Skills for Learning
Skills for Learning is a service designed to support you with your academic, learning, and digital skills needs.
How We Can Help
The support we offer is varied and includes: weekly skill specific sessions and mini courses called “Boost”, online resources, and bookable 1-to-1 appointments for academic and digital skills advice.
Our Assignment Guidelines can also help you with most assignment quandaries!
Book An Appointment
Information about Skills for Learning Drop Ins and Digital Coaching Appointments.
Skills For Learning Drop In
1-to-1 sessions which run weekly during teaching and assessment weeks.
In-person, Room 401, St. Peter’s Square building; or Online via Teams.
You can attend for support with:
- Academic writing
- Referencing
- Reviewing of work
- Organisation
Your 30-minute appointment will be with a member of academic staff
Digital Coaching Appointment
Book 1-to-1 coaching sessions with a member of the Technology Enhanced Learning team, available year round.
In-person, Room 401, St. Peter’s Square building; or Online via Teams.
You can attend for support with:
- Submitting Assignments
- Using the VLE systems (Space, Show, Panopto, and more)
- Using your conservatoire Microsoft 365 account
- Digital file management
- Using specialist technologies, e.g. video editors
- Any digital learning tool you’re using for your studies!
- You can make book up to 2 sessions at a time
- Appointments are a maximum of 30-minutes
- We cannot offer a proofreading service
- Enquiries about course content should be directed to your tutor or a member of the school team
- You must apply the skills learnt in your appointment to your work, it will not be done for you
Boost
Boost is a co-curricular initiative which supports you throughout your time as a student. Develop the academic, digital, and professional skills needed to thrive at Leeds Conservatoire and beyond.
Boost Webinars
Weekly online sessions, open to all students, cover the basic knowledge and skills needed to make the most of your time here.
All new student must attend these.
Boost Mini Courses
Opportunities to work through mini courses focused on specific skills.
Boost Workshops
Workshops are one off sessions throughout each semester that are developed to give students support with key skills.
Academic Skills
Academic skills are competencies you’ll need to achieve your higher education award, but can also benefit in other areas of practice beyond your degree.
Skills For Your Studies
Academic and study skills are vital for sustained success during your studies at Leeds Conservatoire. Areas we can support and have resources for include:
- Planning and organisation
- Critical thinking
- Research and Library skills
- Academic terminology
- Academic writing
- Presentations, spoken assessments, and viva voce.
- Music theory
- English language support
We provide support with these skills in a variety of ways: Boost webinars, ad hoc workshops, mini course sign-up, and online self-paced resources.
Explore the rest of this page to learn more, or contact skillsforlearning@leedsconservatoire.ac.uk if you still have questions.
Academic Skills Mini Courses
Our online mini courses you can enrol yourself on and complete at your own pace.
Click the logo above or go to musicmechanics.leedsconservatoire.ac.uk
Sign in with your conservatoire Microsoft 365 account.
Scroll down the page to access each episode, happy viewing!
Music Mechanics
Music theory videos series for people who don’t like music theory!
Music Mechanics is a series of short video tutorials which break down music theory concepts into digestible chunks, tailored towards pop musicians, writers, and producers.
There are five episodes, each of which are segmented into bite-sized chapters.
Episodes
- The notes we play with
- The natural minor scale
- Why do some notes have two names?
- Intervals
- Building basic chords
Who is it for?
- Anyone who wants to understand the mechanics of music in a way that empowers them.
- People who are scared of staves, and/or haven’t got on with the more traditional approach to Music Theory.
- Pop musicians, performers, writers, producers, and anyone who feels anxious or in-the-dark about music theory.
- People who want to explore music theory through their guitar or piano keyboard.
- People who want to learn how notes work together to build melodies and chords.
- Writers who want to speed up their process, and communicate their musical ideas better.
- Performers who want to learn new pieces of music quicker.
Still want to know more about Music Mechanics?
These videos were created by Danny Cope, and aim to demystify music theory and explore the concepts practically for pop music performers, writers, and producers. Watch the Music Mechanics introduction video to hear how creator Danny has designed this series.
Digital Skills
Digital capabilities equip you to live, learn, and work in a digital society. The Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) team can help!
Building Your Digital Capabilities
During your studies at the conservatoire, you’ll come across various scenarios, activities, or assignments which require you to use digital tools. By doing this, you test and develop your own digital capabilities; which can be needed to thrive in an increasingly digital society.
You don’t have to go it alone! The TEL team can support you using technologies and developing your personal digital skills.
How TEL Can Support You
Through our bookable Digital Coaching Appointments, and a variety of self-paced resources, TEL can support you with:
- Using the virtual learning environment and learning technology systems like Space, Show, Panopto, and Life
- Accessing and making the most of the technologies you have access to at the conservatoire like Microsoft 365, Eduroam Wi-Fi, Office, OneDrive, Teams, and more!
