Hello and welcome to your Freshers’ Pack 2017. In this PDF you will find all the information you need for your first week at the RCM and other information about the term and the year ahead. We have some excellent events planned for you both in freshers’ week and throughout the year and we can’t wait to welcome you to the RCM in September.

WELCOME!

The Students’ Union (SU) includes every student enrolled at the RCM and its work forms a large part of the student experience. The SU divides its work into five main initiatives listed below. As well as these student-facing aspects of its work and running a variety of student societies, we also represent the student voice on various college committees, dealing with everything from day-to-day matters to the very highest level of decision-making.

Student Socials:Could you please replace the text in Student Socials to:The SU hosts a range of social events throughout the year from Freshers’ Week to the Summer Ball. You can explore the cultural gems of London with the See Interesting Things Society or shake it up a bit in an afternoon Rabble session with our Fitness Society. We have expanded our range of events to fit your fancy with a few new and exciting additions to our Societies list. So whether you’d like to experiment with music (Free Improvisation and DJ Societies), develop your computer skills (Web and Software Development Society) or discover other cultures and their traditions (Oriental Society), there is something for everyone. Most of these events are held in our very own, newly refurbished home – BaRCM. The SU strongly believe that hard work and good practise go hand in hand with sufficient time to socialise and have fun with fellow students.

Health and Wellbeing:The Union works hard to encourage health and wellbeing in the student body and collaborates closely with Student Services to facilitate this. We provide and promote a selection of events ranging from meditation, work out sessions with fitness

society or football with the football society. We also promote spiritual wellbeing using our strong links with Imperial College chaplaincy.

Student Feedback:If you have any feedback on any aspects of college life the SU is the place to come. The SU regularly asks for feedback from students about their experience in a hope to continue improving the service both the SU and the RCM are providing. The SU is able to raise any student issues in the appropriate forums within the college and college really do listen.

Pastoral Care:The SU is here as a place for help and advice on all aspect of College life and student life in general. The SU office is always open for general enquiries or just for a chat. If you have a more sensitive issue you would like to discuss one-to-one with one of the student officers, rather than a member of staff, you can make an appointment or drop in during one of our student triage hours.

Supporting Student-led Music:As well as our social and wellbeing events the Students’ Union runs a number of musical activities for students to get involved in, such as the Student Film Orchestra and a yearly oratorio. We also have an active Jazz Society who perform regularly both in and outside of College. The SU encourages students to initiate and take part in student-led music making and will offer concert and admin support for any such projects.

WHAT IS THE SU?

We are really pleased to be launching the SU website this year!www.rcmstudentsunion.com

Information on SU events is on the website and you are able to buy tickets there as well as sign up to societies and find contact details and bits of help and advice; be sure to look at useful links too.

To buy event tickets you will need to sign in using the following details:Username: rcmsu Password: rcmsu1617

Freshers’ Advice: In my first year, I ended up attending only three out of the five Freshers’ Week events and I am still regretting it. You cannot predict which events will be the most exciting so make sure to power through every single one of them! You only get one Freshers’ Week as a Fresher. Also, do come and introduce yourself to me any time as I am very much looking forward to meeting you all!

Something I wish I had known in first year:Be yourself and do everything you would like to do. We are not in secondary school anymore, no one will judge you. The friends you make during Freshers’ Week may be the ones who stay for life... or at least throughout your entire degree. Even if you don’t remember all their names afterwards, still make sure to say hello to everyone (they probably won’t remember your name either)!

Favourite thing to do in London: Having a picnic in the park with friends. We are right next to Hyde Park so take full advantage that. Find your favourite spot and with portable speakers + your friends. What more could you ask for? I also enjoy exploring London’s quirky eats and bar-hopping.

MEET THE TEAM

Freshers’ Advice: “Make sure that you fit sleep and proper food into your jam-packed week... freshers’ flu is not a myth!”

Something I wish I had known in first year:“There are so many student schemes for concerts, ballets, operas, plays, musicals etc. to take advantage of, which can mean paying as little as £5-£10 to see world-class artists and productions!”

Favourite thing to do in London: “Cafe-hopping in Soho or Notting Hill. Here’s some suggestions to get you started: brunch at Granger & Co, coffee at Timberyard, and cake at Ottolenghi.”

NATHAN CHOPRESIDENT

THERESA YUVICE PRESIDENT

Freshers’ Advice: Go to as many college events as you can and take all the advice you can get from the start of the course from creative careers, your teachers and other peers to make the most of your time at college.

Something I wish I had known in first year:London is a big city, it may feel very daunting at first and take you a while to be comfortable in your new surroundings. If you’re having a difficult time settling in to the city, there is always someone there to talk to!

