The Ulster College of Music is a Registered Charity, and is legally constituted as a Trust. The College is situated on leafy Windsor Avenue (between the Lisburn Road and the Malone Road) in Belfast, and offers the highest level of instrumental, vocal and drama tuition at an affordable rate. The College is a non-profit making institution, the objects of which are to promote, develop and maintain the study, teaching and practice of music in Northern Ireland.
The College is managed by a Committee of Management which is responsible for the management of the College and which formulates and implements policies aimed at furthering the objects of the organisation. The current Chairman of the UCM Management Committee is Mr Paul Cassidy – Mr Cassidy can be contacted via paul@theucm.com and welcomes any queries relating to Management, Gifts, Bequests and Donations. All other queries should be directed to the College Office.
The UCM is located in an elegant and historic four storey Victorian building, with parking to the front and a light waiting room leading out to a grassy garden at the back. The College is currently fundraising towards the repair and refurbishment of this beautiful building, which continues to provide a grand but approachable setting for local musical education.
The core activity of the Ulster College of Music is one-to-one instrumental teaching – with nearly every orchestral instrument offered alongside Voice, Guitar, Drums, Irish Harp and Piano. The College maintains teaching staff who are well-known figures in the professional performing world, with Ulster Orchestra members and other individual performers familiar with the international performing stage. The UCM also welcomes visiting Professors to provide Workshops and Masterclasses – in 2011 the College has so far hosted the “Make Sight-Singing Something to Smile About” Workshop with Dr Emma Gibbins with further workshops planned for the new term.
In addition to Instrumental and Vocal tuition, the College offers classes at Primary level starting with Musical Games, leading to Recorder Classes preparing the child for graduating to an instrument. This classes are dynamic, highly educational and fun! They help develop young musical ears and introduce children to reading music – by the end of these classes the child can confidently stride forward into instrumental lessons. These classes are taken by a qualified Primary School Music Specialist – Ms Sheila Kerr, who has been offering these classes at the UCM for over ten years. To read more about these classes please see Junior Classes.
Since 2009 the College has expanded its teaching base to include Drama lessons with Drama Specialist Ms Jenny Long, who has many years experience working with drama groups throughout the province, including Youth Lyric in Belfast. Individual Drama lessons are now offered at the UCM, alongside classes to help with Audition Preparation and Choreography for Music Theatre exams. See drama for further information on lessons.
The Ulster College of Music is a centre of musical excellence, and a Registered Charity situated on Windsor Avenue (between the Lisburn Road and the Malone Road) in Belfast. It offers the highest level of instrumental, vocal and drama tuition at an affordable rate. All are welcome to apply for individual lessons from the age of 7 yrs to Adult, from Beginners to Diploma level.
Our professional Tuition Staff have trained all over the world – in places as far afield as Russia and the USA, and provide the very best standards in musical tuition available in N.Ireland.
The College prides itself providing excellence in teaching, and in attracting the highest calibre of Tuition Staff. Current Staff include those educated at The Moscow Conservatoire, Trinity College (London), The Guildhall School of Music and Drama (London), The Drama Studio (London), the University of Cambridge, University College Dublin, Queen’s University Belfast, the Royal Northern School of Music and various other academical institutions of note.
In addition to its permanent Tuition Staff, the College regularly welcomes Visiting Tutors to take Workshops and Masterclasses. A recent example of this saw Dr Emma Gibbins return for her second Workshop (following the success of her first) entitled “Making Sight-Singing Something to Smile About” in 2011.
Further Workshops and Masterclasses are planned for the upcoming academic year – keep an eye on this website for further information.
All teachers are vetted via internal management systems and through Access NI. Copies of the UCM Child Protection Policy are available via the College Office. The UCM has a dedicated Child Protection Officer on the Management Committee, who advises on best practice.
The Ulster College of Music Office is open on week days from 3.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9.00 a.m. to 12 noon. It is staffed by an Administrative Team, and managed by the UCM Management Committee (headed by Chairman Paul Cassidy).
All general queries should be directed to the College Office via info@theucm.com or telephone on 028 9038 1314.
New Students are encouraged to Apply online via this website, or alternatively Application forms are available from the College office.
© The Ulster College of Music 2011. Website developed by Laurence Jenkins