ACM’s Level 3 course in Music Production is designed to give its students a focused learning experience, providing the skills and knowledge necessary for continuing study at Higher Education level or building a career as a Music Producer. Students are given access to a host of world-class Music Production facilities, including our Apple MIT suites and state-of-the-art recording studios. Lectures, tutorials, workshops and masterclasses are led by the same world-class music industry professionals that teach on our Higher Education programme offerings and our unique relationship with Metropolis, Europe’s largest creative complex, means that students of this course share their time at ACM with the grammy award-winning producers and engineers resident at the Studios.
Further education study programmes at ACM Guildford are delivered as part of a sub-contract with East Surrey College, information about careers services at East Surrey College can be accessed on this link https://www.esc.ac.uk/careers-hub/resources.
As well as developing their general musicality and technological competencies, students will also develop the analytical, time management, presentational and interpersonal skills necessary to become a well-rounded and employable music professional.
After all, studying Music Production at ACM is not just about learning how to produce music, it’s about learning how to make your love, your profession.
Provides students with an introduction to a range of activities essential to the development and delivery of music performance and production. It will introduce the basic elements of music performance, production and technology and impart an understanding of performance as a collaborative activity.
Unit 2 – Creating Music
Provides students with the opportunity to expand and develop listening and compositional skills to help inform musical performance and production ideas and communicate clearly using music and terminology.
Unit 3 – Understanding the Music Industry
Provides students with an introduction to the diversity of roles, responsibilities, employment and progression opportunities available within the sector. It will also introduce them to the importance of health and safety as integral to the performer and production and equip them with an understanding of the characteristics needed for a career in music performance and production.
Unit 4 – Cultural Awareness
Provides students with an introduction to the investigation of both historical and contemporary contexts and perspectives that influence the development of ideas within the music performance and production.
Unit 5 – Music Production in Context
Enables students to critically analyse, integrate and apply, knowledge and understanding acquired in previous units and to explore the specific skills and attributes required for production and design in music.
Unit 6 – Music Performance in Context
Enables students to critically analyse, integrate and apply the knowledge and understanding acquired in previous units and to explore the specific skills and attributes required for production and design in music.
Unit 7 – Preparation for Specialist Study
Provides students with an opportunity to critically analyse, integrate and apply the knowledge and understanding acquired in the previous units and to explore the specific skills and attributes required for their own personal practice.
Unit 8 – Collaborative Project
Provides students with the opportunity to make use of the skills, knowledge and understanding developed through the previous units, in the completion of a collaborative project. The unit will provide students with a measure of self-directed learning and enable them to clarify their longer-term goals through their choice of an activity to explore in greater depth.
DAW Techniques
The aim of this module is to equip you with the skills to be able to fully understand the workflow of a DAW, make MIDI instruments sound musical whilst usings DAWs for effective composition, you will also learn how to set up collaborative projects efficiently, Remixing, Creative Mix techniques and an introduction to Synthesis plus other skills to help you be an effective producer.
Recording Workshop
Studio Production will enable students will develop a key understanding of the studio environment beginning with mic techniques and signal flow progressing to more advanced techniques and mixing with the console. Focus will be on recording techniques and overdubbing skills with mixing skills integrated at a later stage.
Music Theory and Ear Training
In this series of lessons you will develop your understanding of Music Theory and Ear Training skills. The skills you acquire in these sessions will be regularly applied when working on coursework for other units and in general when working as a musician. Developing your music theory knowledge will allow you to master / learn pieces faster, improve your creativity, communicate ideas with other instrumentalists and understand the construction of music you love.
Collaborative Workshop
Collaborative workshop is the practical session designed to allow cross pathway collaboration between students, allowing the development of student led projects.
Unit 9 – Advanced Music Performance and Production Skills
Provides students with an opportunity to enter into a more formal dialogue of personal interrogation and diagnosis designed to identify strengths, enthusiasm and ambition within a specific pathway. The unit will enable students to develop the requisite artistic, professional and vocational skills necessary for progression within their chosen discipline.
Unit 10 – Specialism Study
Enables students to understand a range of critical and contextual perspectives and approaches influencing music performance and production. Students will demonstrate their understanding through a personal research project in an area of interest, preparing them for the direction of their final project.
