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Music Performance & Production

UAL Diploma Level 3

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Availability & Details

Music Performance & Production - ALMP Level 3 Diploma AF-MUSC3N-D(0000)002

Venue
Alton Campus

Type of study
A Levels, Full Time, Vocational

Dates
Academic Year 2023-24 (2 years)

Examination board
UAL

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Overview

The UK music industry is huge, contributing over £5 billion to the economy with the live performance sector alone contributing over £1 billion. This course provides the opportunity to develop your skills and to specialise in either Rock and Pop or Jazz, but there is crossover between the two.

This course has been designed to provide you with the necessary skills to enable you to work professionally as a performer in the music industry. There are a vast number of different roles and this course will equip you with the knowledge and understanding necessary to access many of these, as well as supporting progression to Higher Education courses including degree-level study.

During the course, you will form bands with your fellow students and there will be a number of gig opportunities both in college and outside at professional venues. There are also opportunities for solo artists to perform. The repertoire both for bands and solo performers may be covers or original material. As well as developing your performance skills, you will also gain an understanding of the commercial considerations of live music. You will use this knowledge to put on and promote your own gigs at a venue outside of college. Even if you only have an interest in performing and are not interested in a music career, many of the skills learned are extremely useful and are applicable to other industries.

Five GCSEs at grade 4 or above including English Language and Mathematics, as well as an audition that requires you to demonstrate that you are advanced enough on your instrument/voice to start rehearsing with a band.

On this course, you will have the opportunity to study a variety of music performance-related areas.

The UAL Diploma consists of eight units.

Units 1 – 7 are skill-building units that prepare you for Unit 8, which is your final major project (FMP).

Units 1 – 7 cover:

  • A range of elements in the development and delivery of a music performance
  • Roles and responsibilities in the production of a music performance
  • Listening skills to identify the different musical elements of musical performances

 

The facilities on our campus feature the latest music industry-standard equipment. They include: 

  • Two Apple Mac (2017 iMac) production suites consisting of more than 20 individual workstations with audio keyboard and Logic X
  • Main recording studio consisting of Apple Mac Pro (2017)
  • Live music venue with a variety of live audio equipment: industry-standard microphones and DI boxes, PA and monitor speakers and outboard equipment – e.g. dbx compressors, lexicon FX

Our rehearsal room is equipped with all the kit required to rehearse and perform your favourite music:

  • PA Systems
  • Mics
  • Amps
  • Keyboards
  • Drums

Just rock up and start to learn tracks in a range of ensembles, from solo acts to full bands.

Also, our fantastic Ormond Room is a fully equipped performance space for recording or performing original songs or covers. Writing and performing music is at the heart of what we do throughout the courses here.

 

You will be continually assessed on a Pass or Fail basis on Units 1 – 7. The final Unit 8 will be graded on a Pass, Merit, Distinction level. The work towards your final unit will begin towards the end of term 1 in your second year. Much of the work is practical in nature but written assignments and presentations are required to support this. There is a big emphasis on research and this is excellent preparation for university, as the qualification is assessed more like a degree than an A Level. There is no final examination.

There may be additional costs for promoting live events that you will be taking part in.

On completion of this course, you could go onto university to study music further. You could also progress to become a performer, technician, promoter, venue manager, live sound engineer, songwriter, composer, music producer, studio engineer, musicologist, music therapist, peripatetic teacher or classroom teacher.


This is a really good college, and it is definitely somewhere you can achieve your dreams.

Yolanda Stemp, BTEC student

My courses were all especially interesting, I thoroughly enjoyed all of them. All of my lecturers were extremely knowledgeable and I have learnt a lot from them.

Lottie Warren, A Level student

There are lots of people at the college, each studying a diverse range of courses, people from all different areas come to study here, it creates a sense of community, there is a huge social aspect to college life across all courses.

Lee Backhouse, BTEC student