So, you’ve made it to CIT Cork School of Music (CSM), congratulations! This is an amazing achievement and you should be proud of yourself. It is a fabulous school with a great sense of community, and I’ve no doubt that you’ll have the time of your life studying here and doing what you love!
CSM has so much to offer in terms of services and facilities. This blog aims to make you aware of these services so you can milk them for all they’re worth! Uhmmm.. I mean.. So you can make the most of what CSM has to offer. Enjoy!
The Library
The Fleischmann Library on the fourth floor is one of my favourite areas in the entire building. It is a beautiful place to study, with a stunning view of Cork city, and has a lot to offer students. Oh, and there’s books too.
You may have already gotten a tour of the library.. If so, you’ll know that there are plenty of music and drama related books to choose from, CDs, and a mountain of different pieces of sheet music also. Use the CIT library multisearch website to find out where you need to look for your item; https://library.cit.ie/multisearch-tips. If you need extra help to find something, be sure to ask the librarian - they are so helpful!
Some of the digital library resources on offer in CSM are:
- Digital Theatre - huge online database with over 450 recorded professional productions, interviews with practitioners, written analysis etc.
- RILM Music Encyclopedias
- Medici.tv - streaming service classical music channel, broadcasts more than 150 live events every year! Medici.tv via https://library.cit.ie/csm.
- E-books - as a CIT student you have access to over 100,000 E-book titles - https://library.cit.ie/ebooks
To check out a book, you will need your CIT card. You can return books to the drop box just outside of the library.
Asimut
Asimut can be your best friend if you get to know it and use it well. These are the general facts;
- You can book up to two hours for any given day up to a week in advance.
- If you have not confirmed your booking within 10 minutes of the booking’s start time, it cancels itself. You must confirm your reservation at a touch screen or at the front desk.
- You can make bookings for the present moment even if you have used up your two already if there is a free room (for up to two hours).
Whether you are an early lark or a night owl, Asimut has your back. There are always free rooms from 8am - 10am and from 8pm - 10pm. When booking your room in advance, book your room outside of these times. Then, decide whether you want to come in early/stay late, make an on-the-spot room booking and you now have four hours in a room to practice every day!
My top tip would be to book your rooms on one end of a lecture. For instance, it makes you feel productive to come into CSM a bit earlier than your lecture time and get an hour of practice in beforehand. You’re also more likely to continue practicing later. If you practice before your lecture, you can then get a coffee with a classmate free from guilt afterwards!
By this time in your degree, you will have spent many hours in some, if not all, of these state-of-the-art venues for various lectures, workshops and projects. It is then all the more exciting when it is your turn to take the stage!
Get connected
Get connected with people from other courses and maybe even other CIT campuses by joining a club or society. The Glór choir, the Musical Society, the TradSoc, and the Alexander Technique society are all based at CSM, but have moved to zoom for the foreseeable future. It’s now more convenient than ever to join a society that’s usually based in CIT, but have moved online. Such societies include photography, LGBT, mature students, mature students, and many more. To view the complete list to sign up, follow this link: https://societies.cit.ie/societies
An exciting aspect of studying at CSM is that when you reach third and fourth year, and if you’ve decided to specialise in performance, your end-of-semester exam will be held in one of the performance facilities.
- For the BMus, the Curtis Auditorium will be where the applause resounds following your recital,
- for the Drama students, the Stack Theatre is where your performance will amaze all who watch,
- and for those holding popular music gigs, your friends and family will gather in the recording studio to see you strut your stuff.
Services that you might need
CSM offers in-person counselling services on a Monday in the college. The waiting lists can be quite long, however if immediate help is needed they can of course make arrangements for you. Online counselling is also available this year, which may make it even easier for some students to access it. To make an appointment, email counselling.admin@cit.ie
If you need a doctor's appointment during the year, you can go to the Grand Parade Medical and get a reduced student rate (don't forget your CIT card). Appointments are only a tenner for CSM students!
- Contact details for the Grand Parade Medical Practice: Tel: +353 21 2355784
- For after-hours care, contact SouthDoc: Tel: 1850 335 999
Academic success coaching is a service that is usually run on the CIT main campus, but is operating online this year - it is now more accessible to CSM students than ever before! "What is it?" I hear you ask.. I’m gonna pull a quote from their webpage to answer this one: “If you would like to talk about how you’re finding your course, identify strong goals, come up with solutions that are right for you, please make contact with us to arrange a session. Together we can figure out how to develop a realistic plan that works for you". Any full time student in CIT can avail of this service, regardless of whether you’re on the verge of failing or want to bump your grades up from a 2.1 to a 1st. Oh, and it’s free! Follow this link to book an online or phone appointment with Joe or Marian; asc/book.
Good Start
There are five Good Start Ambassadors who are also students at CSM. Each of the four degrees are represented - between us, we are sure to know the answer to any question that you may have. Approach us at the JustAsk! desk, DM us on Instagram @CITGoodStart or PM us on Facebook; CITGoodStart!
Mandy, Josh, Ellie, Caoimhe & Julianne, Good Start Ambassadors