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Digital Music with Foundation Year in Popular Music

Entry requirements


A level

D,D

From two completed A levels.

AQA Level 3 (Foundation) Technical Level (360 glh)

D

AQA Level 3 Technical Level (1080 glh)

PPP

AQA Level 3 Technical Level (540 glh)

MM

AQA Level 3 Technical Level (720 glh)

MP

In combination with other qualifications.

In combination with other qualifications.

In combination with other qualifications.

OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma

MP

OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate

D

OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma

PPP

OCR Cambridge Technical Foundation Diploma

MM

OCR Cambridge Technical Introductory Diploma

D

OCR Cambridge Technical Subsidiary Diploma

MM

In combination with other qualifications.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

MP

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate (first teaching from September 2016)

D

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

PPP

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Foundation Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

M

UCAS Tariff

48

A-levels, a BTEC Extended Diploma at PPP or BTEC Diploma at MP or equivalent. Applicants over the age of 21 may be considered based on relevant experience, without having the required tariff points. We welcome applicants from a diverse range of backgrounds. Applicants who are not in possession of the minimum entry requirements but are able to demonstrate aptitude, enthusiasm and motivation will be considered on an individual basis and may be admitted subject to satisfactory interview and/or portfolio. Please contact us for further details.

Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (first teaching September 2015)

A

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Popular music

Got a passion for music production? Hoping to pursue a music degree here at Solent University? This year-long popular music production foundation programme is structured to equip you with the broad range of production and performance skills you’ll need to progress onto a full degree.

This course enables students from widely varied backgrounds and with varying aspirations, to develop their music production and performance skills, whilst helping to acclimatise to the ethos and expectations associated with higher education study in general, and study at undergraduate level.

Throughout their studies, students will have access to a range of contemporary, industry-standard software and plugins including; Logic Pro X, Ableton Live Suite, Pro Tools and Native Instruments’ Komplete. Students also enjoy access to our professional recording studios, acoustically treated workstations, DJ equipment/facilities, music labs, and instrumental practice rooms.

Students build a broad knowledge of music production, studio recording and live sound engineering.

**What does this course lead to?**
On completion of the foundation year you choose to progress onto the BA (Hons) Digital Music degree.

**Who is this course for?**
Students who are new to music production/music performance or those who do not yet meet the entry requirements for an undergraduate music production degree will benefit most from the foundation programme.

Modules

FOUNDATION MODULES
Digital Music (Introduction)
Popular Music Production (Introduction)
Musicianship
Music Industries
Music in Context
Major Project

Successful completion of the foundation year will see you automatically progress onto the BA (Hons) Digital Music degree where you will study the following modules:

YEAR 1 - CORE MODULES
Digital Music Production and Composition 1
Digital Music Production and Composition 2
Studio Practice
Electronic Music in Context (Historical)
Artist Development 1 - The Music Industries
Digital Music Live 1 - Creation

YEAR 2 - CORE MODULES
Mixing
Artist Development 2: Branding and Self-Release
Digital Music Live 2: Performance
Electronic Music in Context (Contemporary)
Music and Sound for Film

YEAR 2 - OPTIONS (please note that not all options are guaranteed to run each academic year)
Digital DJing
Music and Sound for Games

YEAR 3 - CORE MODULES
Digital Music Final Major Project
Artist Development 3: Industry Portfolio
Artist Development 4: Networking and Promotion
Collaborative Project

YEAR 3 - OPTIONS (please note that not all options are guaranteed to run each academic year).
Advanced Mixing and Mastering
Surround Mixing

Assessment methods

This largely practical course is mostly assessed through music-related projects with accompanying reports; though also incorporates presentations, love performances and portfolios (where applicable).

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£14,000
per year
International
£14,000
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

Extra funding

Solent University offers a number of bursaries, grants and scholarships. For more information, please visit https://www.solent.ac.uk/finance/grants-bursaries-scholarships/bursaries

The Uni


Course location:

Solent University (Southampton)

Department:

Department of Art and Music

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

66%
Popular music

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Music

Teaching and learning

72%
Staff make the subject interesting
83%
Staff are good at explaining things
73%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
63%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

80%
Library resources
80%
IT resources
82%
Course specific equipment and facilities
59%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

78%
UK students
22%
International students
63%
Male students
37%
Female students
67%
2:1 or above
9%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
D

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Music

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£16,238
med
Average annual salary
98%
med
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

20%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
11%
Other elementary services occupations
11%
Business, finance and related associate professionals

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Music

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£16k

£16k

£19k

£19k

£23k

£23k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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Course location and department:

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here