Welcome to spring 2021 Upbeat
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Welcome to Upbeat magazine, released as spring is in the air and hope ignites for a reopening of musical activity. We have already welcomed students back to the RCM campus and are looking forward to using our new performing spaces for a great deal of music making over the coming months.
This issue of the magazine reflects on and showcases some of the work the RCM has undertaken in relation to our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion agenda. A new strategy was published last month and across the institution colleagues are passionately engaged with this work. In this issue, we present insights from students, staff and alumni as they share their perspectives on how we can continue to improve representation in classical music.
Diversity, advocacy and connection
Discussions about representation are taking place across our community. In this Upbeat we speak to some of the people who are pushing forward the advocacy for underrepresented groups.
Highlights include:
- Inside the Diversity Action Group: recollections and insights from the RCM community - we hear from members of this group as they reflect on what has been achieved so far and their hopes for the future.
- Peter Brathwaite: baritone, advocate, artist – in the first-ever Upbeat video, Peter tells us about his time at the RCM, his passion for unearthing untold stories and the strength that comes with better representation.
- Bright Sparks: how RCM Sparks drives positive social change by widening access to music education – we find out how the RCM’s learning and participation programme has been working to support greater inclusivity in music education.
Hearing directly from our community
In this issue we launch two new regular features, bringing you even closer to the RCM community:
- Student voices – in this series, we hear from a member of the student body. RCM Students’ Union President Joel Wilson describes the resilience of the RCM students.
- After the RCM – in a new alumni feature, we speak to RCMJD alum Denis Coleman. Denis describes how his time at the RCM Junior Department gave him the perfect start and paved the way for his successful career as a pop artist.
All our news
- In our Updates pages, read all about the latest goings on amongst students, staff and alumni, and look at our pick of their best social media posts.
- We celebrate the lives of members of the RCM community in In Memory.
- Among our news items we celebrate the record-breaking fundraising of 2020’s The Big Give campaign, congratulate RCM success in the 2021 Queen’s New Year’s Honours List and proudly report another year topping the QS University Rankings.
Share your news!
We would love to hear from you about any projects or collaborations you’ve been part of in recent weeks, and we love to share stories of how our alumni community is staying connected. You can email us news for the next issue by Monday 31 May at news@rcm.ac.uk and tag the RCM on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Weibo.
Professor Colin Lawson CBE FRCM, Director
Professor Colin Lawson is the Director of the Royal College of Music.
