School of Music

Welcome to the School of Music. Here you’ll find everything you need to know about starting or returning to your studies.  

Scroll to the section that applies to you – new student or returning student. We’ve also included some helpful links at the bottom to direct you to anything else you might need. 

If you’re a postgraduate researcher, find your faculty welcome and induction information to help you get started.

I’m a new student

What do I need to do before I arrive?

Will I be required to attend face to face sessions?

We are aware of how important face-to-face sessions are to our students, so by default, all activities will take place in person and on campus in the first instance unless otherwise specified.

What does my Welcome Week timetable look like?

We’ve worked in partnership with current students to develop our Welcome Week timetable and will be sharing this with you via email at the start of September. Welcome Week begins on Monday 25 September and runs until Friday 29 September, and all new students are expected to attend on campus.

How will I meet my academic personal tutor? How will academic personal tutoring work?

Every student has an academic personal tutor (APT) - an academic assigned to help and guide you through your studies. Throughout the year, you will meet with your academic personal tutor to discuss how your studies are going.  

At the start of the academic year the school will assign you an academic personal tutor. You will be given more information about meeting your academic personal tutor, the importance of engaging with the academic personal tutoring process and how your personal tutor can support you.  

Where can I go for support?

There is a wide range of support available at the University of Leeds.

Our School Student Support Officer is Antony Butcher. You can email Antony Butcher at a.j.c.butcher@leeds.ac.uk, they can provide welfare and pastoral support and help you identify other University services.  

For academic support, you can contact your academic personal tutor, and if you need specific module or programme support you can contact the relevant module leader or your programme leader.

We would advise checking the AHC Handbook and the relevant School of Music page if you have any questions before arriving – if your question is not answered here, you can email music@leeds.ac.uk for general enquiries or you can email musicstudentinfo@leeds.ac.uk for programme, module and teaching enquiries).

For more information on the support that is available across the university, please see the Helpful support contacts page on the For Students website.

Where do I turn if I need extra academic support? 

In the first instance, academic support can be provided by your personal tutor.

Skills@library also provide a wide variety of workshops and tutorials that may be helpful in developing your academic skills. For example:

How will I find out more about my programme?

We will provide lots of information about your programme during Welcome Week.

How will I get to know other students?

Welcome Week will have a range of activities to help you settle in quickly. Interactive staff and student-led sessions will take place throughout the week to help you meet other students, as well as an introduction to the Leeds University Union Music Society (LUUMS), our departmental society where you can meet students from across the school and beyond.

There are also buddy schemes that you can sign up to at the university. These can connect you with other students and can be a great way to meet people and make friends or other useful connections (like study buddies). The University Buddy Scheme is open to all students across the university, Connections: the Lifelong Learning Centre’s buddy scheme is specifically for mature students, and the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures has it’s own Buddy Scheme for students of Arts, Humanities and Cultures.

Are there any specialist software or systems that I need for my programme and where do I find out information about it?

In Music we use a range of technologies to enhance your learning. Before arrival, it might be helpful to familiarise yourself with the Microsoft Office suite, and the video chat app Teams. Please check out The IT Services website for more information on how to access these applications as a student.

You will be given the opportunity to explore our Virtual Learning Environment (Minerva) in Welcome Week, and we’ll be using this throughout your time with us.

All of the applications are available as part of your enrolment onto your course. You won’t need to purchase any specialist software for your programme. 

Where can I access resources for my degree?  

Our Virtual Learning Environment, Minerva, is the best place to start to find resources for your programme and your modules.

As well as this, the University library has a whole host of subject specific material available for you to use.

We have an online system for booking technical resources and equipment and for booking studio or practice spaces for your studies, and you will receive information about that system during Welcome Week.

What is the role of course representatives and how do I volunteer?

Course reps represent the views and opinions and provide feedback on behalf of the student body. Course reps are recruited in the first few weeks of term, so we will contact you about how you can apply closer to the time.   

Are there any peer mentoring schemes operating in my school?

For undergraduates, our peer mentoring scheme matches you with a second or third year, to help you settle in, develop skills and answer any questions you might have. We’ll put you in touch with your peer mentor in the next couple of weeks. They’ll stay in touch with you over Semester 1, helping you to get the most out of your time here.  

How does assessment work on my programme?

Assessment varies from module to module and could include giving a group presentation, creative work such as performance or composition, developing online content, online time-limited assessments, and writing formal essays and reports. In your first year, assessments are fully supported by your module tutors, as well as online tutorials which you can find here on the Skills@Library page.

Where can I find opportunities for work to develop my career?  

At the University of Leeds, we have a dedicated Careers Centre to help you develop and identify opportunities that will help with your future career. They offer mentoring schemes, careers events and expert advice to help you on your way.

Additional School Resources

School of Music Handbook Sharepoint page.

Other useful links