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London to Manchester is just a four-hour drive. But for Emmy Lambert, who’s originally from the UK capital, that journey was so much more than that – it was a big step forward in her life and career.
“When I was researching courses, I wanted something that would give me the freedom to experiment and find my own voice, a daunting proposition as a mature student,” she says. “But the composition department at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) looked like the perfect place for it, and it was!”
Since joining the Bachelor of Music with Honours (BMus Hons) programme focusing on Composition, Lambert’s skillset and artistic development have improved “leaps and bounds.” “The one-on-one teaching and the wider community of musicians here opened my eyes to possibilities I hadn’t considered when I started out, so I’ve evolved enormously as an artist since I started,” she says.
Founded in 1973, RNCM is continually recognised as one of the world’s most forward-thinking conservatoires. In the 2023 Teaching Excellence Framework, it was rated Gold, while in the 2024 QS University World Rankings, it was ranked #5 (alongside The Juilliard School in New York). Other accolades include multiple Times Higher Education and Greater China Awards, and a Global Teaching Excellence Award.
Attending a highly prestigious university is often linked to a greater chance of securing the best possible graduate job after university. That link is well-proven at RNCM. A music education here is designed to set graduates on multiple career paths in all areas of the industry. Over the years, alumni have made their mark not only as active performers, conductors and composers, but also as inspiring teachers and educators, researchers, broadcasters, animateurs, arts managers, and community outreach leaders.
Student Emmy Lambert is grateful RNCM helped her win a professional project that’ll soon take her to Luxembourg. But she’s even more grateful to be surrounded by the college’s many talented composers and musicians in its various seminars to discuss work, get feedback, and share skills. Source: Royal Northern College of Music
World-class teaching
RNCM is divided into two schools: undergraduate school and graduate school. At the former, you have the flexibility to build a programme that feels right for you. Take the Bachelor of Music with Honours, for example – an all-rounder music programme that focuses on realising your passion for performance or classical composition with academic and professional training to the highest standard. If you want to keep up with current music trends, the Bachelor of Music with Honours in Popular Music is the best choice. It is the only four-year programme of its kind in the UK with courses that continually reinvent itself to respond to today’s ever-changing music industry.
The relaunching of the Graduate Diploma of the RNCM is another undergraduate programme that allows you to pursue two degrees simultaneously: the Graduate Diploma of the RNCM (GRNCM) and the Bachelor of Music (MusB) at The University of Manchester.
At the graduate school, RNCM provides a stimulating environment to bridge the gap between education and professional life. Degree programmes like the Master of Music emphasise your real-world experience through an external professional placement, while the Master of Performance trains you to become a professional performer through a combination of advanced practical coaching and vocational studies. Performers and composers who already have a master’s-level qualification can opt for the Postgraduate Diploma: Advanced Studies, designed to enhance your creativity, technical skills, and employability.
The college emphasises entrepreneurship in its undergraduate and postgraduate schools. Source: Royal Northern College of Music
The UK’s Outstanding Entrepreneurial University of 2023
Whichever programme you choose, all RNCM students focus on entrepreneurship. At the Outstanding Entrepreneurial University (2023 Times Higher Education Award), a third of degrees are turned over to enterprise and entrepreneurship, freelance work accessed in-house and research on effective ways to train creative industry students. Recognising the research showing creative graduates need entrepreneurial skills more than graduates of other disciplines, the college makes it a point to equip students with skills to embark on their self-employment careers and to effectively. start new businesses.
“This should really be a top priority for conservatoires; it’s our responsibility to train our students for their careers, and it would be irresponsible of us not to do so,” says Dr. Michelle Phillips, Head of Enterprise (Academic). “A trumpeter needs to spend time honing their craft – practising, of course, and performing in orchestras and ensembles, attending masterclasses, and playing in small ensembles – but to thrive in the music industry they need to also develop skills in presenting themselves, at networking, at working out their own rates and doing their taxes – all those professional skills.”
The StART Entrepreneurship Project enriches the entrepreneurial training of RNCM students. The award-winning programme runs student workshops, professional placements, mentorships and networking opportunities with partner organisations across the creative industries sector – covering subjects like finance, tax, project planning and management, networking, idea generation, and pitching.
“It’s been very useful to be able to prepare for the realities of the industry – help with things like Private Retirement Scheme and funding applications is invaluable,” Lambert says. “Admin takes up a significant amount of time for most musicians so the advice on how to streamline some of the business side and bring your artistic priorities into entrepreneurship made a huge impact on me too.”
Overflowing with opportunities
As one of the UK’s busiest live music venues, there is no shortage of performance opportunities at the RNCM. The college partners with the likes of BBC Philharmonic, Hallé, Opera North, Manchester Camerata and Manchester Collective, giving students a range of professional and Performance Opportunities to help them develop the skills needed to establish and maintain a successful future in a competitive sector.
“I was fortunate enough to have a piece workshopped by the Hallé Orchestra last year and it taught me a great deal,” Lambert says. “Having pieces workshopped by professional ensembles and performers has been a real highlight of the degree.”
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