Institute for Music, Place and Society

The RNCM has launched the Institute for Research in Music, Place and Society, marking a major milestone following the award of Research Degree Awarding Powers and the launch of our own PhD programme.

Building on 15 years of specialist music research, the institute will strengthen the RNCM’s work in music education, community and intercultural music-making, heritage, and music and wellbeing.

The new institute supports the RNCM’s ambition to expand national and international research partnerships, influence policy, and deepen its impact across Manchester, the North West, and beyond. A second institute, focused on artistic innovation, is planned within the next 18 months.

The RNCM is currently home to 43 PhD students, alongside eight students on the new Advanced Artist Diploma, a doctoral-level programme designed to support exceptional artists in advancing creative practice through bespoke research projects.