Work experience
Providing real-world, hands-on experiences is at the heart of the BIMM experience. Our longstanding partnerships within the industry both inform what we offer and facilitate countless opportunities every year. Our students run record labels, manage live events, produce TV shows and put business plans into action.
All students also have the opportunity to undertake a work placement during their course. The Careers Team provide full support in securing and arranging placements and, previously, students have completed internships within every area of the music business.
What will you experience next?
Read about our students’ placement experiences
Industry partnerships and opportunities
We foster a range of high-profile partnerships within the creative industries, all of which are designed to enrich your experience and provide opportunities both during and after your course.
Explore some of our ongoing opportunities below.
We know you love music. But how about having the opportunity to collaborate creatively on exciting projects in other areas of the creative industries, establishing important connections and developing your talent?
That’s what our students experienced when we collaborated with UCA, uniting the worlds of film and music to create something spectacular.
Dean Humphreys, a re-recording mixer, sound designer, sound editor, and company owner, reached out through WRKiT (our online careers
event) to connect film and music students. Talent Match, our in-house job matching service, then paired 11 UCA filmmakers with eight BIMM composers for one-of-a-kind collaborations on the directors’ short films.
The BIMM composers received glowing reviews from the UCA filmmakers and directors. Finn Mulford, Director of Hikikomori, said: “Working with Tommy Dowse, our composer, was a hugely enjoyable collaborative experience. The score he provided us not only suited but elevated the finished work.”
Dean Humphreys, Re-Recording Mixer and Sound Designer said: “The 11 UCA directors are delighted at the positive impact the score has had for their films and how collaborative and adaptable the BIMM composers have been.”
One example of these unique collaborations is Love-Pit Potion, a film directed by UCA’s Matias Raassina with David Hamilton from BIMM Music Institute Dublin as a composer. We spoke to Matias and David to find out more about their collaboration on Love-Pit Potion.
“Working with David was a real creative pleasure, in all senses,” says Matias. “Alongside his musical talents, he’s open to honest and direct feedback. In some cases, David was eager to challenge my feedback and ideas, which is an important trait in working towards a common goal.”
Matias added that he’s keen to collaborate with the composer more in the future: “I’m eager to work with David again and have full confidence that he’s able to deliver, despite how far genres and ideas are stretched.”
The feeling is also mutual from David, who says he found working with Matias “a very creative and enjoyable experience.” He continues: “I would highly recommend working with Matias in any creative collaboration, and I hope to work with him again in the future.”
Find out more about the BIMM Music Institute X UCA collaboration here.
We’re thrilled to announce our new partnership with the DIY Magazine team to celebrate our Music Made Us campaign.
As part of this brand-new partnership, BIMM students from across all our colleges will have the opportunity to take part in an incredible internship programme.
As part of the internships, they’ll interview artists and industry professionals in collaboration with DIY. They will also have a guidance and mentorship session before the interview with DIY’s journalism and editorial team. We will publish the work via BIMM’s blog, and one lucky participant will see their piece published by DIY themselves.
Students will carry out the project through the prism of BIMM’s #MusicMadeUs campaign. Music Made Us explores, discusses, and celebrates what music means to people, how it’s impacted our world–and how it’s made us who we are today.
The aim will be to produce an editorial feature with the interviewee that reflects the Music Made Us ethos. Our students will get to the heart of how and why music was such a defining force within their subject’s life.
Find out more about the internships and DIY Magazine here.
We’re so excited to partner with the ATC Management Team and announce the launch of the exclusive A&R Student Talent Scout Programme. As part of this brand-new partnership, we will provide eleven A&R roles across all BIMM colleges.
The lucky eleven students are:
- Harshiv Parekh
- Martina Esposito
- Luke Kavanagh
- Joseph Green
- Heleen De Maeyer
- Jair Black-Santos
- Lewis Egdell
- Ronja Poehlmann
- Seth Mayhew
- Ava Von Der Mehden
- Max Dalum
The BIMM Music Institute X ATC Management A&R Internships
On this fantastic three-month internship, students will gain invaluable A&R experience while furthering their artist development and research skills. They will will liaise directly with ATC’s core A&R teams and managers, take part in educational sessions, and receive mentorship through management meetings and breakout listening sessions.
Kris Tomkinson, Head of Careers and Industry at BIMM Music Institute Birmingham, said:
“The care, consideration and enthusiasm ATC have shown in creating this opportunity for BIMM students has been remarkable. I couldn’t be more excited for our students and the level of learning they will receive from such a brilliant team and their wealth of experience.”
Find out more about the internships and ATC Management here.
During our Summer Series, we partnered with Sentric Music to create an exclusive opportunity that gave all BIMM students the chance to write/produce music for an active sync brief with $20k. As part of this programme, there was a Masterclass on how sync works and industry insight on how to improve your chance of landing that big sync.
Not only did this enable students to learn what goes on behind the scenes in what can often be a confusing and daunting part of the industry, but they were also able to acquire knowledge on how to get ahead when writing for motion picture.
We’re proud to be lead educational partners with The Great Escape (TGE), the three-day festival for new music, showcasing 500 emerging artists from all over the world in 30+ walkable venues across the city, including a pop-up site on Brighton’s infamous beach.
Students from across all eight BIMM Music Institute colleges get to perform at the Official BIMM showcase and Alternative Escape shows and network with the industry at the TGE conference. Each year, the conference is packed full of insightful panels, topical debates and keynote speeches from leading figures from the music business.
The festival is powered by student and alumni volunteers from BIMM. Each year, they gain valuable behind-the-scenes experience in areas such as Venue Management, Front of House, Box Office, and Artist Liaison, while building great contacts across the industry.
Information for students
For more information about our successful and varied Work-Based Learning programme, download our student handbook.
Any questions?
For any questions about how we prepare our students for a career in music, or if you’d like more information on how to apply to BIMM Music Institute, please contact our Enquiries Team on 01273 840 346 or email [email protected].