- Support you to submit assignments and prepare your files for submission
- Help you with specialist software like video editors and graphics design tools
- Help you with the basics using Digital Audio Workstations (DAW)
- Assist you using online survey tools for research projects
- Generally help and support you using digital technologies for your studies
Digital Coaching Appointments are one to one sessions where you can get support from a member of the Technology Enhanced Learning team. We offer 30-minute appointments which can be in-person in Room 401 of the St. Peter’s Square building, or online via Microsoft Teams. It’s up to you!
Resources & Mini Courses
More coming soon!
Learning Online
No matter what you’re studying at the conservatoire, you will engage with, and use, online digital learning tools. This section is a round-up of the essential information you should be aware of.
Online Communication
Good communication and consultation is an essential part of Leeds Conservatoire. It is important that we work together to ensure you are familiar with the ways that we will communicate and consult with you.
Email is the primary method the conservatoire uses to communicate with you and for you to communicate with us.
- Correspondence from your tutors, admin, and course teams about the delivery of your course
- Advance notice of important changes to conservatoire services
- Upcoming events
- Personal contact related to your course and/or use of services
Space
Space is the conservatoire’s Virtual Learning Environment. You should check Space daily during term time.
- Course, module, and learning materials from your tutors
- Assessment briefs, resources, and submission portals
- Your timetable
Life
Life is a digital noticeboard system where both staff and students can post. This is where conservatoire teams will share updates, opportunities, events and more. You should check in a few times a week to see what’s going on at the conservatoire.
Microsoft Teams
You can use Microsoft Teams to message or call tutors, staff, and fellow students. Sometimes you can use it for group activities or forums for your course or extracurricular activities. Access via your conservatoire Microsoft 365 account.
Social Media
Alongside the external facing @leedsmusicdrama Instagram account, the conservatoire has several Insta channels for internal communication; to share news, reminders, events, and opportunities for students. The main one is @lifeatleedsconservatoire, but there are channels for each academic school too.
Text Message/SMS
Text messages will only be used in emergency/time critical situations, or to change arrangements at short notice. Make sure your mobile number is up-to-date on your student record.
Digital Notices/Screens Around Campus
Digital screens are located around campus with information and updates about conservatoire services.
The Students’ Union owns noticeboards across the conservatoire, where you are also welcome to put up gig posters, flyers and student-centred advertising. You can also drop any posters into the Union office in Room 443.
Feedback and Student Voice
There are opportunities for students to provide feedback through a variety of channels; you can find out more on the dedicated student voice page – coming soon!
Attending Online Teaching Sessions
Your timetable will indicate if a session is online in the “room” field. Online Lectures and Seminars will be delivered via Zoom, unless specified otherwise.
The link for the Zoom session will be on your module page on Space, in the top section.
Rules of Attendance
- Log-in with your conservatoire account, using “single sign-on (SSO)” option.
- Ensure your screen name is your name, including your surname, and not a nickname, so your tutor can identify you.
- Access the link for your online session 5 minutes before the scheduled time and wait to be let into the lecture.
- Find a suitable place to attend. If at home, make sure it is quiet enough to allow you to concentrate, you have good internet connection and your background is appropriate (real or virtual!).
- Behave and dress appropriately. An online lecture is no different from an in-person session in terms of expectations for behaviour.
See Also
Tips to Get The Most Out of Online Lectures
Show Your Face
If possible, please turn on your camera. We understand that some people may not be comfortable with this and it’s absolutely ok if you want to keep it off. However, having your camera on allows the tutor to feel they have an audience and see engagement. Classes that have more cameras on tend to feel more engaging for everyone. It will also allow you and your fellow students to see others in the class and so you can recognise each other in real life!
React to your tutor and others
If you have your camera on, react with a smile, a thumbs up or any other appropriate response you would if it was in person. It is much easier for a tutor to teach well when a class reacts to their delivery and it makes for a more engaging lesson for everyone.
If you don’t have your camera on, or even if you do, react using the reactions function within Zoom or use the chat to represent yourself.
Mute when you’re not speaking
If you’re not speaking, it’s good practice to mute yourself so any sounds coming from the room you’re in don’t distract the rest of the class.
Mute or remove distractions when you’re not speaking
If you’re not speaking, it’s good practice to mute yourself so any sounds coming from the room you’re in don’t distract the rest of the class.
Lecture Capture
A selection of your lectures and seminars are recorded via our automated lecture capture system.
You can watch back lecture on-demand on Panopto, each module has a folder of recorded lectures. You can also access this via the Panopto block on the right-hand-side of the module page.
Where possible you should attend all your timetables sessions in-person, the lecture capture recordings are so you can revisit and review to aid your learning.