BIMM Institute and Spotify Announce Educational Partnership
We’re so excited to announce our new partnership with Spotify, the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service boasting 365 million users. The partnership aims to accelerate diversity in music education and the creative industries.
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
BIMM Institute X Spotify: Diversity and Inclusion Scholarships
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, with a household income of below £25,000.
There will be eight scholarships in total, which will provide full tuition fees during the length of study. Every college across BIMM Institute will offer 1 x BA or BMus (Hons) degree scholarship. This means applicants can choose between various college locations, including Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, London, Manchester, Dublin, Hamburg and Berlin.
All scholarship students will receive the support of dedicated Careers teams in each college, our in-house job matching service ‘Talent Match’ in their final year, and access to BIMM’s Fair Access Fund. Each scholarship student will also be given scheduled access to Spotify executives for mentoring sessions, including Bryan Johnson, Head of Artist & Industry Partnerships.
BIMM Institute and Spotify’s educational partnership also offers a host of other benefits to students, including annual Spotify Masterclass events and assets known as Industry Boosters, which will sit directly in students’ digital libraries.
“We can’t wait to welcome the Spotify scholarship students into our creative community and see what they achieve.”
– Mel Thornton, Group Head of Employability, BIMM Institute.
Mel Thornton, Group Head of Employability at BIMM Institute, says:
“The creative industry teams at BIMM Institute enjoy a long-standing relationship with Spotify, which is why we’re so happy to announce an educational partnership that reflects our shared values.
“The scholarships on offer across the UK and Europe will support and encourage a diverse pipeline of artists, writers and business talent into the music industry, and we can’t wait to welcome the Spotify scholarship students into our creative community and see what they achieve.”
“We at Spotify hope that the BIMM Institute x Spotify Educational Partnership can continue to upskill young people and open doors to a career in the creative industries.”
– Bryan Johnson, Head of Artist & Industry Partnerships, Spotify.
Bryan Johnson, Head of Artist & Industry Partnerships at Spotify, echoes Mel’s excitement:
“We’re delighted to be partnering with an educational institute as well respected and successful as BIMM Institute. The exceptional work they do for the music industry is unparalleled, and we at Spotify hope that the BIMM Institute x Spotify Educational Partnership can continue to upskill young people and open doors to a career in the creative industries.
“We are especially proud to be a part of the Diversity and Inclusion Scholarships programme, ensuring that students in BIMM Institute colleges across the UK, Ireland and Germany have access to this educational opportunity, and I am personally delighted to be hosting mentoring sessions for those involved. Our culture at Spotify is founded on diversity and belonging, and we hope that this partnership can continue to ensure that a broad spectrum of minds shape the future of our industry.”
How to Apply
To apply for the Diversity and Inclusion Scholarships, you will first need to apply for a BIMM Institute course in the standard way here. If you meet the scholarship criteria, you will then be sent an application form. Applications will open the first week of October and will close at the end of June 2022.
We wish all the applicants the best of luck. You can find out more about our Access and Participation department here or how we work directly with the creative industries here.