Favourite thing to do in London: Going to the Sky Garden and enjoying a free 360 degree view of the city. Don’t forget to book in advance though!

Freshers’ Advice: “Don’t be shy and get to meet as many new people as you can because it’s the best time to get to know each other and make friends!”

Something I wish I had known in first year:“The time of your studies goes quicker than you think they will so seize every opportunity that shows up or make your own, you won’t regret it!”

Favourite thing to do in London: “My most favourite thing to do in London is taking pictures while walking around the city.”

Freshers’ Advice: “Make sure you take a night off or go easy the day before your orchestral audition!”

Something I wish I had known in first year:“Get Student Pulse, it’s a really easy and cheap way to see the world’s best orchestras in London.”

Favourite thing to do in London: “Visit one of the big London parks (Richmond Park or Hampstead Heath).”

This is your team of student officers, we are all very approachable and happy to help with whatever we can. During freshers’ week we will be sporting visible so if you’re lost or need a hand feel free to chat to any of us. You can find out a little bit more about the committee on the meet the team page of our website.

GABRIELLA HAYNESPOSTGRAD OFFICER

EDUARDO ANDRADEINTERNATIONAL OFFICER

JAKE BAGBYEVENTS OFFICER

Freshers’ Advice: Even if you don’t plan on drinking, go to every event, it’s such a great opportunity to meet new people. (Get a bottle of water and some food ready at the side of your bed before each night!) Something I wish I’d known in my first year - everyone really is in the same boat, it might take some time to adjust but you’re in for such a great year, throw yourself into everything possible.

Favourite thing to do in London: Either evenings in the Eagle’s beer garden, having a few at IC on a Wednesday or using our free entry to Ronnie Scott’s late late shows.

Freshers’ Advice: Freebies are your new best friends, and what better place to get them than at the Freshers’ Fair. It’s also the best time to get introduced to societies on offer. Hint: Imperial hosts a Freshers’ Fair too and welcomes RCM students when it comes to SU activities.

Something I wish I had known in first year:Don’t be afraid to miss out on a party or so - you won’t be seen as anti-social if you don’t attend just every single birthday and house-warming, especially if you have a busy schedule or an important engagement the next morning.

Favourite thing to do in London: Gallery hopping and cafe exploring in the quirky and instagram-friendly areas of London such as Soho and Shoreditch. You won’t believe how many hidden gems there are.

ELEANOR MACKIEEVENTS OFFICER

ELIZAVETA SAULSOCIETIES OFFICER

BEFORE YOU ARRIVE

Freshers’ Advice: Make sure you link your RCM calendar to your icalendar/google calender. It makes life way easier than having to log into asimut every time you need to know where lectures are or what time they start.

Something I wish I had known in first year: I wish I knew how useful the accompanist scheme is. Make sure you try out a few different accompanists until you find one you get on well with and who offers useful advice.

Favourite thing to do in London:Nights out. If clubbing is your thing check out Koko, XOYO or Fabric. If you like rock/hip-hop/pop etc. the Dice app pretty much tells you everything on in London (a lot of which is free). Lastly, if you’re into Jazz- Ronnie Scott’s is the place to go and is free most nights after 11pm if you bring your college card.

Freshers’ Advice: Don’t be afraid to put yourself forward from the get-go. That’s how you will gain opportunities and important contacts that will benefit you in your career.

Something I wish I had known in first year: Time-management is easier said then done! Stay on top of things so you don’t get caught off guard by the end of term.

Favourite thing to do in London:One of my absolute favourite things is exploring Camden Market on the weekend!

ASH BRANDEVENTS OFFICER

GEETA NAZARETHCOMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

Before you arrive there a few things you need to do to make sure everything goes smoothly. You need to:

Register:See the information on how to do this on the RCM induction week page for new students: http://www.rcm.ac.uk/inductionweek/newstudents, don’t forget to pick a nice photo as it will be on your card for the remainder of your college life.

Pay your fees:Again see the information on how to do this on the RCM induction week page for new students:

Apply for your Student Oyster:It’s a good idea to get your student oyster card before you arrive. Please see page 9 of this pack to find out about student oysters, or visit the Getting Around London page on our website.

Practice:Most faculties will have your orchestral auditions in freshers’ week. Make sure you are happy with the material before you arrive, you don’t want to be missing out on fun social events because you need to practice Daphnis.

