Accommodation

Bristol hosts various possibilities for accommodation including flats, shared houses, bedsits or part-board with a host family. Please be aware that accommodation is in high demand due to the fact that Bristol is a student city. Many Bristol letting agents that specialize in student accommodation advise booking early viewings between January and June as the standard student letting arrangement is a 12-month contract commencing July 1st of every year. 

New agency accommodation lists come out in January. Take cheque books and/or debit cards to secure deposits and pay agency fees. Take ID as some agencies will give you a key to view a property if you have ID.

BIMM has a close relationship with the following student housing agents:

King Square Studios

King Square Studios is a brand new development located in the very same square as BIMM Bristol – in fact, its next door! Offering fully furnished apartments with competitive rent rates, broadband internet, contents insurance and TV, the buildings will also house common areas, a games room, a home cinema and a gym.

For further information visit www.crm-students.com or call 0844 371 5612.

iQ Letting Property Partnership – Bristol

iQ have developed student accommodation on Marlborough Street in Bristol – just a five minute walk from BIMM. They offer various types of accommodation, which are all inclusive of utility bills, contents insurance and broadband.

For further information on available property and prices please visit www.loveiq.co.uk or call 0117 927 7498.

Studios 58

Studios 58 offer a range of contemporary studio apartments, just along the street from BIMM. Every studio comes with a modern built-in kitchen, en-suite bathroom, double bed, leather sofa and plenty of storage. All bills are included in the rent (capped rate) and for 2011/12 all studios will have 10mb broadband and IPTV – free of charge! With 99 apartments, a common room and communal courtyard, Studios 58 welcomes individuals or couples from all higher education institutions.

To book, arrange a viewing or find out more, please contact the accommodation office on 0117 924 4044, or visit www.mainstaystudent.co.uk/studios58

The Mansion Group – Hotwells House

Hotwells House is in a great location on the Bristol waterfront with easy access to new harbour-side clubs, bars and restaurants. Newly refurbished to a very high specification and offering a range of standard and en suite rooms in shared cluster flats, you can chose to live with your friends, or you can pick from one of our exemplary studio flats. All flats have a large, communal lounge and contemporary open plan kitchen / lounge area with flat screen TV, making Hotwells House feel like a real home from home. The property has bike storage so you can make use of Bristol’s famous cycle routes; there is also secure car parking available.

Prices start from £98.00 per week for a standard room over a 48-week tenancy. Recommend friends who book before 31st August, you receive £100 per friend! Contact: 0117 927 7783 or visit our website and view the virtual tours of the rooms www.mansionstudent.co.uk

In addition, there are two other main student accommodation agents:

Anthony James and Co

The Coach House, 38 Cotham Hill, Bristol, BS6 6LA

T: 01179 237 316 / www.antjam.com

Jackson Property Lettings

141a St.Michael’s Hill, Bristol  BS2 8DB

T: 0117 974 4121 / info@jacksonproperty.co.uk / www.jacksonproperty.co.uk

You are advised to seek accommodation as early as possible. For more property listings and information please reference the following:

• Local printed media: 
• Bristol Evening Post (Tuesdays / Fridays)
• The Mercury
• Venue Magazine
• Internet websites: 
• http://property.thisisbristol.co.uk/property/search_lettings.asp 
• www.accommodationforstudents.com
• http://bristol.gumtree.com   
• www.easyroommate.com 
• www.spareroom.co.uk 
• www.clickflatshare.com 
• www.rightmove.co.uk 
• Bristol youth hostel 

Please note: Prices for the accommodation you find may not include bills. 

In regards to letting agencies; you will be asked for an admin fee, rent in advance, a deposit and a guarantor. Students should not visit a property alone.

Open Days

Music Open Days in the UK

BIMM Open Days

Throughout the year we hold a number of open days so you can get a sense of what life as a student at BIMM will be like.

