Undergraduate BA(hons) or BSc (Hons) Creative Industries Futures (Music) Songwriting

Modules 

MIF – 401 Music Industry Futures 

This module gives students an overview of the music industry, past, present, and future. Students learn about the mechanisms, structures, and practices that drive the music industry and where their specialism sits within it, whilst gaining an understanding of key fundamentals of music business, structure, market, and areas of specialism.

MIF – 402 Music Media and Technology 

This module enables students to examine the role of music across a range of media, exploring the way that music, media and technology intersect. It prepares students to understand how their specialist skills will be used in the industries of today and tomorrow.

MIF – 403 Impact and influence of Music

This module enables students to explore the varied impact of music, focusing on its ability to influence audiences, create community connections, and support creative practitioners, as well as the physical and mental impact music may have on individuals and wellbeing.

MIF – 404 Music, Culture and Society

This module enables students to understand the cultural and social aspects of music and to connect the theory with the practice, helping students to learn how to navigate the industry whilst being aware of important sociocultural histories, trends, and issues that affect the music industry.  This module encourages you to explore these ideas through discussion and debate, developing your ability to critically explain and justify your work. These skills are essential for defining your identity as a creative practitioner and communicating your values within the industry.

CIF – 405 Preparing for Collaborative Projects

This module enables students to prepare and organise themselves and their work to engage in an interdisciplinary collaborative creative project. Students will work on their discipline-specific skills through a suite of skills units and labs, bringing them to the collaborative project to begin working in communities of practice.

CIF – 406 – Engaging in Collaborative Projects

This module enables students to work collaboratively on a shared project brief. Building on 405, it prompts the students to further develop their skills and begin realising larger cross-disciplinary projects with creatives across music and/or digital arts pathways.

Skills Units

SKU-CAC-01 Introduction to Songwriting

This skills unit is an introduction to the core aspects of songwriting, covering topics such as structure, lyrical & melodic devices & harmonic construction. Students will explore what factors and attributes contribute towards effective commercial songwriting.

SKU-COM-02 Theory, Aural Skills & Critical Listening 

This unit teaches you the fundamentals of contemporary popular music theory, ear training and critical listening, enabling you to analyse, understand, and reapply concepts across a spectrum of contemporary popular music examples.

SKU-PRO-01 DAW Composition & Arrangement 

This Skills Unit reinforces the underlying skills required to produce music within a Digital Audio Workstation. Introducing students to other DAWs and focusing on how arrangement skills can assist the role of the producer.

SKU-CAC-02 Co-Writing, Collaboration & Constructive Feedback 

Running alongside the core module “Engaging in Collaborative Work”, students can use this skills unit to explore the fundamentals of songwriting with others, and the importance of co-writing within the music industry. Students will also gain experience in giving and receiving constructive feedback.

Modules 

CIF – 501 – Specialist Collaborative Work

This module enables students to contribute through their chosen specialism to an interdisciplinary collaborative creative industries project, and gives them the opportunity to develop more advanced skills through the realisation of highly specialised projects, driven by industry briefs. 

CIF – 502 – Professional Collaborative Work

This module aims to enable students to explore, examine, and review the function of a professional project. Students will work in a professional context to deliver a project in their specialism. 

CIF – 503 – Specialist Route Skills 

This module enables students to use tools, techniques, and procedures to work toward producing work of a professional standard in their chosen specialism. Students will be able to use relevant academic research and sources to critically review and place their practice in a humanities, phenomenology or cultural framework. Crucially, this module provides students with additional advanced technical skills development, through which they are assessed. 

CIF – 504 – Professional Route Skills 

This module enables students to create a portfolio of professional, specialist work demonstrating transferable skills to meet sector expectations. Students will be able to use relevant academic research and sources to critically review and place their practice in a humanities, phenomenology or cultural framework. Here, the emphasis on specific skills remains; however is realised in a broader context. 

Skills Units

SKU-CAS-03 Vocal Health & Development

As a singer/songwriter, vocal health is incredibly important. This skills unit will give students the correct tools to maintain a healthy vocal career & knowledge on specific vocal techniques for rehearsals, touring & recording.

