About Leeds Conservatoire of Music

Leeds Conservatoire is a leading European conservatoire.

We provide music education to a community of almost 1,500 musicians through a variety of programmes, including undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses, numerous short courses and Junior Leeds Conservatoire for those aged 9-18.

The conservatoire opened in 1965 as Leeds Music Centre, providing a Light Music course with a significant focus on Jazz. In 1993 Leeds Conservatoire launched the first Jazz degree in Europe, and in 2004 we became the first UK conservatoire to offer Popular Music, Music Production and later Music Business.

Undergraduate Study

50 years since our inception, we now have a diverse offering of music courses spanning Popular Music, Classical Music, Jazz, Music Production, Music Business, Film Music, Songwriting and Folk. From 2019 we will be extending our in to the areas of Musical Theatre, Acting and Actor Musician.

All courses offer the opportunity to work with a broad range of staff, students and industry professionals and to undertake an  extensive range of collaborative and interactive projects, equipping them for working life.

Postgraduate Study

Postgraduate study at Leeds Conservatoire offers students the opportunity to collaborate with leading composers, performers and producers as they develop your skills as a professional-level musician.

Saturday Music School

Our Saturday Music School programme supports young musicians, aged between 10 and 18. Students experience performance, production and ensemble sessions, as well as the chance to learn rare instruments and hone their theory and composition skills.

Short Courses

Leeds Conservatoire offers a substantial range of short courses for adults and young musicians, comprising short courses, summer schools, weekend workshops and one-day events.

Partnerships

Leeds City College

In August 2011, Leeds Conservatoire entered a strategic partnership with the Leeds City College group, enabling us to maintain teaching quality and further improve support for students.

Leeds City College is the UK’s third largest FE institution, offering a wide ranging curriculum to over 55,000 students. Like Leeds Conservatoire it provides a vibrant, multicultural learning environment, delivering excellent and innovative education that is supportive, inspiring and life changing.

University of Hull

Leeds Conservatoire’s degree courses are validated by the University of Hull. Forward-thinking, modern and student-oriented – and with a firm commitment to celebrating diversity – the University of Hull’s ethos is well-matched with the conservatoire’s own.

Leeds Conservatoire of Music is also a member of:

Conservatoires UK

The European Association of Conservatoires (AEC)

BASCA

ISM

Yorkshire Universities

Guild HE

Berklee International Network

Policy Statement on the Recruitment of Ex-offenders

As an organisation using the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Disclosure service to assess applicants’ suitability for positions of trust, Leeds Conservatoire complies fully with the DBS Code of Practice and undertakes to treat all applicants for positions fairly. It undertakes not to discriminate unfairly against any subject of a Disclosure on the basis of conviction or other information revealed. Leeds Conservatoire is committed to the fair treatment of its staff or potential staff regardless of Marital Status, Religion or Belief, Gender Re-assignment, Age, Disability, Sexual Orientation, Gender, Race or Pregnancy, Maternity, Adoption, Paternity or offending background.

We have a written policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders, which is made available to all Disclosure applicants at the outset of the recruitment process. We actively promote equality of opportunity for all with the right mix of talent, skills, and potential, and welcome applications from a wide range of candidates, including those with criminal records. We select all candidates for interview based on their skills, qualifications, and experience.

Certain offers of employment are subject to a DBS disclosure. All application forms, job adverts and person specifications will contain a statement that a ‘Disclosure’ will be requested in the event of the individual being offered the position if it applies to the role in question. .

In most cases, having a criminal record will not prevent a candidate from being employed by the conservatoire. This will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances and background of the offences.

An appropriate risk assessment will be carried out in relation to any offences disclosed on the application form and DBS disclosure, to identify whether the offences are relevant to the nature of the position.

In cases where offers of employment are made subject to a satisfactory DBS disclosure, if it is identified that the convictions are relevant to the nature of the position, the decision may be taken to withdraw the conditional offer of employment.

Depending on the nature of the role, the conservatoire may allow staff to commence in employment once a Disclosure application has been submitted and prior to a DBS Disclosure being received. If the individual concerned has already commenced work at the conservatoire and it is identified that the convictions subsequently disclosed are relevant to the nature of the position, the decision may be taken to terminate employment.

If there are offences disclosed on the DBS disclosure that the individual has failed to disclose on their original application form, this may render them liable to summary dismissal.