On the  open day you can:

• Watch live performances from BIMM bands
• See a presentation about BIMM courses and our philosophy on education
• View our facilities
• Meet course tutors
• Ask any questions you may have regarding studying at BIMM

If you would like to attend an open day we have them coming up on the following dates:

BIMM Bristol

• 8th June - Saturday
  
• 13th July - Saturday

To book your place please fill in the form below, alternatively you can contact us on 08442 646666 or by email at info@bimm.co.uk

By submitting this completed form you authorise BIMM to hold your details. This form was created with wufoo form builder, for more information on wufoo form security please click here. Alternatively you can contact us here. We may contact you with information that we think will be useful to you. We will not share this information with any third parties without your prior permission. BIMM complies by the rules and regulations set out by the Data Protection Act (1998)

International

Welcome to all International Music Students

Studying Music in the UK

Bristol is the UK’s fifth largest city, it is creative and welcoming and you will find everything you need within walking distance of BIMM. Music is at the heart of this vibrant cultural centre with artists such as Portishead, Massive Attack and Tricky putting the city on the musical map. Bristol boasts several internationally famous venues and also supports numerous smaller venues where up-and-coming UK talent come to play and make a name for themselves. Every night of the week you will find free gigs and events to enjoy – many of which feature BIMM students and alumni.

All of the degree level courses at BIMM Bristol are validated by the Bath Spa University.

How to apply to BIMM Bristol

If you would like to apply for a course at BIMM Bristol or just find out more information you can contact our Admissions team here or you can email them at info@bimm.co.uk. Alternatively you can call them at 00441273 626666.

Our Admissions team can also give you help with completing your application form and personal application statement.

What Qualifications will you need?

All applicants need to be qualified to UK Level 3 equivalent with either 80 UCAS points for Musicians and Songwriters or 120 points for Music Business applicants. We also look for English Language skills to IELTS Score of 6.5 or above.

We will ask you to provide copies of your qualifications for verification.

If you are a musician we will require you to send 3 demos showcasing your performance ability in a range of styles and a video recording of you demonstrating your theoretical abilities.

If you have any questions about applying to BIMM don't hesitate to contact us.

Student Support

One of the benefits of studying at BIMM is that we are able to offer a much more personal experience than you may find at some larger colleges. We have a fantastic support network that provides one-on-one support for those that require it, and we aim to provide each individual with a service that is right for them.  This is where our Quality and Student Support team comes in. 

This team will look after you from the moment you set foot in the door to graduation and beyond. Take a look at the areas below to see what the Quality and Student Support team can offer you!

Attendance

The Quality and Student Support (QSS) team are responsible for handling all data relating to attendance. This includes setting up the registers at the start of term, recording absences and chasing up those with low levels of attendance.

There is a direct correlation between attendance and achievement; to put it simply, if you attend all of your lectures, you are more likely to excel on your chosen course. Here at BIMM we want you to achieve your maximum potential, so as a result of this we keep a keen eye on attendance levels.

We have a strong attendance policy and it is important that you contact your QSS Officer to notify us as soon as possible of any issues that may be preventing you from attending your course on a regular basis, whether they are personal, professional or financial. Then we will be able to take the steps needed to help you resolve the problems and get you back into classes.

If you are absent, please make sure you complete an Absence Form on your return to college, and attach any supporting evidence (e.g. a doctors note).

Parents and Attendance

We understand that parents will want to know how their child is progressing on their course at BIMM, and this can often relate to attendance.

BIMM are not able to discuss any personal details (such as attendance or exam results) with any parents if their child is over 18 years of age in accordance with the Data Protection Act (1998).

For students under 18, we are able to discuss attendance, academic progress and any other concerns with named persons authorised by the student.

Learning Support

Here at BIMM we pride ourselves on being able to deliver a one-to-one support service for those that need it. One such area that we  invest a lot of time in is Learning Support. It may be that you are already aware of a specific learning requirement that you have, or it could be that you have often struggled with certain learning areas and would like to investigate this further. Whatever your circumstances, the QSS team are on hand to support you.

Quick Scan / Study Scan

A fantastic asset to BIMM, Quick Scan is a 15 minute test that will identify your learning style, and can highlight whether there is any evidence of learning support requirements. This test is free and is available at BIMM West. If anything is highlighted during the Quick Scan that needs further investigation, you will then be able to take a Study Scan test. This is more in depth and will look at the specifics of any potential learning needs you may have. This test is a great help when deciding whether to invest in an Educational Psychologist’s Report (please see below). To book a Quick Scan test please contact your QSS Officer.

Additional Support Network

As well as our QSS team, BIMM also have links to a number of specialists in the Learning Support field in and around the Brighton area. Combining a wealth of experience with a personal one-to-one service, these contacts are vital in our ability to provide the highest level of support for our students.

