BA (Hons) Songwriting & Music Performance

• Course duration: 2 years
• Course location: Online
• Suitable for: Singer-songwriters, solo artists, band and session musicians, composers, multi-instrumentalists
• Course tuition fees: £9950 per year
• Tuition fee loan available: Yes
• Maintenance loan available: No
• Bursaries available: All students can apply for innovation cash bursaries and every student on the course receives £750 to invest in musical equipment, together with choice of DAW software and Slate plugin bundle.
• UCAS course application page
• Course entry requirements: 104 UCAS points (guide only) or via accreditation of prior learning

Ready to apply? Click here

The 2-year accelerated online BA (Hons) Songwriting & Music Performance degree is perfect for musicians who don't want to put their lives on hold and commit to a traditional 3-yr campus-based degree course. The course is accelerated to run for just 2 years, with the optimal flexibility of online, on-demand learning. It’s built on three fundamental elements – your music, your career and your projects. It deals with what really matters in the industry. It will expand your options pushing you to create original, boundary-shifting music.

Who’s it for?

This course has been specifically designed for:
• Singer-songwriters
• Solo artists
• Band and session musicians
• Vocalists
• Guitarists
• Drummers
• Bassists
• Composers
• Multi-instrumentalists

You’ll hone songwriting and compositional skills, instrumental / vocal techniques, stylistic knowledge, improvisation and expand your creative repertoire. You’ll be able collaborate with other WaterBear musicians and artists from around the world. And you’ll learn all you need to know about building your career as a professional in today’s music industry. There are also regular online networking events, masterclasses, collaboration and work opportunities so you can build your all-important contacts list.

Everything is online, so you can mix and match different subjects to suit your needs and really make the degree your own. We provide a supportive, safe environment for you to experiment and create. You'll also develop a personal career plan to support your ambitions.

How you will learn

You'll get access to all of your course content via WaterBear's dedicated Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). You'll also be able to participate in tutorials, discussions and meetings using video conferencing.

Online teaching and learning activities can include:

• Lectures, seminars, tutorials and workshops
• One-to-one mentoring
• Assignments, assessments and feedback sessions
• Masterclasses
• Virtual performances and gigs
• Performance and peer collaboration via ‘Jam Cloud (VLE)'

You'll also be invited to attend regular events, masterclasses and other activities happening at the WaterBear campuses, which is optional.

Career pathways

This course is designed to develop careers in:
• Music composition and performance
• Audio/visual production
• Studio recording
• Music production and engineering
• Digital marketing and PR
• Digital content creation
• Tour, artist and events management
• Artist, label and publishing services
• Technical support
• Music education

Further study

After graduating, you'll have a number of routes to further study available, including the MA Music Performance, Production and Business, MA Music Business and MA Songwriting degree courses at WaterBear and other postgraduate specialist programmes.

Course Modules

Level 4

Module title: Creative Music Making

This course is all about the creation of great, high-quality music. This module is about creating and performing music that represents you as an individual. Music that tells your story and shows the world who you are. This is me today, and this is where I am going.

This module is assessed via the submission of a demo recording that showcases your best work, with supporting narrative to reflect on the process and result.

Module title: Navigating the Music Industry

This module deals with the music industry, past and present. Exciting case studies of artists that have made an important contribution to music. How did they do it? And how can you employ these insights into your own music projects, right now?

Assessment is a case study of contrasting business models within the music industry.

Module title: Your Artistic Development

Building on the Creative Music Making module, this is all about expanding your skills and abilities. Pushing the boundaries of songwriting and compositional technique, producing experimental work, or writing a hit pop song. The direction you take your music is controlled by you.

This module is assessed via the submission of demo recordings that showcase your best contrasting work, with supporting narrative to reflect on the process and result.

Module title: Your Strategy

Creating your individual career plan, with careful design and thorough testing. You will develop knowledge of current music industry practice to create career plans that are a). realistic and b). achievable.

Assessment is via a report to identify a viable, personalised career model.

Level 5

Module title: Your Sound

Time to Stop, reflect and consider: Who exactly are you? Competent artists can play, sing and write well, but a real artist stands for so much more. Lots more in terms of music creation, production and performance in this module.

This module is assessed via the submission of studio and live recordings, with supporting case study analysis to illustrate your key influences.

