Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (UK)
Set in the world capital of pop, the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) offers a compelling student experience -- and has a fascinating history, too.
Founded in 1996 by Paul McCartney of the Beatles, the school is actually located in the former site of McCartney's high school!
Nowadays with 1,100 students, LIPA has a modern approach to learning, which is all about collaboration through projects and practice-based assessments.
And it has an amazing location in the heart of one of my favorite UK cities!
Here are some of the highlights from my visit.
Liverpool as a city
First things first - do you like museums?
Liverpool has the most museums and galleries outside of London, and what's more, most of them are free!
I enjoyed the contemporary art at the Tate on a Sunday afternoon.
My favorite collection, however, was at the Maritime Museum (obviously).
Because of its location on the water in the northwest of England, Liverpool has long been tied with the maritime industry.
Titanic geeks like myself will know that Liverpool was actually home to the headquarters of the White Star Line company who owned the ship, and their beautiful building still exists today as a hotel.
So of course I had to check out the Titanic exhibit at the museum (though I found the Lusitania collection equally intriguing)!
Both the Tate and the Maritime Museum are located at the Albert Dock, a lively area close to the Liverpool One shopping district.
As a city, Liverpool attracts about 54 million visitors each year, and it's really easy to reach via a direct 2-hour train from London.
In June 2024, Taylor Swift played in Liverpool (the only non-capital city in the UK she chose, which underscores the importance of music to this city).
The city also has two striking and interesting cathedrals.
Whether all these visitors come because of its Beatles fame, the two Premier League soccer teams, the large amount of museums or the arts -- regardless, there is so much to do.
I even came across a Sunday afternoon dance party, curated by the group Crazy P.
For students/tourists looking for nightlife, Matthews Street in the centre is where you'll find a lot of the bars and nightclubs, including the Cavern Club, famous for regularly hosting the Beatles in their early years (and nowadays, tribute Beatles bands).
Besides Albert Dock, I think my favorite area was Bold Street, which is where many second- or third-year students live (check out the Mowgli Indian restaurant!).
It's also where I found the best coffee -- at a place called Bold Street Coffee (get the avocado toast or mushroom toast, too!).
Two other honorable mentions for coffee shops would be the Lovelocks Coffee shop, not far from the train station, and 92 degrees (there is even one inside LIPA!).
92 degrees has multiple locations, but I went to the one on Jamaica Street in the Baltic Market area, which has clearly been redeveloped recently.
Unfortunately, the Baltic Market itself was closed on Tuesdays, but not to worry, another market nearby wasn't!
The Red Brick Market is located right by the Cains Brewery Village, which also looked very cool!
The Red Brick Market is a vintage market with a little bit of everything - and coffee, too!
I bought a ring, bracelet and earrings for only $20.
Lastly, if you're looking for a fun street that might be a bit less touristy and more locals, then Lark Lane just outside the city is a really cute option.
LIPA
First things, first -- the facilities are really cool!
Outside, the building looks grand; inside, the vibe is airy and open with lots of natural light.
And in each of its three teaching schools, LIPA encourages students to take creative risks.
The courses have an entrepreneurial focus with very little theory.
In fact, students are rarely in the classroom; they're mostly in studios.
The purpose? To teach students how to find sustained work in the industry.
This is also achieved through regular masterclasses and guest speakers, like recent guests Björn Ulvaeus from ABBA and Sam Mendes.
The School of Performance is home to five BA Acting courses, each focusing on a different specialism (such as stage, screen or really niche areas such as musicianship), each of which have 20 places per year and BA Dance, which has 35 places each year.
I was fortunate to see an hour-long performance by the dance students, which was so impressive I had to watch it again later online!
I was even more fortunate to have the chance to participate in a bungee dance lesson (it's harder than it looks!).
The School of Music teaches every type of music apart from classical and opera, and students studying one of the performance based courses have one hour per week of 1-to-1 teaching in their first instrument, which is declared during the audition process.
They also don't force students into bands, so any collaboration that happens is fully organic.
And best of all, A&R (artists and repertoire) departments -- the part of the record label or music publishing company that's responsible for scouting and developing artists and songwriters -- come to visit LIPA 40 to 50 times a year, which is quite unusual for a music school.
Lastly, the School of Creative Technologies, Design & Enterprise is home to the BA Filmmaking & Creative Technologies, BA Management, BA Sound Technology, BA Theatre & Performance Design and BA Theatre & Production Technology.
The BA Filmmaking & Creative Technologies, for example, is one of the only programs to have some of the best motion capture facilities out there.
The Sound Technology course also comes with fantastic facilities that are regularly updated, as it's not only about music but instead broadcast audio, acoustics, sound for film, etc.
Students have extraordinary levels of access, with studios open 24/7 during term time!
Applications to all programs will have an audition or interview as part of the process.
Summary: Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
Made up of 27 percent international students, LIPA is a small, diverse community of creatives within a large, vibrant, artsy and musical city.
I loved the facilities, the location and the teachers we met.
I was even astonished that studios are open 24/7, too (during term time) -- perfect for creatives like me who do their best work at night!
It was easy to see just how talented the students are as well.
And fact that LIPA doesn't force students to work with each other -- they choose who to collaborate with -- also means students get a real taste of how the industry works from the start.
But for a school founded by Paul McCartney, would you expect anything less?!
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