Music Performance - London BA (Hons)

Performance Skills 2 (20 Credit Points)

Progressing from Year 1, you will engage in playing more complex material, conducting deeper analysis of the component parts, and exploring the most effective ways of communicating them to your peers and ultimately, an audience! You will perform original material and rework classic songs, adapting them to the sound and style of specified genres.

Technical proficiency on your instrument will be further advanced and developed throughout this process. You will receive guidance in stagecraft and setlist design techniques, aiming to build performer confidence and learn how to professionally entertain and engage a live audience with a powerful performance.

Songwriting 2 (20 Credit Points)

You'll develop your songwriting skills further by dissecting more complex songs from a wide array of genres to understand what makes them successful. You'll participate in a series of workshops where you'll practice various working methodologies to write material, both in solo and collaborative scenarios.

You'll explore top line, rhythmic, melodic, and lyrical methods, equipping you with the tools you need to hold your own in any songwriting session. Effective communication of ideas is essential for any collaborative process including working with other musicians who bring your ideas to life.

You'll learn how to communicate arrangements and ideas effectively using rhythmic and harmonic notation, chord symbols, and lyric/chord guides, and apply them to real-world scenarios.

Music for Modern Media (20 Credit Points)

This module focuses on exploring the exciting world of composing for media. Building on your compositional and DAW skills from year one, you will utilise them in a variety of real-world scenarios to create music for media use. These may include jingles, genre-based library music, and music for film and other media.

You will examine and research these areas, gaining insight into how best to apply your current DAW knowledge with other tools and techniques and expand on that skillset by successfully completing example scenarios. Composing for media is a substantial part of today's industry and an area in which you should be well prepared to engage.

Industry Practice (20 credit points)

This is where the reality of being a freelance practitioner really comes into focus. During this module, you will source and manage appropriate self-directed projects of at least 20 hours in an area that aligns to your career aspiration, working individually and collaboratively, applying the research, knowledge, and skills learnt throughout the course in common real-world scenarios.

You will also be given a further 80 hours of relevant industry briefs over the year to complete and reflect on. The aim is to develop your overall professionalism and provide you with the knowledge and resources to begin a career in the creative industries which are increasingly defined by freelance and self-employed models of work.

Projects can cover a wide range of scenarios, and you must be able to adapt quickly, spinning a number of plates at once. You will need to work under pressure to strict deadlines and learn how to manage your time and resources effectively whilst looking after the wellbeing of yourself and your collaborators.

You’ll explore relevant legal frameworks such as copyright and intellectual property and examine how money flows in your particular area of interest so you’re best placed to exploit your talents for financial sustainable gain.

Contextual Studies (20 Credit Points)

Music plays an integral part in everyday life across cultures and societies. It can transcend language and cultural barriers and influence individual and social identity, politics, fashion and technology.
This module offers a deeper understanding of the contexts in which music is created, performed, received and how it has evolved or influenced social change.

You will delve into various musical genres, styles, and traditions across different time periods and cultures. The module aims to enhance critical thinking and analytical skills by examining the social, political, and artistic influences that shape musical practices.

You will also develop your research and communication abilities as you explore and present your findings on significant musical works, composers, and movements. The skills you develop in this module will help you as a working musician: broadening your musical horizons and giving you the skills to argue your ideas, understanding the role of music in the wider world.

Studio Production for Musicians (20 Credit Points)

This module serves as the recording musician's toolkit. The landscape for a recording musician is no longer limited to the traditional bigger studio 'Session' setup. Home studio setups have now become a significant part of the instrument recording business, catering to clients and session briefs that include songwriters, producers, library companies, film/TV soundtracks, content creators, as well as your own projects.

The module covers both larger studio ensemble recording and remote recording. You will learn the fundamental processes of recording and producing your own instrument or voice. This includes how to communicate properly with a client, audio file management, and selecting the appropriate gear and processes that meet the needs of any given recording scenario you may encounter as a jobbing musician.

You will also develop skills in critically comparing recording equipment across different budget points, audio engineering skills, understanding group recording etiquette, maintaining session structure and energy, effectively communicating with producers, and fostering repeat business.

Creative Investigation (40 Credit Points)

What is an area of music or performance you're fascinated by? What would you like to know more about? How could it influence and broaden your own playing, writing and performing skills? This module is an opportunity to research something you're interested in or passionate about. Examples might include: exploring how different cultures utilise rhythm; delving into the concept of creativity; researching DIY release culture, or investigating audience response.

It offers the chance to conduct in-depth research on your chosen topic that can enhance your own skill set. You will create a proposal and gather evidence from secondary sources to support your area of focus which will then be discussed and agreed upon with your supervisor.

Subsequently, you will undertake a substantial and sustained research project based on your proposal. This will involve generating your own materials and findings which you will analyse and draw conclusions from. These could be presented in the format of a traditional written dissertation, or you could use other mediums such as film or audio by negotiation.

This module not only enhances your independent research skills but also improves your knowledge and abilities in music and performance and other employable fields.

Industry Brief (40 Credit Points)

This is where it becomes very real. This module is the exciting link to the next steps towards an employable future. You will choose a live brief/briefs set by industry from a range of employers/scenarios and receive tailored guidance to ensure you have the skills and research capability to deliver exactly what that industry brief demands. This is it!

You might be booked for a studio session, required to be part of a band for a pop artist working under a musical director's instruction, play in an individually tailored function band for an event, or reinterpret songs to a different genre for a library album. It could be any real-world scenario!

You will reflect on the skills you've developed over the year and form a viable next steps career plan to explore how you can make a living from what you've learned on your journey.

Personal Project (40 Credit Points)

Ignite your Creative Journey, bring your ideas to life and set your career goals in motion. This module offers a unique opportunity to propose and negotiate a project of your choice, taking it from concept to completion. Throughout this module, you will develop essential skills in project planning and effective implementation.

You'll develop your collaboration skills and create a realistic timeline for your project's success. The possibilities for your project are diverse, ranging from creating a collection of original songs, recording a single or an EP, to establishing a creative business or perhaps designing an immersive music-based art installation: the world is your oyster!

In addition to honing your creative talents, you'll also explore key aspects of business and marketing, discovering how to market your work effectively and gaining entrepreneurial skills that will contribute to your success as an industry professional. By the end of the module, you'll be equipped with a practical next steps plan, ensuring you have a clear understanding of how your creative endeavours can support your future career aspirations.

You'll also be assigned a mentor from industry to help you on your journey. This is the opportunity to unlock your creative potential and take your first steps towards a rewarding career. Now is your chance to create and produce something tangible and begin to focus on your career goals.