
BA (Hons) in Commercial Music
DURATION
3 up to 4 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Request earliest startdate
TUITION FEES
GBP 16,905 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* international full time | UK part time: £4,625 | UK full time: £9,250 | professional placement year full time for UK: £1,850 international: £3,150
Key Summary
Introduction
If you have a flair for original musical ideas, our Commercial Music course can take you on a creative journey to inspire and define a lifelong career. You’ll write original material alongside exploring identity, promotion, and the wider music business - the context of your music.
Some of our graduates are signed artists. Others work for record labels, in music publishing, in the entertainment business, or across the digital sector.
Professional placement year
Overview
This optional placement year provides you with the opportunity to identify, apply for, and secure professional experience, normally comprising one to three placements over a minimum of nine months. Successful completion of this module will demonstrate your ability to secure and sustain graduate-level employment.
By completing the module, you'll be entitled to the addition of 'with Professional Placement Year' to your degree title.
Gallery
Admissions
Curriculum
This course offers or includes the following modules. The modules you take will depend on your pathway or course combination (if applicable) as well as any optional or open modules chosen.
Year one (Level 4) modules
- Songwriting
- Composing with Technology
- Performance (Collaborative)
- Introduction to the Music Business
- Commercial Music Studio Production
- Performance (Projects)
Year two (Level 5) modules
- Brand, Identity, and Promotion
- Music Video Production
- Song Production
- Audio Visual Identity
- Music Think Tank
- "Going Live" (Tour and Events)
- Working in the Music Industry
- Creative Composition
- Music Orchestration and Arranging
- Work placement
- Professional Placement Year
Year three (Level 6) modules
- Professional Portfolio (Development)
- Professional Musician
- Professional Portfolio (Presentation)
- Commercial Music Research: Planning and Methods
- Commercial Music Research: Writing and Revision
- Music, Money, and Enterprise 1
- Music, Money, and Enterprise 2
- Live Music TV Show
- Composition for Media
- AudioVisual Performance
Program Outcome
What you'll learn
Overview
This Commercial Music course is about the creation: of songs, projects, bands, and entrepreneurial ideas. You’ll acquire skills that broaden your future career choices through writing, designing, promoting, performing, researching, touring, and launching your creative material.
Songwriting/original music - develop your songwriting skills, whether you’re a singer-songwriter, play in a band, or want to write music for media.
Music production - capture and present your musical ideas. Whether you’re into vintage studio techniques or the latest digital technologies, we’ll teach you the skills you need to achieve your personal creative goals.
Contextual studies - understand the context of your musical work through the analysis of your creative outputs and the work of artists relevant to you.
Performance - develop performance skills as a solo performer, or within a band.
Course structure
Year one
Your first year focuses on songwriting, performance, and production. This raw material will define the launch and release cycles of your second year.
You’ll write songs and journalistic/promotional material, and learn how to produce and develop your material in the recording studio. Meanwhile, you’ll work towards live showcase events.
Year two
You’ll write, produce, and record your original material. You’ll explore semiotics, marketing, cultural theory, photography, and advertising, and develop an understanding of branding in a crowded marketplace.
You'll create an online presence through designing and editing your promotional video, as well as other website and audio-visual content. Using this for promotion, you’ll set up your national tour.
Year three
Choose to specialize in production, songwriting, or music business. Songwriting, performance, and production all combine within our outward-facing Portfolio module which will showcase your skills upon leaving University. You’ll also explore an aspect of music culture, leading to a final dissertation.
You’ll be given "seed funding" to work in a team to develop and actively pursue a "real-world" music-related business project. Many graduates continue successful business projects beyond graduation.
How will I be assessed?
There are no formal exams. You’ll be assessed through the production of your portfolio materials which will include songs, live performances, audio productions, promotional material, website design, photographic output, video staging, video editing, critical thinking, tour management, written dissertations, business plans, business diagnostics and presentations.
Program Tuition Fee
Facilities
Program delivery
How will I be taught?
You’ll be taught in a variety of ways, including group practical lectures in practice rooms, formal group lectures, small group seminars in band rooms, group lectures in technology suites (video, website design, and music production), small group seminars in recording studios, one-to-one tutorials, and instrumental teaching in small groups and one-to-one formats.
Course length
Three years full time, or four years full time with a professional placement year. Part-time available.