Cert HE Music performance, Production, Songwriting & Business*
- Duration1 year
- Locationon-site
- Start DateSeptember 2026
- UCAS CodesBrighton W325, Sheffield W326
Certificate in Higher Education for Self-Motivated Independent Musicians
The 1-year CertHE Music Performance, Production, Songwriting & Business* course at WaterBear – The College of Music is designed for independent, self-motivated musicians who are ready to take their music to the next level, but also want the freedom to study a focussed, one-year course without making the commitment to a full three-year degree.
This course is for musicians and artists who want to develop a broad skillset and gain valuable skills across a range of music specialisms. It brings together the essential elements of our performance, songwriting, production and music business level 4 BA (Hons) programmes into one, focussed year.
Throughout the course, you’ll receive personalised support to help you grow creatively, technically and professionally. Learning takes place in small groups (typically 8-12) led by active music industry professionals. You’ll also get free access to professional recording studios and rehearsal spaces for regular practice, experimentation, and collaboration.
You’ll grow confidence in creating, developing and performing your music, both live and in the studio. You’ll understand the workings of the music industry and build skills to effectively manage your own professional practice and projects. You’ll gain valuable experience working collaboratively, learning how to give and receive constructive feedback, which is an essential skill in any creative career. What’s more, when you achieve the CertHE qualification you’ll also have the option to progress onto the second year of one of our specialist BA (Hons) Professional Music degree courses.
All WaterBear degrees are approved and awarded validated by Falmouth University, one of the UK’s leading specialist universities for the creative industries. Whether your ambition is to become an independent artist, professional musician, entrepreneur, or to build a diverse portfolio career, the 1-year CertHE Music Performance, Production, Songwriting & Business* course provides a flexible, industry-focused foundation to help you move forward with confidence.
Join us September 2026 in Brighton or Sheffield. To find out more, apply today.
*Subject to approval
Course Modules
The CertHE Music Performance, Production, Songwriting & Business is a one-year course consisting of two 15-week study blocks. Individual study modules cover a wide range of areas designed to develop your skills and confidence across performance, production, songwriting, and music business fundamentals. The module titles, along with their linked weekly classes, are as follows:
Level 4
Music comes alive when it’s shared. This module focuses on developing your identity as a live performer and how you communicate your music to an audience.
You’ll work across live performance, performance preparation, remixing, and DJ techniques, using these approaches as creative tools to shape how your music is presented and experienced. Through practical workshops, you’ll build confidence in preparing, rehearsing, and delivering performances with clarity, intention, and presence.
Weekly classes include Live Performance workshops, Performance Preparation sessions, Remix, and DJ Techniques. Sessions are practical and collaborative, with an emphasis on rehearsal, experimentation, and reflection.
Assessment is performance-based and supported by reflective commentary, allowing you to demonstrate both your creative output and your development as a performer.
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?
Weekly timetabled classes include Project Management and Navigating the Music Industry. Assessment is a case study of contrasting business models within the music industry.
Songwriting sits at the centre of this course. This module focuses on developing your ability to create original music that reflects who you are as an artist and where you want to go next.
You’ll work on songwriting, pre-production, production tools, and live performance as part of an integrated creative process. Through practical workshops, you’ll develop core skills in composition, arrangement, lyric writing, and musical decision-making, while learning how to shape ideas from first draft through to finished work.
Weekly timetabled classes include Songwriting workshops, Pre-Production, Production Tools, and Live Performance sessions, supporting both creative development and performance readiness.
Assessment is through the submission of a demo recording that showcases your strongest work, supported by reflective commentary that captures your creative process, decisions, and development over time.
Why does some music stay with us for years, while other tracks fade quickly? This module explores what gives music meaning and why it matters, to individuals, communities, and culture.
You’ll develop deeper listening skills and a clearer critical voice through guided listening, discussion, and reflection. By exploring music across genres, eras, and contexts, you’ll examine how music connects to identity, place, emotion, and social change, and how these ideas inform your own creative choices.
Weekly timetabled classes include Critical Listening and Music in Context sessions. You’ll build an analytical ear, expand your musical reference points, and learn how to articulate what moves you, what influences you, and why it matters to your work.
Assessment is reflective and context-based, allowing you to demonstrate how your understanding of music has developed and how it feeds into the way you listen, create, and perform.
FAQs
View the most frequently asked questions about the CertHE Music Performance, Production, Songwriting & Business course below.
The focus of the year is to help you discover where you fit in music through active practice, not guesswork. You’ll build strong creative and technical foundations across performance, songwriting, production, and music business, developing confidence, focus, and musical identity in a supportive higher education environment. Through practical workshops, collaborative projects, and live and studio-based sessions, you’ll gain hands-on experience that prepares you for a clear, informed progression into BA study once you’re ready to choose a pathway.
Performance and presentation
You’ll develop practical skills in live performance through regular workshops and guided practice. You’ll build your identity as a performer, working across live performance, performance preparation, remixing, and DJ techniques to shape how your music is presented and experienced. You’ll build confidence in preparing, rehearsing, and delivering performances with clarity, intention, and presence.
