Guildhall Students’ Union
Presidents SSLC Update
21.06.22
Election 2022 – a momentous one!
Congratulations to all candidates who ran for positions this year; it was great to see
candidates applying from all courses. I am also delighted to announce that the 2022/23 SU Team will be the first to have officers in positions from Music (WBP, Strings), Research, Production Arts and Drama, which is incredible. I can’t wait to see the union go from strength
to strength next year under this new team, and once again would like to congratulate all candidates on a fantastic election this year!
This year, the new team will take office on the 1st of August, including a short handover period for all new officers to ensure a smooth transition between SU teams.
President – Darcie Jago (Music)
Diversity Officer – Nazli Tabatabai-Khatambakhsh (Research)
Events & Societies Officer – Justin Anderson (Production Arts)
Finance Officer – Jeremy Mitchell (Acting)
Academic Affairs Officer – Violetta Suvini (Music)
Marketing & Communications Officer – Lucas Houldcroft (Music)
CUKSN Summer Conference + future plans!
The Conservatoires of the United Kingdom Student Network’s Handover conference will take place at the Royal Northern Conservatoire of Music on the 10&11th July. Darcie and myself
will be travelling up for the conference and will be meeting this year’s cohort and the new intake of presidents, many topics are on the agenda, including the ongoing plans to expand CUKSN, fresher’s and future CUK campaigns.
Some of you may be wondering what CUKSN is? Or how it affects you? Well, I’ve put together this short post to give you more insight into what the @cuksnofficial network gets up to and why our work is so vital for you as a conservatoire student! Check it out here
https://www.instagram.com/p/CdQ6fwAA_GO/
Handover Sessions
Darcie and I have been meeting weekly to ensure a smooth and seamless transition this
summer between SU teams, and we will be meeting the new team over the next month
individually and collectively to provide detailed handovers.
Summer Festival Ball
Friday 15th July 8pm • Silk Street Theatre • Free Entry
This year we are hosting an epic summer festival ball in the silk street theatre with the fantastic Guildhall Festival Orchestra serving up the bangers for you all night; we’re talking Bruno Mars, Beyoncé, Lionel Ritchie, Ariana Grande, and so many more! Were not going to be the dress code police because we’re not about that, but as it’s a ball, then smart attire is
encouraged, but please…go crazy!
The event will completely free of charge, so you won’t need a ticket, but it’ll be first come, first served, so make sure to get in early! And the night doesn’t finish there! The Basement bar will be open mega (mega) late, and we have the epic @voodoobrassband providing the late-night entertainment. It gets even better; pints will be £1.50 along with a host of end of term bar deals! Get down early straight after summer festival ball, because it’ll be mega busy! 👥
New Accommodation Tips Video!
In this short 2-minute video, Harry and Elle from the SU give their top tips when looking at and viewing properties across London!
Have an accommodation question?
Make sure to also check out the newly updated ‘Accommodation Page’ and ‘Guildhall Student Area Guide’ on MyGuildhall to help assist you in your property search! As part of the Union’s
drive to help students with accommodation, we are also putting together a top tips video to
be released soon on our YouTube Channel.
Check out the new video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHP3G-g3-E8&t=1s
Tech Manager Role
Next week we will be interviewing candidates for the position of Basement Tech manager to take a position in September 2022. This role will be paid £1500 for the year and will work
closely with the Events & Societies Officer, the President and the Bar team.
Guildhall Bucket Hats!
We will be selling our new GSMD Bucket hats very soon; we have only ordered a limited amount as a test run, so check our socials for the drop date!
Goodbye from me!
Just a quick thank you from me to all the students and staff for the past two years as SU president, it’s been quite the rollercoaster ride, but I have loved every minute. I am delighted and very proud of the achievements of the SU over the past two years, highlights including; the introduction of the Diversity and Marketing & Communication roles, the 90+ events we have hosted (all free of charge), the basement refurb, and the creation of schemes and initiatives such as the free sanitary products across the school, to name a just a few! I would also like to thank Orla O’Loughlin and her team for the support she has given the SU in building a closer relationship with drama students over the past few years.
We’re now engaging with more Drama students than ever before on a rep level and hosting more Drama based events, and for the first time ever, we have a Drama student on the SU team next year,
which is a statement of how far we have come!
A big thank you also goes to the staff, in particular Jonathan Vaughan, Lynne Williams, Katharine Lewis and Julia Oliver, who have supported me and the SU like a rock during my tenure. Finally, I would also like to thank both my SU teams, coming out of the pandemic was never going to be easy, but the fantastic work of both my teams has been extraordinary, and the support they have given me has been second to none.
Don’t worry; I’m not going that easily; you will still have a couple more months of me, where many events are taking place, including our summer festival ball, so it won’t be a quiet exit, that’s for sure! I cannot wait to see the union go from strength to strength next year under Darcie and her fantastic new team!
I hope everyone has a wonderful last few months of the term; please do have a lovely relaxing summer; I know I will be (two weeks on the beach in Barbados, waheeyy), and the very best to everyone for the next year ahead! Love to all and Guildhall!
