1. Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures
  2. School of Music
  3. Undergraduate
  4. Our reputation

Our reputation

Steinway pianos in rows in a hall

The School of Music specialises in a variety of subjects in the field of music, from music psychology to composition and performance. Every year we welcome undergraduate, Masters and postgraduate researchers from across the world and we are proud of the friendly and inclusive environment that this creates.

You’ll learn from teaching staff who are highly respected in their fields, and their expertise allows us to offer a broad choice of courses, a diverse selection of modules and extensive research supervision.

Our School has many connections with external partners in Leeds and beyond, creating a stimulating place to study and collaborate. Our connections open up opportunities for students, visiting professors and the organisations we work with.

In 2017, we were awarded All-Steinway status, meaning that all 29 pianos housed in our School are Steinways. £742,000 was invested in the pianos – a combination of uprights, baby grands and concert grands. Recognition by Steinway also enhances our long-running partnership with the annual Leeds International Piano Competition, first held in 1963 and hosted and supported by the University since the beginning. Alongside this, our students, societies, and external partners, such as Opera North, create exciting opportunities for you to make the most of studying with us.

We have a busy events calendar and you'll be encouraged to take advantage of the opportunities on offer. The University's International Concert Series runs performances year-round and all events are free for students to attend.

The School of Music is part of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures, and this supports our interdisciplinary work with other Schools across the University and beyond. This can range from cross-disciplinary research to hosting conferences, success in league table rankings and co-delivering taught modules.

Academic excellence

University of Leeds rankings

Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021

Every six years, the UK’s four higher education funding bodies undertake an exercise to measure the quality of research undertaken by UK higher education institutions (HEIs). The funding bodies use the outcomes to inform the allocation of their research funding to HEIs. The Research Excellence Framework was the framework used in 2021.

Unit of assessment: Music

  • 93% of research activity submitted by the School of Music to REF 2021 is ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ by the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021.
  • 100% of the School of Music’s research impact was rated as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ by the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021.