Unit 11 – Progression Preparation
Uses a process of research, dialogue, reflection and evaluation, to identify and prepare students for specific Higher Education or employment progression routes appropriate to their ambitions. The unit will allow them to demonstrate the requisite practical, intellectual and communication skills necessary for progression. Together Units 12 and 13 will provide students with opportunities to refine and demonstrate the skills, knowledge and understanding appropriate to their Higher Education or employment progression routes. This will be demonstrated through the completion and presentation of a self-directed extended project.
Unit 12 – Extended Project Proposal
Provides students with an opportunity to reflect on, review and summarise their personal progress and achievement through the preceding units, and to present a rationale for their choice of discipline and final project context. The unit requires students to articulate the skills, knowledge and understanding acquired throughout the course to present ideas for the development of an independently conceived, planned, realised and evaluated extended project.
Unit 13 – Extended Project
Provides an opportunity for students to engage in activity related to their chosen disciplines. Students are expected to take ownership of their learning by responding positively to the greater opportunities for individual expression and creativity afforded.
Students should demonstrate their ability to competently use the range of skills acquired throughout the course through the realisation of a personal proposal that they have initiated, researched, developed, implemented, reflected and evaluated.
This will help to prepare them for progression to Higher Education or employment in their chosen discipline.
DAW Techniques
Students will learn and utilise Logic and Ableton software allowing them to become competent with the basic and intermediate level functions within both digital audio workstations (DAWs). They will learn layout and key commands, automation and controllers, mixing, editing and any techniques and tools specific to each DAW. Students will also learn the principles of synthesis and sound design.
Recording Workshop
Recording Workshop will enable students will develop a key understanding of the studio environment beginning with mic techniques and signal flow progressing to more advanced techniques and mixing with the console. Focus will be on recording techniques and overdubbing skills with mixing skills integrated at a later stage.
Music Theory and Ear Training
The aim of the module is to continue the work from year 1 and secure a foundation in music theory enabling the leaner to gain confidence in the reading and writing of Western music notation, and be equipped for study at Higher Education level.
UCAS
UCAS and Progression is a drop in support session for students who are looking at the process of applying for HE through UCAS or need advice on the best way forward in choosing their next step forward. The VLE course also houses guides, quizzes and other tools that can make the UCAS process easier as well as providing education to help you present yourself professionally.
Industry Insight
These sessions aim to give students first-hand insight into the music industry from the perspective of our music professional tutors. It will investigate the workings of the music industry, where it fits within the creative industries, synergies, collaborations, partnerships, how the industry maps together, who the industry represents, why it’s so important and the mechanics of how it works.
Marketing and Promotion
To look at the implementation of marketing and promotional activity to help students connect with an audience. Exploring the rise of the DIY artist and new business models in creative projects coming to market within the creative industries.
Further Personal Development
This unit, Further Personal Development, serves to assist your personal and professional development and progression. It is based on an ethos of learning by doing and incorporates a holistic approach facilitating care and support of mental health.
Engaging with this unit’s content will help you identify and unlock barriers to learning and creativity and facilitate the development of your self-awareness and confidence and also transferable skills that support you in unlocking and expressing your greatest potential at ACM and beyond.
Experiential Tasters
These are short project based modules where learners are given the opportunity to collaboratively explore areas of the music industry outside of their pathway. The options for study include Music Video, Broadcast Media and Collaborative Music Performance
Course Details
Award
UAL Level 3 / Level 3 Extended Diploma in Music Performance and Production
You will be expected to have at least 4 GCSEs (A* – C or 9 – 4 grade) or equivalent level 2 qualification. This should include English and Maths GCSE (A* – C or 9 – 4 grade). Suitability for the programme will also be assessed through interview/audition. View interview guide
English and Maths
If you do not have a pass in either English or Maths GCSE then we will provide you with the opportunity to complete this alongside your course. Students needing to resit both English and Maths will normally be required to first complete the UAL Level 2 Diploma in Music Performance and Production programme. Your ability will be assessed and where appropriate you may be required to first complete a Functional Skills level award.
EU applicants who have completed non-UK English and Maths qualifications will be required to provide evidence of exemption though the NARIC service (www.naric.org.uk/naric). If you are unable to provide suitable evidence then you will be required to retake Maths and English GCSE alongside your core programme.
Students are given access to a host of world-class Music Production facilities, including our Apple MIT suites and state-of-the-art recording studios. Lectures, tutorials, workshops and masterclasses are led by the same world-class music industry professionals that teach on our Higher Education programme offerings and our unique relationship with Metropolis, Europe’s largest creative complex, means that students of this course share their time at ACM with the grammy award-winning producers and engineers resident at the Studios.