Harry Plant
Guildhall SU President 2020-22
Student Staff Liaison Committee
Departmental Updates
Tuesday, 21 June 2022
12pm on Microsoft Teams
Library
End of academic year deadlines for the Library
If you are finishing your course of study this year, it’s very important that you have a clear Library account before you leave us for the last time, even if you plan to return on a new programme in September. Unreturned library items and/or substantial accrued fines are treated by the School as a debt which will affect your invitation to Graduation, so it’s a good idea to check your account now and get in touch with us if you need to. All leavers will be receiving e-mail alerts from the Library about their accounts shortly. If you have definitely
accepted a place on a new programme and need to borrow items over the summer, this can be arranged provided your account is currently in good standing.
Summer Vacation Opening Hours
This summer we will be open 10am-4pm Monday to Friday. We will be doing some stock shifting, as usual, so if you want to be sure a specific item is available, just e-mail us in advance and we can put it aside if necessary.
MyGuildhall
Our pages are regularly updated with news about the Library and its services, so do remember to check there for any changes or innovations!
Access & Participation
Access and Participation Plan Variation
Work continues on the required Access and Participation Plan Variation. The first draft of this updated document will be shared with staff for sign-off by 4th July. This will include a three page ‘accessible summary’ of the full 30-page document, which we will also ask students to read, to ensure it is clear and easy to understand. The final version of the
document will be submitted to the Office for Students (OfS) by end of July. To reiterate:
Targets and investment will not change – the School remains committed to the targets as they stand.
– We have added some markers of progress, to address areas where we indicated we would consider additional targets in year three once more data was available. The available data does not suggest that new targets are needed in any of these areas.
The main purpose of the activity is to address the new OfS priorities – the accessible summary, raising attainment pre-16, student support, alternative provision and evaluation.
o As outlined above, the accessible summary will be shared with some students for consideration.
o We will strengthen sections about Guildhall Young Artists, in relation to the links to attainment raising.
o We will strengthen written sections about current student support, and bring
in some detail about new Access funded student initiatives.
o As a small provider, we do not need to address alternative provision.
o We will continue to refine evaluation processes, and outline progress so far.
Student Consultation
Many thanks to the students who joined the team and Harry for the Student Consultation in May. The conversation was really useful, and we wish we’d had longer to get into some of the points raised. Students confirmed that much of the current activity is working to address the barriers that some students/applicants might face, which is really positive, and highlighted that finances continue to be a major concern for students (unsurprising given the current financial climate in the UK). The team are in the process of collating the
feedback and conversation points, and this will inform the work going forward.
Any students who have thoughts on Access and Participation are very welcome to contact wp@gsmd.ac.uk. For next academic year we will establish a termly meeting, so that we can consult with students regularly on the development of the new Access and Participation Plan, which we will write next year.
Neurodiversity Network Presents
All students and staff are invited to meet alumni who will share their experiences of working in the industry, shining a light on the neurodiversity support that is available and on practices they have adopted that are benefitting their careers.
Thursday 23 June at 6.15pm – 7.00pm
Wednesday 29 June at 6.15pm – 7.00pm
(Seminar Room, Level 5 Milton Court)
This will be an informal Q&A with pizza provided. You can attend either one or both of the sessions. Each session will include different graduates from Music, Production Arts and Acting (subject to schedules). Please register your interest and submit any questions for the
panel via our form.
Get Ready for Guildhall
In collaboration with Student Affairs, the team will run Get Ready for Guildhall on 19th July 2022. Undergraduate offer-holders, who meet at least one Access criteria, have been invited to this event, which will introduce attendees to student support services, other new students and current students, and support their transition to the School. We have 22 offer holders signed-up so far, and expect several more before the deadline on 26th June. This is a completely free event, with travel bursaries available.
Supported Application Scheme
Of the 15 Supported Application Scheme applicants in final round, we are delighted that 7 were made offers to join the BA Acting course. 6 of these have accepted their offers and will joining us in September.
This brings our total number of firm acceptances from the scheme to 10 across all three departments. GYA Transitions. On July 16th we are running our transition event for Year 12 students across our GYA, CYM, and Juniors departments who are state-educated and seriously considering conservatoire training. This day gives them a chance to engage with the school and their
respective departments as well as follow up with 1:1 sessions.
Originate
This year’s Originate cohort will be performing two showcases on Friday June 24th at
RADA studios. This is culmination of their work over the 8 months and is chance for them
to perform for their families, the public, and to industry professionals.
IT
The Head of Business systems and data is working with the website content managers to improve accessibility and meet the web content accessibility standards regulations (for
example, current documentation may not be structured so they are accessible to a screen reader).
For PG and research students , I imagine mainly for research but worth to bring to
attention of all students: We have started to work and will launch Pure research portal for the research activities in the school, that’s quite exciting project which will bring lots of collaboration withing and outside the school.
