Popular Music
Home to the UK’s only four-year conservatoire-based undergraduate degree and exceptional postgraduate programmes, the RNCM is the premier training ground for students aspiring to be original artists, freelance musicians, and music industry professionals.
Empowering you to be ambitious and imaginative with no boundaries to your creativity, our courses focuses on artist development and teaches the essential skills of the 21st-century 3D musician: performance, composition and production. Through a combination of intensive individual and group study and real-world experience, you’ll develop your creative, technical and entrepreneurial skills, regularly showcasing your music for and receiving guidance from international guest artists and music industry experts.
Professional development is central to our curriculum, and our strong partnerships with pioneering organisations across the UK and enviable global network of educators, practitioners and students at conservatoires worldwide open doors to outstanding industry experience and inside knowledge. You’ll also gain unrivalled opportunities to learn and make music with students from all RNCM Schools of Study, perform within our flagship Session Orchestra and Big Band, and work as a signed artist with our independent label, Norther Quarter Records.
We’re seeking to recruit students from around the world with the talent, creativity and passion to be a part of our diverse and inclusive community. Alongside our principal disciplines, we also invite applications from pop-focused brass/percussion/strings/woodwind instrumentalists and DJs, MCs and producers.
For more information on the audition process and requirements for our Popular Music programmes, click here.
Further Information
Popular Music Staff
Andy Stott
Head of Popular Music
CEO Northern Quarter Records
Artist Development Tutor
Dr Stuart McCallum
Deputy Head of Popular Music
Guitar Tutor
Composition Tutor
Year Tutor – Years 3 and 4
Dr Rodrigo Constanzo
Module Coordinator – Masters
Performance Tutor (Bands)
Composition Tutor
Production Tutor
Electives Tutor
Mark Lippmann
Module Coordinator – Artist Development
Artist Development Tutor
Electives Tutor
Hannah McGuigan
Module Coordinator – Performance
Performance Tutor (Voice / Bands)
Composition Tutor
Production Tutor
Matt Steele
Module Coordinator – Production
Performance Tutor (Keyboards)
Composition Tutor
Production Tutor
Electives Tutor
Jasper Wilkinson
Module Coordinator – Composition
Performance Tutor (Bass Guitar)
Composition Tutor
Production Tutor
Electives Tutor
Jenn Clempner
Artist Development Specialist
Artist Development Tutor (Professional Engagements)
Electives Tutor
Nicki Allan
Creative Multi-Specialist
Performance Tutor (Voice/Bands)
Wayne Ellington
Creative Multi-Specialist
Performance Tutor (Voice/Bands)
Luke Flowers
Creative Multi-Specialist
Performance Tutor (Drums/Bands)
Phil Gregory
Creative Multi-Specialist
Composition Tutor
Production Tutor
Musicianship Tutor
Richard Hammond
Creative Multi-Specialist
Performance Tutor (Bass Guitar/Bands)
Bryan Hargreaves
Creative Multi-Specialist
Performance Tutor (Drums/Bands)
Johnny Heyes
Creative Multi-Specialist
Performance Tutor (Guitar/Bands)
Eric Karsenty
Artist Development Specialist
Artist Development Tutor
Electives Tutor
Soyeon Kim
Creative Multi-Specialist
Performance Tutor (Voice/Bands)
Jonni Musgrave
Creative Multi-Specialist
Performance Tutor (Keyboards/Bands)
Musicianship Tutor
Suki Pardesi
Artist Development Specialist
Artist Development Tutor (Professional Engagements)
