Worried about music at Westminster university

[Mombat]

My daughter is about to start at Westminster Uni doing music and I've just discovered the uni stat figures of 32% satisfaction. Reading through has made my heart sink especially when I looked at other music courses - 83% satisfaction at Salford! We are not a rich family and sending her to uni has been a dream but I am so worried she'll be wasting her time. I don't know what to do. Can she give up her place or will she get charged? We only looked because one of my husband's friends went on the course 20 years ago and it made him. It just looks like it's been downhill ever since. I'm kicking myself for not taking more of an interest, but I've been unwell for the past year and not really been able to support my girl.

[Mombat]

Thank you very much to everyone who has replied. Thank you also to the posters who have messaged me privately. I am now worried that the university is monitoring this thread and so I am not going to give any more details about my daughter because it might count against if she ends up going. I'm not going to repeat what posters have told me privately, but it hasn't made me feel any better.

[throwaway1122]

My mum told me someone posted it so I decided to make an account and reply with my own experience as I thought it’d be relevant to someone who is in the same boat I was. This is a new account because I’m a student and wouldn’t have a mumsnet account previously?? I’m simply giving information about the course because I’m currently enrolled on it and thought it would be beneficial. I find your comment very narrow-minded. (I also doubt very much the media team would be working at 10.30pm).

[PhonicTheHedgehog]

I have to agree with Atila I’m afraid.

Employment statistics don’t say what sort of job the graduate is in. They don’t tell you if the graduate is employed in their specialist area or employed by the university they went to in an admin role.

[Piggywaspushed]

OP , I am bit worried that you keep mentioning cost. Alarm bells are ringing, given she is staying at home.

You have applied for finance, haven't you?

[AtillatheHun]

what exactly does she want to do in the music industry? business or creative side?
What has changed massively since your friend went is that a lot of specialist courses have opened up and many of them (like BIMM) have better business links and therefore higher employment ratest at the other end.
If she wants to go into the business side, which area? for most, a music degree isn't remotely necessary - playing a bit on the side of an eg english or statistics degree (depending on area) will be more helpful

[stucknoue]

Look at the employability figures. Unfortunately newer universities don't always have good graduates employability but do have specialist courses. If she likes the different components then go for it, otherwise suggest a gap year and reconsider

[Richymondo]

Mmmm Throwaway1122 what exactly is a Westminster university student doing on a Mumsnet site so close to the new term? It's hugely coincidental. Sorry, I do not believe you, I think you are probably from the university new media marketing team. FYI people with no previous history who suddenly appear on Mumsnet to defend an institution are nearly always suspect. The very problem is that the tutors at Westminster University DON'T have contacts with the music industry because they've never done more than appear on Top of the Pops (wow this dates me) once in the 1980s!

[Comefromaway]

Salford has great industry links at Medial City too.

[Comefromaway]

However saying that my son wants to go into music tech and Salford willbe high up on his list of places to apply along with Surrey (Creative Music Tech, not Tonnmeister). Places are generally awarded more on audition/portfolio standard than academic grades. Westminster isn;ty really on his radar.

[Comefromaway]

My dh teaches at a university on a practical performing arts course. Their student satisfaction is lower than many becasue students sometimes go in with the wrong expectations. This particular course aims to train future performers and culminates in a graduate showcase for agents. Its basically like going to drama school but at a university. And graduate outcomes are fantastic.

But some students rank it lower for satisfaction because things aren't done in the same wasy as at an academic university and students are not seen as the customer but as a person to train for the industry.

[throwaway1122]

Hi, I'm currently a music student at westminster doing the same course your daughter is wanting to do. I love this course and I'm really glad I chose to do it. The course is very flexible and a lot of the lecturers have direct links to the music industry so I was able to go to a lot of industry events which included Warner Music and the BBC.
A lot of the comments have been very focused on the reputation of universities. Through my own current experience with the course being proactive and having supportive lecturers personally providing me with opportunities has been amazing. It's a very modern and flexible course (very different to the more traditional music universities) but it allows you to enter the music business with ease as you simultaneously build a portfolio whilst studying.
It's also a very sociable course and you mix a lot with the other years and also the other creative students on campus. If your daughter is passionate about music and is proactive, she'll really enjoy it.

[PhonicTheHedgehog]

I’m not sure I’d want my child to go to Westminster to do their music course.

I’m not sure many (any?) music degrees are useful or necessary to get into the music business. The tier below a degree yes, but a degree?

