BIMM Institute opens new doors with Spotify Scholarship

In October, we were delighted to announce our brand new educational partnership with Spotify, aimed at accelerating diversity in music education and the creative industries.

This January, BIMM Institute staff and students had the opportunity to meet some of the team from Spotify to discuss the new Diversity & Inclusion Scholarships and the opportunities they will create for students from underrepresented groups.

Following introductions with Bryan Johnson, Spotify’s Head of Artist and Industry Partnerships, International, BIMM graduates Kashi Chellen and Zoe Bastin got straight into detailed discussions about the scholarship programme. Kashi, who also helps run BIMM’s job matching service ‘Talent Match’ said: “Being able to join forces with a company like Spotify has been amazing. Offering opportunities to our students – especially from underrepresented backgrounds – is something that we’re so passionate about so being able to bring that to fruition has been so exciting.”

She continued: “This partnership is multifaceted. Students are being provided with three years of tuition, mentorship and resources, and making it as accessible as possible is the goal.”

Speaking about her own time at BIMM Institute, Kashi, who studied Event Management with us in Brighton, said: “I found my time at BIMM really valuable. I was able to network so much and the content on my course was amazing. My three years at BIMM Institute were the best. It was a place you could make mistakes and it felt like a safe space. All of my teachers were actively working in the industry as well, and this means you get a hands-on, practical education.”

“Being able to join forces with a company like Spotify has been amazing.”

– Kashi Chellen, BIMM Graduate and Talent Coordinator

Freelance tour manager and sound engineer Zoe added: “BIMM Institute allowed me to broaden my horizons. I started at BIMM wanting to do one thing, but I was able to dip my toes into different areas of the industry and then discover different interests. I started off doing music production, but I’m now in more of a business role. I now do production as a passion rather than a day-to-day job, which I prefer.”

When asked if she has any advice for future students, she said: “I’ve had a lot of people in my life tell me I can’t do what I’m already doing, so my words of encouragement for future students would be to prove them wrong.”

Abigail Deegan, a BIMM Institute Dublin student, was a winner of the Spotify Music Business Scholarship in 2020. She spoke to Spotify at our Dublin college: “Receiving the Scholarship in 2020 was a fever dream. I still can’t believe it. I remember receiving the phone call, I was so grateful. Having a name like Spotify supporting and backing me and being associated with them, I hope that it will help me in the future with job prospects.”

When asked about her advice for students thinking of applying for the new scholarship, she said: “My advice to people thinking of applying for the scholarship would be to just go for it and be honest. Sit with the application, and really think about why you want to study your discipline. Look back to your childhood, what led you to want to do this. Just be honest.”

Now that students are able to start applying for the scholarship we asked Kashi what she thought success would look like from the programme. “Success would be being able to give those students a chance to flourish. The whole idea of this is to provide opportunities and open the industry up to more people so that we get more diversity and representation, new voices, new talent, new attitudes, new ideas…”

We can’t wait to welcome our first Diversity & Inclusion Scholarship winners to BIMM Institute in October 2022 and see the amazing places their careers will take them.

More about the BIMM Institute X Spotify: Diversity & Inclusion Scholarships

This exclusive partnership will offer a group-wide package across all eight BIMM Institute colleges and include:

• Fully funded degree scholarships
• Masterclass events
• Mentoring opportunities with Spotify executives
• Educational resources created by Spotify and shared directly with students as part of their studies

The Diversity & Inclusion Scholarships will be available for the 2022/23 academic year, exclusively for applicants from underrepresented groups identified in the BIMM Institute Access and Participation Plan. This includes Black, Asian and minority ethnic students, disabled students, care leavers, mature age students, or those with a background of low participation in Higher Education.

BIMM Institute will offer 1 x BA or BMus (Hons) Degree Scholarship for each of its eight locations. This means applicants can choose to study at any of these locations: Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, London, Manchester, Dublin, Hamburg and Berlin. The eight scholarship winners will have their degree fully funded and not be liable for any tuition fees.

All scholarship students will also receive the support of the dedicated Careers team in their college, our in-house job matching service ‘Talent Match’ in their final year, and access to BIMM’s Fair Access Fund. Furthermore, each scholarship student will be given scheduled access to Spotify executives for mentoring sessions, including Bryan Johnson, Head of Artist & Industry Partnerships, International.

BIMM Institute and Spotify’s educational partnership also offers a host of other benefits to students, including Spotify masterclass events and assets known as Industry Boosters, which will sit directly in students’ digital libraries.

How to Apply

To apply for a Diversity & Inclusion Scholarship, you will first need to apply for a BIMM Institute course. If you meet the scholarship criteria, you will be sent an application form.

Scholarship applications close at the end of June 2022.