Hayley Swanton
Popular Music Administrator
Helen Wilson
Pop Flute Tutor
Visiting Tutors
Snarky Puppy International Artists in Popular Music
Anomalie (Original Artist) Keyboards
Charlie Andrew (AltJ/London Grammar/Madness) Producer
Callum Beattie (Original Artist) Singer/Songwriter
Fred Bolza (Vice President Strategy Sony BMG) Music Industry
JP Bouvet (Childish Japes) Drums
Matt Bramhall (Rita Ora/Nicole Scherzinger) Musical Director
India Carney (Lady Gaga/Billie Eilish/H.E.R.) Vocals
Guy Chambers (Robbie Williams/Mark Ronson) Songwriter
Kim Chandler (Bee Gees/Neil Diamond) Vocals
Yolanda Charles (Paul Weller/Robbie Williams) Bass Guitar
Scott Cohen (CEO The Orchard) Music Industry
Lewis Cole (Original Artist/Knower) Producer
Chris Cooke (Editor, Journalist and Media Entrepreneur) Music Industry
JP Cooper (Original Artist) Singer/Songwriter
Kimberley Davis (Original Artist/Chic) Vocals
Scott Devine (Entrepreneur – Scott’s Bass Lessons) Bass Guitar
Dirty Loops (Original Artist) Band
Everything Everything (Original Artist) Band
Mark Furman (Senior Director Virgin EMI Records) Music Industry
Steffen Geldner (Social Media Professor) Digital Promotion
Rob Harris (Jamiroquai/Kylie Minogue) Guitar
Elliott Henshaw (West End Musical Theatre) Drums
Julian Hinton (Trevor Horn/Seal) Keyboards/MD
Trevor Horn (Original Artist/Producer) Artist/Producer
Matt Johnson (Jamiroquai) Keyboards
Mario Jose (Prince/John Legend /PMJ) Vocals
Andrew Kesler (John Mayer/Jacob Collier) Arranger/Producer
Bill Laurance (Snarky Puppy) Keyboards
Michael League (Snarky Puppy/Bokante) Bass Guitar
Mark Lettieri (Original Artist/Snarky Puppy) Guitar
Barry Manilow (Original Artist) Songwriting
Shaun Martin (Kirk Franklin/Snarky Puppy) Keyboards/MD
Michael Mayo (Original Artist/Herbie Hancock) Vocals
Gretchen Menn (Original Artist/Zepparella) Guitar
Merck Mercuriadis (CEO Hipgnosis) Music industry
Dominic Miller (Sting/Phil Collins) Guitar
Stanton Moore (Galactic) Drums
Simon Moran (SJM Concerts) Promoter
Ida Nielsen (Original Artist/Prince) Bass Guitar
Jamie Norton (Take That/Lily Allen) Keyboards/MD
Tessa Niles (The Police/Eric Clapton/Paul McCartney) Vocals
Aimee Nolte (Original Artist) Piano
Mike Patrick (JP Cooper/Jake Bugg/The Streets) Keyboards/MD
Mo Pleasure (Earth Wind & Fire/Michael Jackson) Keyboards/MD
Jason Rebello (Sting/Chaka Khan) Keyboards
Stefan Redtenbacher (Amy Winehouse/Mica Paris) Bass Guitar
Nile Rodgers (Original Artist/Chic) Guitar/Producer
Patrice Rushen (Stevie Wonder/Quincy Jones) Composition
Steve Sidwell (BBC Concert Orchestra) Musical Director
Luke Smith (George Michael/Eric Clapton) Keyboards
Ash Soan (Adele/James Morrison) Drums
Richard Spaven (Jose James) Drums/Producer
Becca Stevens (Original Artist) Singer/Songwriter
Paul Turner (Jamiroquai/Sister Sledge) Bass Guitar
Hannah Vasanth (Rhianna/Jessie J) Keyboards/MD
Mike Walker (The Impossible Gentlemen) Guitar
Pete Waterman (Producer) Music Industry
Aaron Williams (Becky Hill/Little Mix) Keyboards/MD
Anni Williams (Al Jarreau/CeeLo Green) Vocals
Cory Wong (Original Artist/Vulfpeck) Guitar
Principal Disciplines
Vocals
Piano/Keyboard
Guitar
Bass Guitar
Drum Kit
DJ
MC
Pop Brass
Pop Percussion
Pop Strings
Pop Woodwind
Available Courses
Undergraduate:
Bachelor of Music with Honours in Popular Music
Postgraduate:
Master of Music
Master of Performance
PGCE in Music with Specialist Instrumental Teaching
Contact Us
Popular Music Administrator
E popularmusic@rncm.ac.uk
T 0161 907 5471
Admissions and Course Enquiries
E admissions@rncm.ac.uk
T 0161 907 5465
