University of the Highlands and Islands

5. Student experience

The sense of belonging on the Applied Music programme comes mainly from the residencies in which musicians collaborate, and in so doing, share their skills, learning and vulnerabilities to other students. This is a very bonding experience and vital in developing a musical community of practice. 

In addition, the weekly VC sessions help to maintain relationships between students, and to help them feel supported. The programme team had thought about no longer running VC sessions, feeling they may have unnecessary given the students’ busy schedules, but student feedback was that they felt VC was a link to the other students on the programme and helped them to feel part of something. 

Evidence of the sense of community and belonging has emerged from students communicating and collaborating outside of the ‘classroom’; by organising their own private page in Facebook to chat and support one another. The cohort of students based in and around Glasgow self-organised in the early days of the four year degree programme, to which the staff responded by bringing this cohort together into one physical space for the networked residencies.