Join the Freshers’ Group:Join the freshers’ Facebook group for freshers’ only, also join the current RCM students group and click attending on the Facebook freshers’ event

Get your Freshers’ Passes:A Freshers’ Pass gets you entry to all the weeknight freshers’ events. Getting a Freshers’ Pass is £10 cheaper than buying individual tickets to all the freshers’ event and means you are guaranteed entry, even if the event is sold out. You can get your Freshers’ Pass through the SU website. You can also buy individual freshers’ events tickets online through the events section of SU website - more information on these events is coming up.

To buy your Freshers Passes and other events tickets you will need to sign in using the following details: Username: rcmsu Password: rcmsu1617

Download Uber and City Mapper:Download the Uber and City Mapper apps, they are invaluable to living in London, see more on page 19, download Uber using the RCM discount code: 0cik70

Find accommodation:If you have decided not to move into halls for your first year, it’s obviously very important you sort accommodation soon. Don’t leave this late, rooms move quickly in London but practising music students aren’t the favoured choice by tenants in shared houses. If you having problems with accommodation contact RCM student services (leasterbrook@rcm.ac.uk)

What I Do: It’s my job to organise and ensure the (hopefully!) smooth running of the concerts that the SU put on each term, including the SU Film Orchestra concerts and the Oratorio projects.

Freshers’ Advice: Take every opportunity you can to meet and make music with new people – everyone is here for the same thing and will probably want to meet and play with you too!

Something I wish I had known in first year: That there are apparently around 15 pianists in my year group alone – who knew?!

Favourite thing to do in London:Wandering around the food stalls at Camden Market and having some dinner before taking a few drinks up Primrose Hill with some friends.

JOSH PYMANCONCERTS OFFICER

MOVING IN WEEKEND

WHAT TO PACKThe Campus Living Villages portal has lots of information about what to bring with you when you move in, but here are some reminders and some hints for the RCM SU.

• Bedding - you will need a blankets, pillows and covers.

• Cutlery and crockery.• Pots and pans (think about getting some big

pans as it’s a good idea to make things in big batches and freeze them in plastic containers, so bring some of these too).

• Toiletries.• Stationery, (including some pins to put stuff on

your pin-board).• A small whiteboard or post-it notes are a

good idea for a to-do-list.• Food for the first week or so, including lots of

stuff to share with new flatmates and good hangover food.

• Phone charger (it’s a good idea to get a spare phone charger too, so you can keep one in your bag if you have a long day at College). It’s also a great idea to get a portable charger to make sure you have a charged phone to get home on a night out.

• Bike helmet - if you intend to use the Santander Cycles (Boris Bikes) or are bringing your own bike (there is Bike storage at PCV).

• If you are an international student don’t forget to bring plug adaptors.

• Clothes hangers.• Concert clothes - RCM concert dress is:

Girls – Smart black concert dress, shoulders covered and any dresses or skirts must be knee length. Guys –Either, all black (black shirts and black trousers with black socks and smart black shoes) or DJs (white shirt, black bow tie, black jacket with black trousers, black socks and smart black shoes).

• Consider bringing a fan for the warm summer nights.

• Washing bag and washing powder.

CHECKLIST:

If you are moving in to Prince Consort Village you can move in on the Saturday or the Sunday between 9am and 6pm. All of the information about moving into halls will be included in the Campus Living Villages Online portal.

MONDAY:

10:00 – 17:00Tours throughout the day, leaving from the SU

desk in the foyer

10:00-12:00International Student Drop-in Eduardo

Andrade (West Parry Room)

7:30 – 21:00Postgrad Speed Dating (two parry rooms

opened up)

TUESDAY:

16:00 - 18:00International SU Afternoon tea (Britten

Theatre Foyer)

WEDNESDAY:

14:30 – 16:30Freshers’ Fair (Concert Hall)

THURSDAY

13:00 – 14:00CU Talk (Corelli Room)

FRIDAY:

11:00 – 12:30Tours of Albertopolis (leaving from the desk

at 11:00, one or two different groups going in different directions)

4:00-6:00:Postgraduate Pimms Prosecco Pre-Party (East

Parry Rooms)

YOUR FIRST FEW DAYSYour first few days in college will be very busy. Each person will have a slightly different timetable and you will need to plan your days to make sure you fit in everything you need to do. It’s a good idea to go through the induction week Schedule and make a timetable for each day, what you need to go to, at what time and where it is.

There will be an SU welcome desk in the RCM foyer, if you’re not sure where to go or have any questions at any point during the week come and ask us.

Throughout the week the SU have several events during the day that you might want to attend as well as going to all of your college inductions and all of our main evening socials:

EVENING SOCIALS

COMING UP NEXT

FRESHERS’ Fair

Wednesday 20th September2:30pm-4:30pm

SU SOCIETIES

SIGN UPVisit the RCM SU website to find out more and to sign up to these societies.

