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Jazz - BMus

Currently viewing course to start in 2025/26 Entry.

The launch of our Eastside Jazz Club has helped consolidate the integral role that Royal Birmingham Conservatoire has to play in a major UK city that enjoys a thriving jazz scene. While Birmingham’s jazz scene has been established over many years, our bespoke venue promises an exciting future for Jazz in the city....

  • Level Undergraduate
  • Study mode Full Time

This course is:

Open to International Students

Overview

The launch of our Eastside Jazz Club has helped consolidate the integral role that Royal Birmingham Conservatoire has to play in a major UK city that enjoys a thriving jazz scene. While Birmingham’s jazz scene has been established over many years, our bespoke venue promises an exciting future for Jazz in the city.

Our Jazz Department is based around the Club, where student musicians share a platform and get invaluable side-by-side performance experience with the best on the scene, whom we welcome to our stage on a regular basis.

This course meets with the needs of the modern jazz performer – it places emphasis on practical work, with the majority of time dedicated to one-to-one lessons, small group coaching and private practice. You'll study modules that have been specifically and skilfully designed for jazz musicians, and as part of your learning we encourage you to explore in depth the relationship between improvisation and composition, which is central to developing your individual voice. You will graduate as a versatile, professional musician who is knowledgeable about the entrepreneurial opportunities available to you, and aware of the commercial realities for musicians joining today’s UK jazz scene as a portfolio musician.

Delivered by performers, band leaders and composers who enhance their teaching with professional experience, insights and connections, the course hones both your performance and professional awareness. 

With individual specialist tuition throughout all four years of the course you will get the individual attention you need to prepare for a successful career in the music profession.

As well as having our own club that has taken its place on Birmingham’s vibrant jazz scene, our students enjoy professional experience opportunities with external gigs that familiarise them with the industry – for example through our partnership with Cheltenham Jazz Festival – one of many ways we prepare you for the future.

This course is open to International students.

What's covered in this course?

The BMus (Hons) Jazz course is a specialist course for performers in jazz. Its main aim is to prepare students for a career in the music profession in the field of jazz. At the heart of our course's philosophy is the ideal of the informed musician; someone who is able to combine both advanced skills and musical knowledge in the advancement of their musical career. The BMus (Hons) Jazz course therefore aims to develop the specialist skills, the theoretical, historical and practice-based knowledge and to encourage the individual creativity required for you to become an independent learner, a critical thinker and a reflective practitioner. 

You will be taught by performers, band leaders and composers, who are ideally placed to share their professional experience, insights and connections. With their guidance, you will hone both your performance skills and your professional awareness. 

My musical approach is greatly indebted to the time I spent studying on the jazz course. Simply being around like-minded people in a culture of practice and study, with guidance from musicians I greatly respected, was extremely beneficial.

Tom Chapman

Why Choose Us?

  • Top 15 in the UK for Music (Guardian League Table 2025).
  • You will work with some of the greatest musicians and study on modules that have been specifically and skilfully designed for jazz musicians.
  • Our performance health programme — including performance coaching, physiotherapy, movement workshops and Alexander technique classes — allows students to develop as confident and effective performers.
  • You will experience significantly more one-to-one tuition time than on a typical academic university music course – or indeed any other conservatoire courses.
  • We are proud to be a festival partner of the Cheltenham Jazz Festival; a partnership that gives our students an insight into how festivals are run, and some invaluable performance opportunities.
  • We are the only Conservatoire who run a Jazz Club venue as an integral part of the courses. Our very own Eastside Jazz Club boasts a roll call of artists to rival any jazz club in Europe and beyond.
  • Our course prepares you for a portfolio career on the contemporary music scene, with performance at its core. It will also give you transferrable skills, including team-working, adaptability, self-promotion, time management and critical thinking.
  • You will have full access to our superb £57 million facilities. These include our wonderful performance spaces: the 500-seat Bradshaw Concert Hall, the 150-seat Recital Hall, our black-box performance space known as “The Lab”, the Organ Studio, and our fabulous Eastside Jazz Club. We’ve not even mentioned our seven recording studios and more than 70 practice rooms, ensemble rooms and workshops in addition; all acoustically designed to provide a music-making environment that is absolutely world-class.
  • We have countless partnerships and long-established professional relationships with organisations including the Cheltenham Jazz Festival, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Welsh National Opera, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Orchestra of the Swan and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

    Open Day

    Join us on campus where you'll be able to explore our facilities and accommodation in person, and chat to staff and students from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire..

