BA (Hons) Music Production with Foundation Entry.

This is a practical module designed to develop your knowledge of composition, arrangement and music technology through the performance and recording of an original piece of work. You’ll develop your independent creative practice, gaining fundamental performance skills, rehearsal techniques and knowledge of studio protocols.

Assessment: Practical project with a reflective report. 40 credits.

In this module you’ll research contemporary and historical contexts of creative practice, particularly surrounding performance and media. You’ll be introduced to a range of genres, styles, and disciplines and encouraged to think critically about how they can influence your own work. The aim of the module is to provide a foundation in study skills, equipping you to continue into undergraduate study.

Assessment: Reflective report and presentation. 20 credits.

This module will introduce you to the basic primary principles and practical applications of sound recording and sound design. This covers multi-tracking, mixing, audio recording and sampling, including the use of music and sound effects for audio visual media. You’ll be given a basic grounding in the ways in which sound works in relation to both music and media.

Assessment: Practical portfolio. 20 credits.

This practical module is designed to develop your technical skillset, covering all the key aspects of the modern DAW. It covers the technicalities of creating and editing electronic music in a purely software-based environment. You’ll learn fundamental sound processing techniques using a range of software applications, both native to the DAW and third-party plugins, encouraging your creative experimentation and evaluation.

Assessment: Practical portfolio and report. 40 credits.

Through the study of a diverse range of practitioners and their work, you’ll explore creative techniques used in both composition and arrangement across different styles and genres of music. This module will allow you to gain inspiration from established producers, encourage you to explore alternative methods of creating sound, and help you to build up a portfolio of original and professional compositions.

Assessment: Portfolios of original compositions for a range of songwriting and composition styles. 40 credits.

Developing your skills in recording, editing and mixing, this module will give you a key understanding of different microphone types and techniques. You’ll also be introduced to factors affecting the recording process in either a live or location based setting. Through practical experimentation in the studios, you’ll then learn to assess the needs of individual sessions and effectively use your setting to your advantage.

Assessment: Ensemble recording and report, Location recording and report. 40 credits.

Through the analysis of relevant online profiles, this module will introduce you to the importance of effective self-representation and creating both original and targeted content to build a significant following. You’ll also gain skills in blogging, social media marketing and web-design, allowing you to develop a clear presence for yourself as a producer.

Assessment: Essay, a marketing presentation and website portfolio. 40 credits.

Through further experimentation in the studios, you’ll build on your recording skills while also learning to effectively use both analogue and digital effects at different stages during the production process to enhance your final mix. You’ll also be introduced to basic mastering and editing techniques, whilst continuously reflecting on your work to develop a deeper understanding of your work as an engineer.

Assessment: Recording project and report as well as both an analogue and digital mix. 40 credits

Introducing you to the world of sound design, you’ll develop your creative skills in composition and learn to create music for a range of media before presenting your work as an installation of both audio and video assets. Through the research of standard industry practices in this field, practical experimentation with Foley and sound effects creation, you’ll build up a significant library of assets suitable for use in both film and games applications.

Assessment: Sound design and installation presentation. 40 credits.

By developing original compositions and working with existing materials to create an effective remix, this module encourages you to blur the lines between composer and producer while taking both a creative and objective view of your work.

Assessment: Original compositions that highlight different core skills such as production and remixing. 20 credits.

Working to an external client brief, you’ll develop a clear strategy to achieve the goals and requirements of the commissioning client. Assignments in this module will encourage you to think critically about your work, and use the skills and knowledge you’ve gained across other modules to create a product that meets specific criteria.

Assessment: Client based production and follow-up presentation. 20 credits.

Now confident in the running of recording and mixing sessions in the studios, you’ll have the freedom to fit the content of this module to your specific working needs. Focusing on the further development of your skills and the refinement of your workflows, you’ll produce recordings to a professional standard, applying advanced mixing and mastering techniques.

Assessment: Recording and report. 20 credits.

Exposing you to a variety of career opportunities, you’ll gain a range of key skills relevant to entrepreneurship and self-employment. Concentrating on preparing you for work as soon as you graduate, this module will help you understand how different businesses function in the music and audio industries, and how you can find your place within it.

Assessment: Proposal and portfolio. 40 credits.

This is when you test out everything you’ve learned over the course of your degree as you take your work to the public. Throughout this module, you’ll create an original project to a high professional standard, whilst planning and managing its launch into the public domain. Focusing purely on your own creative goals, you can take your work in this module to a whole new level, making your first steps into the industry as a professional producer/engineer.

Assessment: Major project and archive. 40 credits.