The RCM has a selection of societies to join. Joining an RCM SU society doesn’t mean any financial commitment as there are no membership fees, every society has a pay per event policy. All society events are open to everybody at College at the same price; signing up to one just means that you are on their mailing list so you receive

advance warning about events and therefore get a preference if events have limited numbers. You also get a say in the activities the society runs. If you want to explore an interest outside of the RCM societies we encourage you to either think about starting a new society or joining an Imperial College Society (of which there are over 300).

Fresher’s Fair is an opportunity for companies, organisations and charities, both local and from further afield to come and advertise their products and services to you. This year we have a wide selection of music relevant stands as well as other London life essentials including ISM, MU, ULSO, Wigmore Hall, Student Pulse, Transport for London, as well as music shops and instrument makers. The great thing about freshers’ fair is that there are tons of freebees, including food!

Football Society:The Football Society has both a Women’s and Men’s team. It involves weekly training sessions/kick abouts and playing with other London Music Colleges throughout the year. Signing up to the society doesn’t mean any commitment, it just means you will be contacted about games. Players may be asked to put in a small amount of money for each game to cover the cost of pitch hire etc.

Jazz Society:The RCM Jazz Society is here for all of your non-classical needs! The JazzSoc hosts all kinds of regular events at College, such as Original Music Nights, Jazz Jams (all welcome to play!), and our Students’ Union Big Band - a biannual student-run big band project culminating in an evening of great music in BaRCM.

Fitness Society:The Fitness Society runs one or two fitness events per week. These range from a run in Hyde Park, to a workout session with a personal trainer, from bouldering to Zumba and Yoga. As with all RCM societies there is no commitment and you pay per event. What’s even better is that the SU subsidises Fitness Society events as part of our Health and Well-being initiative.

Christian Union:The Christian Union (CU) aims to give everyone in College the

opportunity to explore what the Bible has to say about who Jesus is. We regularly meet with Christian musicians in London and around the country through the UCCF network to support each other, helping each other to grow in Faith. We believe that the bible is just as relevant today as ever.

Oriental Society:The RCM Oriental Society aims to provide not only a family-like environment for students from the oriental countries to support and encourage each other during their oversea studying life, but also a platform for anyone interested in oriental culture to communicate and experience the art and philosophy of the eastern world.

Web and Software Development Society:Web and Software Development Society (WSDS) is a new society that came about upon the realisation of two things: conservatoire students are bright and creative, and an efficient way of making money is great news for musicians. Other than being fun, web and software development skills can provide lucrative part-time work to make more money in less time, which leaves us more time for music!

DJ Society:Are you looking to start lessons, develop your skills and have a chance to showcase them at various events or are you just here

for the good music? With biweekly training sessions the DJ society is here to deliver all of the above. We all know that performance is the best practice, so we are giving you the chance to perform at our events. Sign up to be on the mailing list and join our facebook group to keep up with all the updates!

Free Improvisation Society:Are you a classically trained musician but have always been curious about improvisation? Are you a jazz musician but want to explore other sound possibilities? Are you longing for a free space to express yourself free from assessments and regulations and meet fun and interesting people on the way? Then this is the society for you.

See Interesting Things (SIT) Society:Museum hopping, art crawling and civilised drinking. Aficionado or a first timer, we welcome you in to our family of art appreciators - let’s discover and celebrate the beauty and creativity that is waiting to inspire us. We offer a huge range of events including private exhibition views, revisiting London classics and extravagant artistic crawls with a twist. Sign up to be on the mailing list and join our Facebook group in order to always be up to date with all the events! Let’s discover the art that is hiding all across London and around us together.

SU MUSIC

SU MUSIC

A NOTE FROM

The SU has a number of Student led music initiatives, these include the Student Film Orchestra, an SU choir and a yearly oratorio. You will be able sign up to play in these at the freshers’

fair or you can sign up on the SU website at any time. Signing up will add you to the contact list and you will be contacted per project.

Hello and welcome to South Kensington! My name is Chippy and I am the Imperial College Union President. Imperial College Union is a proud partner of RCM SU, which gives you access to our services. Just across the road in Beit Quad you will find our Union bars (just show your RCM ID) and you can use the Imperial College food outlets and even the Imperial library. As members of RCM SU you can become an Associate Member of our Union too. This allows

you to join any of our 370+ Clubs, Societies and Projects (the most of any Students’ Union in the UK). Additionally, we are excited to invite you to our Freshers’ Fair at 11:00-16:00, Tuesday 3 October held across the Imperial South Kensington campus. It is the perfect way to discover all the opportunities available and you can find out more information about our Associate Membership.