    Next Open Day: 5 December 2024

    Book your place

    Entry Requirements

    These entry requirements apply for entry in 2025/26.

    All required qualifications/grades must have been achieved and evidenced at the earliest opportunity after accepting an offer to help confirm admission and allow for on-time enrolment. This can also include other requirements, like a fee status form and relevant documents. Applicants can track their application and outstanding information requests through their BCU mySRS account.

    Essential requirements

    32 UCAS Tariff points. Learn more about UCAS Tariff points.

    Applicants will also need to complete an audition for this course; see audition arrangements below.

    If you have a qualification that is not listed, please contact us.

    Fees & How to Apply

    Please select your student status to view fees and apply
    • UK Student
    • International Student

    UK students

    Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.

    Award: BMus

    Starting: Sep 2025

    • Mode
    • Duration
    • Fees

    International students

    Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.

    Award: BMus

    Starting: Sep 2025

    • Mode
    • Duration
    • Fees

    Access to computer equipment 

    You will require use of a laptop, and most students do prefer to have their own. However, you can borrow a laptop from the university or use one of our shared computer rooms. 

    Printing 

    You will receive £5 print credit in each year of your course, available after enrolment. 

    Field trips 

    All essential field trips and associated travel costs will be included in your course fees. 

    Access to Microsoft Office 365 

    Every student at the University can download a free copy of Microsoft Office 365 to use whilst at university and for 18 months after graduation. 

    Key subscriptions 

    Subscriptions to key journals and websites are available through our library. 

    Specialist equipment (mandatory) 

    Whilst access to large instruments, e.g. pianos, drum kits, etc is provided; it is assumed that all students will have their own "portable" instrument, e.g. saxophone, trombone, etc with them where required by their course. 

    Excess printing (optional) 

    Once you have spent your £5 credit, additional printing on campus costs from 5p per sheet. 

    Personal stationery and study materials (optional) 

    Based on the past experience of our students, you might find it helpful to set aside about £30 for each year of your studies for your personal stationery and study materials. 

    Placement expenses (optional) 

    If you choose to undertake a placement, you'll need to budget for accommodation and any travel costs you may incur whilst living or working away from home. 

    Personal equipment (optional) 

    Musicians are expected to cover costs related to their Principal Study discipline, e.g. keeping instruments in good working order, replacing consumables such as strings and reeds. Sheet music, scores, hearing protection, and concert dress can all be considered an expectation of the music industry. 

    Accommodation and living costs (optional)

    The cost of accommodation and other living costs are not included within your course fees. More information on the cost of accommodation can be found in our accommodation pages.

    The deadline for on-time applications is normally on or around 1 October in the year prior to entry, followed by auditions in November (for those attending an audition in Birmingham). If you apply between 1 October and 4 January, you may be eligible for our late auditions in February, if places are still available. For detailed information, see our how to apply section.

    Personal statement

    UK / EU students are required to submit a personal statement as part of their application for this course.*

    The personal statement gives you a crucial opportunity to say why you’re applying and why the institution should accept you.

    Here are the key areas you’ll need to address:

    • Course choice - Why does this course appeal? What areas are of particular interest?
    • Career plans - If you have a specific career in mind, say how your chosen course will help you pursue this goal.
    • Work experience - Mention any work that is relevant to your subject, highlighting the skills and experience gained.
    • School or college experience - Highlight skills gained at school/college, eg summer schools or mentoring activities.
    • Non-accredited skills or achievement - eg Duke of Edinburgh Award, Young Enterprise scheme.

    You should also mention your future plans – if you’re planning to take a year out, don't forget to give your reasons. Talk about any subjects you’re studying that don’t have a formal assessment and any sponsorships or placements you’ve applied for. And don't be scared to add in details about your social, sports or leisure interests.

    Worried about Personal Statements?

    If you've got no idea where to start or just want to check you're on the right track, we’ve got expert advice and real examples from our students to help you nail your personal statement. You can even download our ultimate personal statement guide for free.

    Get personal statement advice

    *Non-EU students are not required to submit a personal statement when applying for this course.

