Music

Music at conservatoire level is an intensive and comprehensive training in the art and craft of making music at a high professional standard. It combines technical development on your principal instrument or in voice with ensemble playing, music theory, musicology, and the broader professional knowledge needed to build a career in a competitive and diverse musical landscape. The conservatoire environment is distinctive: you are surrounded by fellow musicians of comparable commitment and ability, forming the kind of creative partnerships and professional networks that can sustain a music career for decades.

At the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, part of Birmingham City University, this four-year full-time degree places you in one of the UK's leading conservatoire environments. You will develop as a performer and as a complete musician, with opportunities to work across genres and contexts, from orchestral performance and chamber music to collaborations with the wider BCU arts, design and media faculty on projects including film soundtracks, video game audio and art exhibitions. The programme builds both your artistic identity and your practical professional capabilities, preparing you for the varied and demanding realities of a career in music.

Graduates from music degrees at conservatoire level go on to careers as performing musicians, conductors, session artists, teachers, music directors and arts administrators. Many build portfolio careers that combine performance with teaching, composition and community music work. Others find roles in music management, cultural programming, music journalism and broadcasting, or move into music technology and production.

The professional networks built during the degree, as well as the high level of performance training received, are central to how graduates navigate entry into the profession.