What area of music is she interested in? What were her A levels and grades? Where are you in London?

[MrKlaw]

OP you mention finances are difficult but also that they can live at home? If so, have you looked carefully at the finances? If you don't have high income you should get a decent maintenance loan, and tuition is covered. Without the biggest expense of accommodation I would think your daughter should be able to attend without it costing you anything out of pocket - she may even be able to pay you a little to help cover food etc.

[TheMaestro]

No chance of getting on the Tonmeister course at Surrey (music recording). The places for that will have been wrapped up ages ago.

[titchy]

BIMM in Ealing might be worth a look too. Don't know about reputation as fairly new.

[titchy]

Xenia you muppet she's not looking at classical or a BMus...

Several points:

She won't be charged anything unless she enrols and stays for at least two weeks.

U. West London better for music than Westminster which is poor to be frank (UWL has London College Music).

Salford and Huddersfield prob even better (and cheap to live) or Surrey for Sound engineerin - so check those.

As she's left looking for alternatives so late, a year out is far better than a panic decision - working and/or portfolio building.

Appreciate finances but if you can find a way of enabling her to look at the whole U.K. that will help - is she entitled to full maintenance? A year working might help, and plenty of summer jobs in London.

[Drabarni]

The music conservatoires have very low entrance, not saying yours was low results, btw.
It's 3 GCSE's old A-C and 2 A levels A-E
Grade 8 practical, they prefer grade 5 theory, as well.
It turns out musicians not academics, there's a difference.
Manchester do a joint course with the RNCM but they look for higher grades for entry.

[Drabarni]

Salford is excellent for lots of courses, it's a lot cheaper than down south and even has it's own pint pot pub, up the road.
They do a lot of activities, loads of groups to join, it's very diverse.

[TheMaestro]

City University was quite highly rated as a music department cough cough years ago.

[Xenia]

I would withdraw. Westminster is one of the worst UK univesrities with the lowest entry requirments so is bottom of the pile really. Sorry to be so brutal. We know people who read music at places like Oxford and Bristol and it can be a very good course but in those places you woudl be amongst exceptional students with high exam results as you would at the music colleges like the Royal Academy of Music. What are her A level grades and music grade 8 grades as that will probably determine what calibre of place she can get into?

I think Bubbles is right about trading up. As she could live at home in London try places like King's College London - www.kcl.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/music-bmus

[Mombat]

Nettleskins she picked London because we live here so she can live at home and its cheaper. Uni is financially stretching for us as a family but we wanted her to have her chance. I hadn't thought about trading up so thank you Bubbles. We are going to spend today looking at the options.

[BubblesBuddy]

I’m not sure if this would be available, but what about trading upwards? Are her results good enough to get into somewhere better? Start looking at better courses and see where there are spaces and start being proactive regarding trading up.

It’s fairly well known music grads struggle. Even ones from Conservatoires. It’s a very difficult industry to get a job in. It’s even more difficult to make any money. DD knows a couple: one became a barrister (Oxford) and the other plays in a band but has a girlfriend who is making it! Musically and in fashion magazines. Does a music degree make any difference to getting a job in the music business? Not sure it does.

[phenomenalcat]

Oh my goodness, yes it is right at the bottom. I'm a bit far removed from the process but this website seems to show places left in clearing
www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings?s=music
My nephew has just got a music degree from Huddersfield and loved it there. Would be much cheaper living expenses too 😊
Good luck - I hope she gets sorted x

[Nettleskeins]

It is quite interesting reading the league table for music. I think there are too many variables for it to mean that much, but it is noticeable that she has picked something right at the bottom and London is a very expensive place to study, accommodation wise unless you live there already. I'm sure as another poster has said part of the dissatisfaction will have come from people feeling that a move to London should have equalled superlative teaching, which is why most of the unis in London seem to have come low down, apart from West London, and ds would never have chosen that as a young person setting out - no teacher ever suggested it to him, which says a lot..whereas Royal Holloway or RCM or Guildhall...reputation precedes them

[Nettleskeins]

He also picked it because he really liked the course and the university campus/city scene and OB had been recommended to us by students past and current.

I know someone who went to Westminster for Film school and that was very good, but tbh I don't know anyone who has chosen if for music and it certainly wasn't recommended to us by anyone. Hull Keele and Cardiff were what came up when he did his asking around..Surrey seemed v academic (too academic and scientific, although he liked it very much) and Sussex was more a music technological approach (someone he met at OB audition, told him this)