Module title: Making Things Happen

Now's the time for the rehearsal and practice to stop and for you to show the world what you're made of. Working to put on shows and events. From live streams and solo shows to a fully-fledged national tour. It's all fair game.

Assessment is via a live event that you will curate. The scale and scope of the event is up to you.

Module title: Performance Technology & The Creative Industries

This module will push you to expand your music and creativity into new and ground-breaking environments.

Different methods of recording, innovative compositional techniques, new ways of creating. You'll use this as inspiration to create a wide range of original and creative cover material.

This module is assessed via the submission of studio or live recordings that showcase your innovation, with accompanying programme notes, innovation pitch and press release.

Module title: Innovation in the Music Industry

In this business-focussed module, you’ll bring all your creative faculties to the table to create innovative new business models for the future music industry.

Assessment is via a business plan submission designed to illustrate an innovative and viable new business idea.

Level 6

Module title: Your Professional Development

Having thought about what to do for that final project, you'll now need to prepare for it. This is where that work will be done, and the process documented. You'll be getting plenty of mentoring and guidance too, so don't worry.

Assessment in this module is via the submission of Preparation Portfolio, including proposals, timeline and rationale.

Module title: Specialist Report

In creating this specialist report as a dissertation, you'll be honing your academic chops as you undertake formal research. You'll also be preparing the ground for your ambitious final project in the Professional Project module.

The Specialist Report assessment will take the form of a research project paper focussed on a specific area relevant to today’s music scene.

Module title: Professional Project Portfolio

Your final major project is the springboard into your creative future. You are encouraged to be practical and realistic, but also ambitious and to challenge yourself. There is no limit to where you can take this or what you can do. Anything is possible.

Assessment in this module is via the submission of a Portfolio of work and project outcomes, contextual presentation of work and next steps career strategy.

*Programme structures and modules can change as part of our curriculum enhancement and review processes. Any changes affecting students’ expected programme delivery are communicated in advance. If a certain module is important to you, please discuss it with the Programme Manager.

Initial applications for the BA (Hons) Songwriting & Music Performance 2-year accelerated course can be made via the 'Apply Now' page.

You can also apply directly via UCAS using the links below.

UCAS Course codes are as follows:

Course code: W371
Institution code: F33
Campus name: WaterBear, Brighton
Campus code: W
UCAS course application page

We consider all applications on their own merit and potential. We’ll invite you to a 1-1 session, either in person or by video conference. This is where you’ll have the opportunity to find out all about WaterBear and talk about your music, achievements and career goals.

Falmouth University Terms & Conditions

Students living outside of the UK are eligible to apply for this course.

Language requirements

If English isn't your first language, you’ll need to achieve equivalent to the IELTS Academic 6.0 overall score, with at least 5.5 in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. We accept a range of equivalent approved tests too. Visit the English Language Requirements page of the Falmouth University website for more information.

In order to get the most out of the BA (Hons) Songwriting & Music Performance course, it is essential that you have regular access to the correct resources. Having your own equipment will provide maximum flexibility to support both your college and personal project work.

Essential basics:

• Your instrument (instrumentalists)
• Expendables (strings, sticks, picks, leads, etc.)
• Note-taking materials (pens, notepad, manuscript paper, etc.) (Purchase cost around £20)
• Computer (desktop, laptop, tablet, etc.) (Purchase cost around £250-£400)
• DAW software (Purchase cost around £50-£100)
• USB memory stick (Purchase cost around £10)
• Reliable, high-speed internet connection

We recommend:

• Computer (laptop / desktop) capable of running DAW, audio interface, plug-ins and A/V processing software (recommended 8-16GB RAM, 7,200 RPM Hard Drive, 8MB buffer, 1TB hard drive (Purchase cost around £600-£800)
• Professional DAW software (ProTools, Logic, Cubase, Ableton, etc.) (Purchase cost around £200-£450)
• External hard drive (Purchase cost around £25-£50)
• Dynamic microphone(s) (e.g. Shure SM57 / SM58) (Purchase cost around £80-£100)
• Audio interface (e.g. Focusrite Scarlett 2i2) (Purchase cost around £100-£200)
• Headphones (e.g. Sennheiser HD 200, Beyerdynamic DT770) (Purchase cost around £75-£150)