Songwriting and production
You’ll develop your ability to create original music through songwriting, pre-production, and production tools, learning how to shape ideas from first draft to finished work. Through practical workshops, you’ll build core skills in composition, arrangement, lyric writing, and musical decision-making. You’ll gain foundational technical confidence in using production tools to develop and refine your music in studio contexts, working on demo recordings that showcase your creative development and technical understanding.
Music business fundamentals
You’ll build a working understanding of music business fundamentals, exploring how artists connect with audiences and navigate the industry through practical skills in promotion, asset creation, touring, and the day-to-day realities of working professionally.
Collaboration and critical listening
You’ll work collaboratively on creative projects, giving and receiving constructive feedback, while deepening your listening skills and critical voice by exploring what gives music meaning across genres, eras, and contexts, and how these ideas inform your own creative choices.
You’ll learn through making, performing, listening, and reflecting, supported by tutors who are active music professionals. You’ll work in pro-standard studios and rehearsal spaces with regular access to facilities that support consistent practice, experimentation, and collaboration. As part of the full WaterBear community from day one, you’ll learn alongside degree-level musicians in a professional environment, with access to online learning content across our wider course offering.
This CertHE is approved and awarded by Falmouth University, one of the UK’s leading specialist universities for the creative industries.
Apply today or book an open day to find out more.
The CertHE study year of study consists of 2 study blocks of 15 weeks each. You’ll spend around 8-10 hours each week on site in timetabled teaching and learning activities. The time each week you’ll spend in teaching and learning activities can be broken down as follows:
Timetabled classes:
In each study block, you’ll spend the majority of your structured learning activity in timetabled classes. You’ll also get access to all your module content prior to your timetabled classes via WaterBear’s dedicated Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), so you can prepare for your classes in advance.
1-1 Mentoring sessions:
Alongside your weekly classes, you’ll get access to WaterBear’s 1-1 mentoring programme, your gateway to bespoke expert advice as and when you need it. Bookable meetings with seasoned pros, experts across a wide range of fields, where you’ll receive tailored support and guidance in three key areas: music industries, musical development and academic achievement. What you focus on is entirely up to you — the mentoring programme is designed to support your own personal journey.
Asynchronous online learning:
As well all the digital content linked to your chosen course, you’ll get access to all other content for every other degree course at WaterBear, via our Canvas VLE. That’s a huge library of information you can dive into to expand your own learning experience and gain knowledge in other areas and subjects that may interest you.
Other activities:
You’ll be able to book free time in professional recording and rehearsal studios, attend additional optional classes in areas like music photography, videography, content creation, music theory, self-development, and music management. There are also social events, clubs and societies, live gigs and performances, virtual meetups, networking opportunities, industry development weeks, industry conferences, record label showcases, songwriting camps and various kinds of other activities to explore.
In summary, regular teaching and learning activities include:
- Lectures, seminars, tutorials and workshops
- One-to-one mentoring
- Student forums
- Assignments, assessments, and feedback sessions
- Live performances and gigs
- Special events and conferences
- Peer collaboration via Canvas VLE
- Free recording time in professional studios
- Free rehearsal time in professional studios
- Masterclasses and clinics
- Work experience
- Networking
This course is designed for independent, self-motivated musicians who want to take their music seriously, but aren’t yet ready to commit to one specific pathway.
It’s a strong fit if you’re interested in songwriting, performance, production, or a combination of all three, and want the time and support to develop your craft before specialising.
This course is ideal if you:
- Are passionate about music and willing to practise, experiment, and develop your skills
- Write songs, perform, produce, or move between different musical roles
- Want a structured higher education environment while you build confidence and direction
- Prefer learning by doing, making music regularly, and receiving feedback as you go
The CertHE Music Performance, Production, Songwriting & Business is designed to develop careers in various areas of the music industry across a wide range of specialisms, including:
- Music performance and composition
- Audio / visual production
- Studio recording
- Music production and engineering
- Live sound engineering
- Technical support
- Tour, artist and events management
- Digital content creation
- DJing
- Artist, label and publishing services
- A&R and artist development
- Music journalism
- Band / artist management
- Tour / events management
- Music education
- Digital marketing and PR
- Games music composition
- Sound design
- Film music composition
- General music industry work
The CertHE course entry requirements are A Levels or equivalent qualifications totalling 104 UCAS tariff points.
Applicants holding BTEC, RSL, OCR Cambridge Technical or other Level 3 qualifications should refer to the UCAS tariff calculator to confirm equivalency.
Please note that these are guidelines only. Applicants who do not meet the stated entry requirements may still be eligible for a place and are encouraged to book a consultation to discuss their individual circumstances.
The course tuition fee for the 1-year Cert HE course is £9,790 for the year of the programme. UK residents may be eligible for undergraduate tuition fee and maintenance loans.
Tuition fees
Our course tuition fees are set annually and are subject to review each year. Fees may therefore be raised in the second or subsequent years of a course, in line with inflation and/or the maximum permitted by law or Government policy. We will confirm any change to the annual tuition fee to you in writing prior to you starting each subsequent year of study.