BIMM is committed to ensuring that those with disabilities or learning difficulties are not disadvantaged when making an application to study with us. All reasonable adjustments will be made to provide access to our provision, including that of equipment and specialist support, where required.
You are encouraged to disclose any disability or learning difficulty you may have on your application form, so that we can offer the support that you need.
If you have any queries regarding this please get in touch with a member of the Student Support team on the BIMM number.

Glossary

QSS –     Quality and Student Support
DSA –     Disabled Students’ Allowance – this is financial help from Student Finance England for people with disabilities, mental health conditions (e.g. depression or anxiety), or specific learning difficulties (e.g. dyslexia or dyspraxia). The DSA provides support in a variety of ways, including funding for equipment that will help you complete your course and one-on-one tuition with a specialist.
EPR-     Educational Psychologists Report – this is required for you to be eligible to receive DSA. You will have to pay for this test, but the cost does cover you for all of your further / higher education. For further information regarding how to go about getting an EPR please contact your QSS Officer.

Pastoral Support

Pastoral Support is very important to us at BIMM. We understand the range of different issues faced by our students on a day-to-day basis, which include:

• Financial issues
• Personal issues
• Emotional issues
• Psychological issues

Your QSS Officer can offer one-to-one tutorials which provide support, guidance and a friendly ear to those that require it. The team are all well-equipped to listen and provide non-judgemental support regarding all manner of issues.

However, there may be times when you require further support in which case your Student Support Officer can refer you to one of our College Counsellors who provide a completely confidential and free service. Some of the issues students might bring are: attendance difficulties, relationship problems/break-ups, loss, depression, identity, eating disorders, alcohol and drug problems, stress, panic attacks, obsessions or simply a place to reflect.

Counselling can be helpful in enabling you to work through issues that have become overwhelming, or when you feel stuck.  It may help you discover your own resources to find a new understanding or solution.

At BIMM we also have strong relationships with specialist agencies such as the Youth Advice Centre (YAC), Connexions and the YMCA Housing Service. If at any point you feel you would benefit from any of these services please contact your QSS Officer.  

• Vaseema Hamilton
• Mark Clayden
• Simon Strange

• Anna Marks
• Jon Harper
• Hannah Phipps

• Becca Powis
• Dee Ashton
• Adam Tucker

• Andy Sutor
• Ben Johnson
• Georgia Gallimore

City Guide

One of the few boons of being a musician with a heavy touring schedule is that your sense of urban geography becomes very highly tuned. My own band enjoyed its moment in the sun on the back a few top 40 radio hits and, inevitably, touring became the backbone of my professional life. We toured a lot - all over the world in fact. So much so that we quickly became unofficial city guides. Most touring folk are the same. Pick a city, any city, and ask a professional musos and you’ll get a personal Rough Guide to the culture, clubs, venues and bars they’ve known and, ahem, imbibed in. With my own band that guide would also include such esoteric charms as local art galleries, quality sushi restaurants, toy shops selling wind up tin plate robots, launderettes, vinyl record stores, tea rooms and, thanks to a fish-obsessed bassist, aquariums, pet shops and zoos.

Bristol was always the great exception for my band. Somehow, despite frequent visits here, it remained a huge question mark in our musical gazetteer. All I could say about Britain’s 5th largest city was that it felt different from just about anywhere else. It was hilly, like most cities seemed to have a visible population of crusty types, was full of launderettes, had a zoo and a decent aquarium too. And that was it.  Bristol was an enigma.

As someone who now works in the city my muso map is much improved. It takes time to understand what Bristol is all about. Ever changing, ever evolving, always surprising, the city reveals it considerable charms slowly. So here’s some basics: Bristol is big – a series of connected neighbourhoods, it’s arty, cliquey, fascinating, unknowable and geographically complicated. Oh, and you’ll get very fit here on account of the hills and winding streets. It’s a city of ships, pubs and secret alleyways (a bit like Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter films.) Founded on money made from cigarettes and slavery, it’s also a major international port that’s surrounded by farmland. Imagine a market town gone slightly feral; A city where rural meets urban meets foreign. In other words it’s character is ancient and unique.

