also find out how to have your voice heard on the issues that affect you, both in the conservatoire and in the wider world, and more information on some key topics and what we are doing about them.
Joe Allen, Leeds Conservatoire Students' Union President
Students' Union
As a Leeds Conservatoire student, you are automatically a member of our Students’ Union (LCSU), which is chosen by students, run by students, and works for students, to make sure your experience in Leeds is enhanced to the best it can possibly be.
LCSU is a champion for democracy, equality and sustainability and helps protect the rights of our students through the election of Student Executive Officers and the appointment of Student Experience Representatives, who sit on committees throughout the conservatoire to speak up and represent you.
The SU also provides you with support and opportunities that are enriching and relevant to you as distinct, creative practitioners. From events and societies, to tailored advice, employment opportunities, funding and project support.
If you’re interested in getting involved, want to know more about life on the SU and how it could benefit you simply get in touch.
Follow LCSU on social media throughout the year to stay up to date.
Activities & Extra-Curricular
There is plenty to get involved in alongside your studies including ensembles and individual performance opportunities. There are regular showcases, as well as The B-Side and Crosswire strands which bring together the best in jazz and popular music. We also advertise opportunities for you to get involved in other events in the city.
Of course, some of this will be a bit different from normal, in line with Covid-secure measures, but we will let you know more at the beginning of term.
Our Students' Union has a wide range of societies, events and activities that you can join and take part in from sport to religion, art to sustainability, and of course plenty of music and performance.
What to do in Leeds?
With a thriving music and arts scene, an abundance of events, an eclectic cultural calendar and a huge variety of independent bars and eateries, it’s no wonder that Leeds frequently tops the polls for best student city!
Our Leeds City Guide gives a good overview of the main attractions in the city, and here are some other useful publications and resources to find out what's going on:
Leeds List is a well respected guide to food, drink and entertainment across the city. They also produce a weekly digest which lands in your inbox every Friday.
Leeds Inspired provides a what's on list which is populated by event organisers and promoters across the city and covers a broad range of arts activity from gigs and performances to film, art exhibitions and much more.
Sustainable Conservatoire / Climate Emergency
We are working hard to make our conservatoire as sustainable as possible. In 2019, we declared a climate emergency and re-affirmed our commitment to understanding our impact on climate change and taking action to do better.
We have already done a lot of work to reduce our carbon footprint, including changes to the way our buildings work and the services we use, as well as improving the way that we operate. For example, we have made significant changes to the way we light our buildings, using a switch off campaign to save energy every day. Soon, we will be connected up to Leeds PIPES, a district heating scheme which reclaims energy from household waste to generate hot water, instead of running our own heating boilers. We’ve replaced all plastic straws with biodegradable straws in our bars, and all of our takeaway coffee cups and food boxes are compostable. We have committed to removing all drinks in single use plastics from our menus by the end of 2020 and we are replacing red meat with plant-based alternatives.
We are working with Sustainable Arts in Leeds (SAIL) and other universities to become better educated and to involve more students in our fight against climate change. Recently, a number of staff have been certified carbon literate which will help us to have better informed conversations with our whole community about the actions that we can all take to be more sustainable. Our sustainability working group is co-chaired by Hollie Arnold, SU President, and Nick Burdett, Catering and Bar Manager.
There will be opportunities throughout the year to have your say on sustainability, to bring fresh ideas to the table and get involved in our collective effort to be a sustainable conservatoire. If you have ideas, questions or you want to get involved, email studentunion@lcm.ac.uk
Our Commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Leeds Conservatoire values the rich social and cultural diversity in which it operates and is committed to:
- promoting equality
- promoting social cohesion and building community links
- respecting the dignity of all people who visit, study and work at Leeds Conservatoire
- providing conditions which encourage everyone to participate, progress and achieve in their learning
- actively challenging unacceptable actions and behaviours such as harassment, or bullying
Black Lives Matter
Leeds Conservatoire has pledged to stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and to step up and use our platform as educators to become actively anti-racist, to listen and to re-educate ourselves.
Over the next year, we are investing in a wide-ranging project, with dedicated staffing, that will look at every aspect of our operation. At Leeds Conservatoire, we are committing to identifying, questioning, and breaking down the structures that support inequality and inequity, and rebuilding them with openness, involvement, and social justice at the core.
Find out more
Women in Music & PRSF Keychange
Leeds Conservatoire is fully committed to improving the experience and visibility of women in the music industry. We know that women are less represented across the music industry and we believe this is unacceptable.
We are very proud to be a PRSF Keychange partner. Keychange is an initiative developed by the PRS Foundation to encourage festivals and music organisations to achieve a 50:50 gender balance by 2022. Amongst our Keychange pledges is the aim to maintain a 50:50 gender balance for our annual flagship festival, Sounds Like THIS. We have also pledged to improve the gender balance and visibility of women across all our live programming including workshops and masterclasses.
Having Your Say
Everyone's voice and opinion is important. There are lots of ways that you can have your say about the way the conservatoire is run, and how we respond to the big topics of the day.We will always tell you what we are doing about areas for improvement, keep your information securely and protect your privacy.
Student Surveys
Throughout the year you will have opportunities to give us feedback via student surveys, so that you can really shape your learning experience by having your say. Please complete them. The more students who respond, the better we know how we are doing and what we need to improve.
Student Representative System
Student representatives play a vital role in enhancing the student experience. Representatives are full members on a number of Leeds Conservatoire’s decision-making committees. We are committed to ensuring students engage with the way in which we enhance the curriculum. Leeds Conservatoire and the Students’ Union work together to recruit, train and support student representatives across all years and pathways. If you are interested in becoming a student rep, please contact the Students' Union. Once you know who your student rep is for your course, you can feed back your comments to them on matters such as the curriculum, teaching and learning, learning resources and/or assessment.
Student-Staff Forum
Student-Staff Forum is a formal way for students to feed back through their course representatives. Staff from across the conservatoire attend these sessions, hear what students have to say and feedback on progress. This helps us to know what you are thinking, and gives us chance to make changes, but it also ensures that students are able to hear directly from the most senior staff in the conservatoire.
Open Channel
Open Channel is a new and exciting forum which tackles specific issues through debate and reflection. It is designed to allow everyone to express their views in a safe way (anonymous if you like). Most importantly, these sessions are designed to prompt action on a topic using a collective approach. Everyone is invited to join in the sessions and we will contact you to let you know they are happening.
