Popular Music Performance and Production
Solent University (Southampton)
UCAS Code: MPP1 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
From a minimum of 2 A Levels
Accepted when studied alongside other Level 3 qualifications
Access to HE Diploma
Pass in Access course with 60 credits overall including 45 Level 3 credits passed with a minimum of Merit.
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
HNC (BTEC)
HND (BTEC)
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
Pearson BTEC Diploma (QCF)
Pearson BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF)
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
T Level
UCAS Tariff
From a minimum of 2 A Levels or equivalent qualifications such as BTEC Extended Diploma or OCR Extended Diploma. For detailed information on accepted qualifications, please view our Course Entry Statement (https://www.solent.ac.uk/how-to-apply/documents/course-entry-requirement-statement.pdf) Solent University is a proud champion of widening participation. For further information about our contextual offer, please visit our website (https://www.solent.ac.uk/how-to-apply/what-next/contextual-offers)
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
About this course
**BA (Hons) Popular Music Performance and Production scored 90% overall satisfaction and our music courses are ranked in the top 20 for UK institutions. (NSS 2020)**
Are you interested in a career as a music performer, songwriter or producer? Would you like to be involved in artist development? Suitable for both schooled and self-taught musicians, this course combines creativity and technical learning with in-depth academic and research skills.
Solent’s popular music performance and production programme offers a broad range of creative and technical learning in music and production carefully balanced with the acquisition of academic skills involving research and critical thinking. Students will gain experience both specific to the music industry and relevant to other careers.
The course features extensive study of the music industry including copyright, contract law and career pathways. Students are also expected to develop transferable skills in research, IT, presentation, teamwork, creative thinking, communication and project management.
Student learning is aided by access to our industry standard facilities. These include nine recording studios (networked with Protools HD and Logic Pro), a range of mixing workstations, and a Production Lab with 24 Apple workstations (with Pro Tools, Logic Pro and Sibelius). You’ll also have access to large rehearsal rooms fully equipped with backline and PAs.
The curriculum is delivered by an experienced course team, many of whom are active industry experts with professional experience in performance, studio and live sound, electronic sound design and the business and culture of music production. Staff frequently engage with on-going research in music composition, performance and production. The team’s industry links also enable a handpicked selection of students to record at the world renowned Abbey Road Studios.
Southampton is home to nationally renowned venues including the O2 Guildhall and The Joiners. This vibrant mix of venues has encouraged a diverse music scene, perfect for gaining on-stage experience.
**What does this course lead to?**
Graduates from this course have gone on to work in diverse areas such as professional performance, songwriting, artist development, live sound, online mixing, sound engineering, teaching and technical support.
**Who is this course for?**
Solent’s popular music performance and production course is suitable for both schooled and self-taught musicians. Applicants should be interested by both performance and technical production, as well as music history and academic theory.
Applicants should aspire to careers as session musicians, producers, artists, songwriters, music journalists or promoters.
Modules
YEAR 1 - CORE MODULES
Performance Techniques 1
Introduction to Studio Recording 1
Creative Music Industries
Creative Performance 1
Creative Music Production 1
Theory and Listening Skills
YEAR 2 - CORE MODULES
Performance Techniques 2
Advanced Studio Recording 1
Music Portfolio Careers
Creative Performance 2
Creative Music Production 2
YEAR 2 - OPTIONS (please note that not all options are guaranteed to run each academic year)
Songwriting Techniques
Creative Sound Design
YEAR 3 - CORE MODULES
Music Collaboration
Advanced Music Production
Entrepreneurship and Artist Development
Major Project
YEAR 3 - CORE MODULES (please note that not all options are guaranteed to run each academic year)
Experimental Music Performance
Surround Mixing
Assessment methods
This course is assessed via performances, recordings, presentations, written assignments, music theory exercises, music portfolios, and a website or blog. There may also be video presentation or other forms negotiated with your tutor.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
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
Solent University (Southampton)
Department of Art and Music
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.
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
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
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.
Top job areas of graduates
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
£19k
£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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Post-six month graduation stats:
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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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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?
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