Best wishes for the year ahead!

Alex Chippy Compton(Imperial College President 2017/2018)

The RCM Canteen is open from 8:30 – 4:30 every weekday of term time. Because of building works at the RCM the canteen will be located in BaRCM for the next few years, there will be two options for hot food served at lunch as well as a selection of

sandwiches/panini’s etc. For students looking to get a wider selection of food, the SU advises student to explore the Imperial College food outlets which are really close to college, as they have a large wider selection including a large salad bar.

Student Oysters:To get around London you will most likely need an Oyster card. Oyster cards are valid on all tubes and buses (note that London buses don’t take cash). With oyster cards you can either pay as you go, or buy a monthly travel card, if you are traveling to college most days it is best to get a travel card. Applying for a student oyster card costs £20 but it will mean you save 30% on your monthly travel card (If you have a 16-25 railcard and you get a student oyster, you can add the railcard discount to your student oyster meaning you get 34% off off-peak pay as you go travel as well). To apply for a student travel card visit www.tfl.gov.uk once you have your student ID number (which will be in your registration e-mail). To fill in the application you will need your Student ID, course dates (for most students: 18 Sept 2017 to July 2018, Fast-Track MMus and full-time MSc students’ 18 Sept 2017 to Sept 2018), and a digital photo of yourself.

If your student oyster doesn’t arrive in time, you can get a standard oyster card for £5 from any tube station (it can sometimes be useful to have a spare anyway), or use contactless payment.

City Mapper:City Mapper is a handy app that is really helpful for getting around London, which we would suggest you download. It tells you the best route to and from specific destinations and will make it really easy to get around the city. It also informs you if there are any delays to your journey.

Uber:Uber is the cheapest way to get a taxi around London. It can be requested on your phone and you can split fares with others in your taxi. We suggest you download the app and use the RCM invite code: 0cik70.

Night Buses:It’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with the night buses, especially those from college and central London to where you live. If you are living in Prince Consort Village the 94 or the 266 are night buses that stop right outside, so these are the best routes to use when planning your journey home.

Getting to RCM from PCV:The best way get to RCM from PCV is either: • Walking to Ravenscourt Park tube and getting

the district line to South Kensington and walking from there.

• The 94 bus to Notting Hill Gate Station, then the 52 or the 452 to the Royal Albert Hall.

FOOD & DRINK AT COLLEGE

GETTING AROUND LONDON

There are lots of routes to support for students at the RCM. Firstly the Student services department are happy to help with any problem you might have from funding to dyslexia, and from accommodation to musicians’ injuries’, they can be contacted through the Student Services Manager Lynnette Easterbrook (leasterbrook@rcm.ac.uk). Student services also has a councillor, Toireasa MaCann (toireasa.mccann@rcm.ac.uk).

The SU officers are another great resource for support and will help you as much as they can. All students are welcome to drop into the office at any point to talk to a member of the SU. If you have a more sensitive issue you wish to discuss with just one member of the team you can email a team

member directly, or drop into one of our triage hours (more info on our website).

For those living at Prince Consort Village the Residence Assistants (or RAs) are another system of support and will all have had training in supporting student needs.

Finally if you need more support from you faculty, but you feel that you don’t want to talk to your Head of Faculty your Faculty Rep is a great person to talk to.

You can find more information on ‘out of hours’ help on the mental health section of our website

Don’t forget to Like our facebook RCM SU Facebook Page, Join the ‘Freshers’ Group’ and the ‘RCM SU Current Students Group’, you can also follow us on twitter and why not follow the RCM on on facebook, twitter and instagram

Why not buy your RCM hoodie before you arrive and pick it up in freshers’ week (or even better get your parents to buy it for you). You can buy a hoodie on the RCM SU website, to buy a hoodie tickets you will need to sign in using the following details: Username: rcmsu Password: rcmsu1617

HOODIES

The RCM SU is a member of the National Union of Students (NUS), this means you can get hold of an NUS extra card which entitles you to a huge range of discounts including 20% off Odeon student tickets, 10% off at Amazon and 10% off at The Co-operative Food (especially handy for PCV residents). The card is only £32 for three years, so it’s a great investment. You can order your card at cards.nusextra.co.uk/buy. Cards can be ordered to and collected from the RCM SU.

GET AN NUS EXTRA CARD

SUPPORT

SOCIAL MEDIA

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“You cannot predict which events will be the most exciting so make sure to power through every single one

of them! You only get one Freshers’ Week as a Fresher”

Royal College of Music