One of Banksy’s earliest and most infamous murals depicts a huge fluffy, white bear, grinning benignly as it throws a Molotov cocktail at a line of baton wielding police. Proudly displayed on a brick wall next to a converted office block in the hip bohemian quarter of Stokes Croft it’s entitled ‘The Mild, Mild West’. This, more than any of his other images, gets to the heart of the Bristolian mythos. It may appear laid back but if you provoke it you’ll quickly feel the city’s ire. Stokes Croft is home to art workshops, performance spaces, galleries of street art, venues and a glorious selection of care-worn pubs that have live music whatever the season. In high summer it’s like being in downtown Havana, the restaurants and bars overflow onto the streets and music thumps from every door and window.

The Canteen, a hangout for trendoids and musos beneath the converted DSS offices of the Hamilton House arts commune, is the place to see and been seen. Bands, great food and a drink at the longest bar in the west of England draws students, young professionals and the hip arty crowd. This is just one of more than 400 live music venues in Bristol. Unlike most major cities there is no pay-to-play policy here. You’ll see local acts and big international bands on the same bill at the Colston Hall, The Fleece, the O2 or the Thekla – Bristol’s infamous floating venue down on the dockside. All this connects with Bristol’s deep-rooted love affair with popular music. The PRS collect airplay and TV royalties on behalf of UK recording artists. They have over 65,000 professional members including the most famous names in music past and present. In 2011 they polled their members and discovered that Bristol spawned more successful musicians per head of the population than anywhere else in Britain. That includes those supposed music hotspots of Manchester and London. It led to sensational headlines in the national press.  Kudos, at last, for the magic crucible of UK popular music. To Gerard Langley, a life long Bristolian, walking encyclopedia of Bristol ‘s musical heritage and lead singer with the legendary Lit rockers The Blue Aeroplanes, commented: “It’s not like London and it doesn’t need London. Bristol is self-contained and self-determining. Bristol bands were amongst the first 100 bands at the Roxy back in the day and remain amongst the most influential. It’s a city of originals.”

The countercultural edge survives here in a very real way. Unlike other cities whose more interesting neighbourhoods have been turned into themed tourist attractions or heritage trails, music, art and literature are woven right into the fabric of the city. Whether it’s secret warehouse gigs in Easton, new, or underground clubs and VIP nights in the Gloucester road, left field art exhibitions or pop up graffiti shows, Bristol’s focus is on that most enigmatic of qualities - authenticity. If it isn’t the real thing then it’s just not cool. Genres and styles collide perfectly and imperfectly here. Dubstep, now king of the daytime radio schedules began here over 15 years ago. But whether it’s indie, rock, urban, grime, dubstep or trip hop, (the Bristolian geist made flesh by the The Wild Bunch, Massive Attack, Tricky, Roni Size at the Dugout during the 80s), the city juggles new forms with a polemical post-punk sensibility. There’s an underlying self-deprecating humour too. A sense that life is a cosmic joke and that the punch-line really isn’t worth hanging around for anyway. People smile here. It’s a laid back, easy going smile but a smile nevertheless.

Yes, the city isn’t brooding and urban and edgy in the way that Birmingham or Manchester are. It isn’t Gotham. You won’t find any huge municipal buildings silhouetted against a dark satanic skyline. It has villages and neighbourhoods. The Colston Hall in the centre of town, the Royal Festival Hall’s smaller western cousin, hosts bands, theatre and record fairs while the city itself puts on several major international festivals each year including Dot to Dot and Harbourside music festivals and the annual gay pride weekend. The Gloucester road, with its low rent pop up club nights, is the place to find each and every known genre of music. The St Pauls district holds an annual street festival and the now legendary Halloween Day of the zombies, which sees thousands mass in the city parks and march their bloody zombie army on the city centre.

Like most cities in Great Britain PLC there’s shopping. Cabot circus is where you’ll find the brands we love to hate to love. More offbeat shops and boutiques can be found on Park St, old Market and the St Nicholas market where record stalls and designer boutiques abound. Rise Records at the top of Park Street is a large independent store that rivals Rough Trade in terms of influence and stock. Two floors of new vinyl, CDs, books, DVDs and films along with the live bands playing upstairs on a Saturday.

Ultimately Bristol’s a city for people who don’t need to try too hard. Or, as Gerard Langley says, ‘Bristol neither cares nor doesn’t care.’ Aint that just perfect?

Cliff Jones
 

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