These are a few of my favourite things about studying at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire

Rebecca Lee is a third-year student at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire who is currently studying BA (Hons) Applied Theatre (Community and Education). She takes us on a visual journey, describing to us all of her favourite things about studying at the Conservatoire and her experience on the course so far.

If you’ve stumbled onto this blog post then I’m guessing you’re thinking about studying at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (aka RBC for the cool kids), well, look no further! I’m going to take you on a little trip telling you about my favourite things about studying at the RBC. So, buckle up and strap yourselves in, you’re in for a smooth ride.

Before I start, I think it’s best that you know a bit about me: my name is Rebecca, but everyone calls me Becca. I’m a third-year student currently studying BA (Hons) Applied Theatre (Community and Education) at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. When thinking about my university choices, Birmingham initially wasn’t on my list at all. I came to the audition on a whim as a bit of a backup option. However, as soon as I turned up to the audition something in my heart told me that this is where I belong. 

As you guessed from me writing this blog, I made it into RBC and from the first day, I knew it was the right place for me! 

I should mention that on the Applied Theatre course, aka AT (another one for the cool kids), there are three tutors: Peter, Terina and Bobby, along with a voice and a movement teacher. All the tutors go above and beyond to help their students settle in, achieve greatness and are always willing to give up their time to support us (they didn’t pay me to say that). One of the first things they did during freshers week was taking us (my course peers and I) to the university pub for a drink and some lunch. It was during this pub lunch that I made my first friend at university. This is one of my favourite things about learning at the RBC because I found that as a course, we all built strong bonds with our tutors and we never feel ashamed asking for help or advice, which I think is so important!

My favourite thing so far about studying at RBC is the friendships I’ve made along the way. We all clicked instantly and have built such strong friendships since our first day together. This hasn’t just been the case for my year though, it’s something that can be seen across all courses within the RBC too. 

As fun as it to have great friends, I also found it makes an amazing work environment where everyone is confident to perform in front of each other. We have built a strong support system between the class. During the pandemic, we created a Facebook group to keep in contact with each other, scheduled weekly Zoom meetings and supported people who may be struggling during this difficult time. We also had a few parties along the way too and after our first-year performance, we thought it was important to celebrate everyone’s hard work and achievements.

Another one of my favourite things about the RBC is the standard of the performances that we create. Every tutor has past experience within the arts and because of this, they produce amazing performances! If you are a student, they are free to watch as the tutors know the importance of seeing live productions.

Our first-year project was a performance set within the 1950s which looked into adoptions, race and family. We got with help with the context from local people’s stories at a residential home down the road. From then on, with support of our tutors and outside directors, we have created our own fabulous (if I do say so myself) workshops and performances that have been toured around schools and other local venues. 

I could go on and on and on about everything I love about the RBC and what it has to offer, but I’m aware that your eyes are probably hurting. So, I’ll just say that the RBC has amazing tutors, wonderful studios and resources up to your ears! It is a friendly working environment that makes it a joy to walk into every day. I hope you enjoyed your journey with me on all the things I love about the RBC and I really hope to see you around soon!