    Course in Depth

    Year one

    In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 120 credits):

    Year two

    In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 120 credits):

    Year three

    In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 80 credits):

    In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete at least 20 credits from the following indicative list of OPTIONAL modules.

    Year four

    In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete at least 120 credits from the following indicative list of OPTIONAL modules.

    Download course specification

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    Course Structure

    We tutor you in several different areas of musicianship. With individual specialist tuition throughout all four years of the course you will get the individual attention you need to prepare for a successful career in the music profession.

    With the help of your tutor, you will develop a productive practice regime and lay down a foundation for technical skills and  improvisation processes.

    Using a typical group of two or three frontline instruments, plus a rhythm section, you will receive intensive weekly coaching in your core repertoire. You will then go on to run your own small group, using your choice of repertoire and performers.

    We encourage you to explore in depth the relationship between improvisation and composition, which is central to developing an individual voice.

    You will also work towards a major project of your own devising, such as a recording, performance or  dissertation. This will need to reflect your specialist interests and career aims.

    You can look forward to masterclasses and workshops in our own Eastside Jazz Club led by respected artists from the jazz scene.

    Conservatoire’s memberships

    Royal Birmingham Conservatoire is a member of Conservatoire’s UK (CUK) and Association Européene des Conservatoires (AEC).

    CUK is the voice of Conservatoire education in the UK.  It represents the collective views of nine UK conservatoires and aims to develop the best training and education in the performing arts.

    The AEC is a European cultural and educational network, which looks after the interests of institutions concerned with training students for the music profession.


    Student stories

    Tom Dunnett

    Tom moved to London shortly after he graduated from the BMus Jazz course at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in 2013. He is now a freelance trombonist in London and holds a chair in the Syd Lawrence Orchestra and a show on the West End. Other work includes big bands, jazz projects and recordings, and some light classical concerts. He also has a sextet and a quartet which he writes for as an ongoing project with views to finding gigs along with recording and performing original music.

    Employability

    Employment Opportunities

    One of the central aims of the course is to launch jazz performers into the music profession. You will have a chance to document your work as a jazz musician through a studio project in the third year. You will also design a major project in the fourth year around an area of professional practice of your choice.

    As further professional development, you will look at contemporary role models in jazz performance, undertaking in-depth case studies of their careers. There are also classes providing advice on how to manage a freelance portfolio career in music, covering topics such as personal finance and tax, publicity and events promotion, applications to funding bodies, and bidding for commissions.

    Placements

    We have a  number of musical partners including the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO), Birmingham Contemporary Music Group (BCMG), Birmingham Royal Ballet, Orchestra of the Swan, Birmingham Music Service, Jazzlines, and Town Hall Symphony Hall, with whom opportunities to perform occur.

    International

    Birmingham City University is a vibrant and multicultural university in the heart of a modern and diverse city. We welcome many international students every year – there are currently students from more than 80 countries among our student community.

    The University is conveniently placed, with Birmingham International Airport nearby and first-rate transport connections to London and the rest of the UK.

    Our international pages contain a wealth of information for international students who are considering applying to study here, including:

    Facilities & Staff

    Our staff

    Jeremy Price

    Head of Jazz

    Jeremy Price (born 1970) studied at Birmingham Conservatoire and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and has since followed a career as a freelance trombonist and jazz educator. Jeremy has been Head of Jazz at Birmingham Conservatoire since the Jazz Department was established in 1999 and wrote the Conservatoire's first ever BMus (Hons) Jazz...

    More about Jeremy

    John Turville

    Jazz Piano Tutor

    John Turville is one of the leading pianists and educators on the UK scene. A graduate of Cambridge and the Guildhall, he has since received numerous awards, including the MOJO #3 Jazz Album of the Year (2012), ‘Best Album’ in the Parliamentary Awards 2011, ‘Best Instrumentalist' in the 2010 London Jazz Awards, the 2009 Promoter’s...

    More about John

    Mark Hodgson

    Visiting Tutor

    Born in Kendal, Cumbria and coming from a musical family Mark originally began playing the Electric Bass in his early teens. Aged seventeen he was inspired to take up the Double Bass after seeing The Oscar Peterson Trio, featuring Ray Brown.

    More about Mark