Working on the improvement of asset management system, which should be ready soon and certainly for next academic year, aiming to make borrowing items more easily and
more under control not just scattered around the school.
A reminder that the Sundial court wifi infrastructure will be modernised and improved during the summer.
The additional PCs are still yet to be installed in the MC common room but are ready to go. 1 x MIDI keyboard has been trialled with a few students in the SS common room but was brought back due to the lack of space on the desks to accommodate the keyboard. This is still
a task that needs discussion with the Student Union President and one of the team will be in touch shortly.
Regarding Moodle, Evan is starting to work with academics on getting the system set up for next year. Evan is also putting something in the student ezine inviting students to send their feedback
on their Moodle experiences and how it can be improved.
Student Affairs
Industry Insights
Neurodiverse Network presents:
Guildhall Alumni
You are invited to meet alumni who will share their experiences of working in the industry, shining a light on the neurodiversity support that is available and on practices they have adopted that are benefitting their careers.
Thursday 23 June at 6.15pm – 7.00pm
Wednesday 29 June at 6.15pm – 7.00pm
Seminar Room, Level 5 Milton Court
This will be an informal Q&A with pizza provided. You can attend either one or both of the sessions. Each session will include different graduates from Music, Production Arts and Acting (subject to schedules). Please register your interest and submit any questions for the
panel via our form.
Upcoming drop-in sessions
Study Skills Tutor, Catherine Cranston, runs regular Study Skills sessions during term time. Students are invited to drop-in for practical tips on study-related concerns, such as organisation and time management, focus and concentration, or help to just get started on a piece of work. Sessions last 10-15 minutes.
Sessions will take place between 12.30 – 2.00pm on the following dates: 28 June – in the Silk Street Advancement Meeting Room (Level 2, opposite room 209) 5 July – in Milton Court Tutorial Room Level -2 (opposite the back of house lift).
Alternatively, for an online session, message Catherine on Teams. Stretch and Relax, with Hannah Goodwin, Senior Health and Welfare Advisor
Just as a professional athlete needs to stretch to keep their muscles flexible, strong, and healthy, performing artists should also consider adding stretching as a part of their daily practice routine. Whether you play guitar, violin, sing, or are lifting heavy equipment, establishing a 10 minute stretching routine may open the doors to a world of benefits.
Drop in lunch time sessions on 15 July, 1.15pm – 1.45 pm Room 250 Silk Street – no booking required, simply turn up!
Accessing support during the holidays
During the summer break, Student Affairs will continue to offer certain services including health and wellbeing advice and support, accommodation advice, and international student support.
If you wish to access support or guidance, please contact Student Affairs, or email the relevant member of the team directly, to arrange an appointment.
Further information and resources can be found on the Wellbeing Hub and on the Student Affairs MyGuildhall pages (Student Affairs – Student Affairs Home (gsmd.ac.uk).
If you need to speak to someone urgently, you may wish to contact:
Your GP (For Sundial Court Residents this is the Neaman Practice – 020 7600 9740)
The Samaritans Tel: 020 7734 2800
Crisis Line, Homerton Hospital Tel: 020 8432 8020 (24 hour telephone helpline for
anyone requiring an urgent mental health assessment)
Further out of hours support services and resources can be found on our Student Affairs pages.
Facilities
Lockers
Lockers will need to be emptied by 15th July, last day of term. For those who will find this very difficult, and this is by exception, please e-mail Shelle Bridgeman to let her know. While you are away, we are going to change all the lockers to a hasp lock which means you
can put your own padlock on! We will send out locker allocation information for the start of the new academic year.
Cleaning
We are now in week 3 of the change to our cleaning regime in Milton Court. We have had some feedback but continue to welcome more. Many thanks to all who have feedback so far.
Following an excellent idea from Armin, we have added Q codes in each room with a link directly to the helpdesk so reports can be made to engineering and facilities for all maintenance, cleaning, etc and includes requests to change the temperature.
Recording & AV
Over recent weeks the department have made significant investment in cinema quality equipment, to revolutionise screen acting output. This will see a major upgrade to our camera stock, prime lenses and grip equipment, as well as new key lighting equipment.
Final recital season is underway, with over 200 recitals to record and deliver to students, as well as recording opera and drama performances for broadcast.
We provided support and assistance to GradEx with a large number of screens in use for various students’ displays, and Multicam recordings of the panel discussions.
All this in addition to our day to day recording schedule in our venues and large teaching rooms, and of course our recording studio
Registry
Whole School Survey
Student Reps are asked to encourage students to complete the survey, as the feedback
received is vital to the School continuing to enhance its programmes, services and
infrastructure.
This year response rates are lower than at this point last year. The School needs a high response rate in order to enact meaningful change based on robust data, without such it will be harder to determine what changes and improvements to make.
All students who participate are included in a prize draw to win one of four £25 Amazon vouchers.
The Survey is open until the end of term.
Please update your contact details
Please check your contact details in eGo are correct and up to date, this is particularly important ahead of the summer.