Tuition fees for 2026
The UK Government has announced that tuition fees for undergraduate on campus home students will increase by £255 for the academic year beginning in September 2026, rising from £9,535 to £9,790 per year. Find out how this change impacts how much you are required to pay.
International Students
This course is also available to international students if they are based in the UK with settled status (no restrictions on how long you can stay)
Language Requirements
If English isn’t your first language, you will need to achieve equivalent to the IELTS Academic 6.5 overall score, with at least 6.0 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.
To get the most out of the CertHE Music Performance, Production, Songwriting & Business we recommend having access to some basic equipment and materials. These are not mandatory and are provided only as examples of items students commonly find useful during the course.
Essential for study
These are general resources that help you participate fully in classes and complete coursework. These items are illustrative and not compulsory.
- Your instrument (instrumentalists)
- Expendables (strings, sticks, picks, leads, etc.)
- Note-taking materials (pens, notepad, manuscript paper, etc.)
- Computer
- DAW software
- USB memory stick
- Reliable Internet connection
Recommended for enhanced learning
Some students choose to invest in additional equipment to support creative projects or independent work. These items are optional examples, not required purchases.
- 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
- Reliable, high speed Internet connection
- Professional DAW software
- External hard drive
- Dynamic microphone(s) (e.g. Shure SM57 / SM58)
- Audio interface (e.g. Focusrite Scarlett 2i2)
- Headphones (e.g. Sennheiser HD 200, Beyerdynamic DT770)
If you have any questions about equipment, our course team can help you understand what is genuinely needed and what is simply helpful depending on your goals and musical focus.
Initial applications for the CertHE Music Performance, Production, Songwriting & Business 1-yr course can be made via the Apply Now button above. You can also apply directly via UCAS using the links below.
UCAS Course codes for the CertHE Music Performance, Production, Songwriting & Business are as follows:
Brighton
Course code: W325
Institution code: F33
Campus name: WaterBear, Brighton
Campus code: W
UCAS course application page
Sheffield
Course code: W326
Institution code: F33
Campus name: WaterBear, Sheffield
Campus code: L
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 interests, achievements and career goals.
Falmouth University Terms and Conditions can be found at https://www.falmouth.ac.uk/student-regulations.
WORLD-CLASS FACILITIES AT WATERBEAR
At WaterBear you’ll access professional recording studios, rehearsal spaces, instrumental teaching rooms, and live performance venues across Brighton and Sheffield campuses. You’ll work with Pro Tools, Ableton, and Logic Pro, plus analogue and digital gear for recording, rehearsing, and live performance. Partner studios include Brighton Electric, Small Pond Studios (Brighton), and Spring Tank Studios, Tecna Studios, and Hybrid3 (Sheffield).
Why study your Cert HE at WaterBear?
TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING
- Structured 1-1 mentoring across musical development, music business, academic progress, and artist development
- Small classes of typically 8–12 students, taught by active music industry professionals
- Build practical skills across performance, production, songwriting, and business with access to extensive industry standard facilities
COLLABORATIVE EXPERIENCE
- Perform at WaterBear-owned venues and partner spaces across Brighton and Sheffield, with real gigs and showcases every term
- Free, bookable access to professional recording studios and rehearsal spaces at both campuses
- Real industry experience through festivals, collaborative projects, work experience, and professional networking
CREATIVE EXPLORATION
- Two 15-week study blocks combining timetabled classes with flexible online VLE access
- Work on your own music and projects to creatively explore performance, production, and songwriting and identify your specialist pathway
- Falmouth University approved Certificate in Higher Education, recognised across the UK music industries
Study in Brighton & Sheffield
Study the CertHE Music Performance, Production, Songwriting & Business at WaterBear Brighton or WaterBear Sheffield — two of the UK’s most inspiring cities for independent musicians. Both campuses give you free, bookable access to professional recording studios, rehearsal spaces, and live performance venues, with real opportunities to perform, record, collaborate, and connect with the industry from day one. Whether you’re developing your sound in the studio, writing your first EP, or playing your first live show, you’ll do it in cities built for music-making.
Course Opportunities
You’ll perform regularly at live music venues across Brighton and Sheffield. Students also access masterclasses, A&R panels, work experience placements, networking events, industry development weeks, conferences, showcases, songwriting camps, and collaborative projects. Last year we secured 500 performance and work experience opportunities, attended over 20 festivals and organised over 45 industry masterclasses and industry guest events. These opportunities connect you directly with the local music scene and help you build the industry contacts essential for a sustainable music career.
Life at WaterBear – Student Experience
Life at WaterBear is built around community, collaboration, and creative freedom. You’ll join clubs and societies, attend lunchtime sessions, take part in social events, and connect with other musicians through networking opportunities and guest masterclasses. The supportive, musician-led culture encourages you to experiment, collaborate, and grow as an artist while building lasting friendships and professional connections within a vibrant creative community. Below is a collection of some of the best moments submitted by artists and musicians on and off campus.
MUSIC DEPARTMENTS AT WATERBEAR
As a musician and artist, your environment and community are key to your growth. We provide creative learning spaces, expert teaching, and world-class facilities to help you thrive.