SKU-PRO-06 Musical Directing and Studio Craft

Every Producer working in a studio environment at some stage will work with other Artists. This Skills Unit links Production students to Musicians with a focus on communication & collaboration. Getting the best performance from an Artist, while also managing the technical responsibilities in the studio, is a skill set that prepares the students for the Industry.

SKU-CAC-03 Applied Lyrical & Top Line Development

This level 5 skills unit follows “Introduction to Songwriting”. Students will gain further skills and knowledge on advanced lyrical & melodic devices within their songwriting, such as: use of imagery, imaginative narratives, metaphorical & rhythmic devices and musical prosody.

SKU-MUS-05 Second Instrument 

This unit gives students the opportunity to study an instrument different to their first study, including keyboards, vocals, and guitar.

SKU-PRO-07 Creative Mixing

Building on skills and knowledge gained in the Mixing Fundamentals Skills Unit, this course explores the creativity that emerges from breaking the rules and pushing recording and mixing equipment beyond its sensible limits. Here, you can explore creative approaches and processes as applied to mixing and begin to develop a unique sound as a producer.

SKU-CAS-05 Stagecraft, Musicianship & Performance

This skills unit aims to help each student discover and develop their persona as a performing artist, whilst maintaining the integrity that is fundamental to effective live performance.

SKU-CAC-05 Writing To Brief

This skills unit will introduce students to the creative domain of songwriting to brief, whilst gaining skills and knowledge relating to writing and arranging songs in a range of musical genres. This unit will serve to broaden the songwriting repertoire and skillset of the creative individual alongside the development of collaborative infrastructure.

SKU-BUS-12 Copyright, royalties, publishing, and income streams

This Unit builds on the introductory look at these topics that students received at L4. Through an in-depth exploration of copyright, royalties, publishing, and income streams, students will learn how to protect their work and make money from it.

Modules

CIF – 601 – Critical Review 

This module includes a research or practical project that critically reviews one or more current issues, constraints or practices that impact your specialism and wider creative industries, the application of your specialism to other industry sectors or broader cultural

or workforce issues relating to your specialism and the creative cultural industries. Students will be able to use relevant academic research and sources to critically review and place their practice in a humanities, phenomenology or cultural framework.

CIF – 603 – Leadership and CPD

This module enables students to engage with continuing professional development and to review and develop their leadership skills in different contexts, whilst also building and maintaining a specialist skills development plan for their chosen specialism. 

CIF – 602 – Leading a Professional Collaborative Project

This module aims to enable students to build their leadership and professional skills through an interdisciplinary collaborative professional project. It acts as the student’s final capstone project, and is driven by the student, culminating in a final performance, showcase, professional body of work, or a combination thereof, to a high professional standard. 

CIF – 604 – Professional Portfolio 

This module enables students to create a portfolio and digital presence that includes course output, work experience, freelance work or volunteering targeted to professional opportunities or further study. Through the delivery of their assessment, students are invited to position their work through the lens of industry, creating a portfolio of work and an accompanying plan for professional development and progression in their chosen field.

Skills Units

SKU-CAS-06 Music Business & DIY Artistry

This skills unit focuses on the relevant fundamentals of music business for a performing songwriter. You will explore the necessary skills required to release music & market yourself as a creative artist.

SKU-CAS-08 Advanced Stagecraft, Musicianship & Performance

This skills unit aims to provide an opportunity for students to integrate their instrumental, vocal, and stagecraft skills into a coherent whole, consistent with professional levels of live performance. Students will explore their stagecraft and musicianship in depth as a way of enhancing creativity and musical expression.

SKU-CAC-07 Composition For Film, TV & Media

This skills unit will allow students to explore advanced songwriting techniques across different musical styles and genres. Topics such as free writing, melodic math, song-mapping & advanced arrangement techniques will be covered.

SKU-CAC-08 The Future of Commercial Songwriting

This skills unit takes a deeper look at the future of the commercial songwriting industry. Students will explore their career opportunities and develop a deeper understanding of the professional route and role of a commercial songwriter in the years ahead. 

SKU-CAC-09 Professional Specialism

In the ever-evolving landscape of music production and live performance, the need for versatile and skilled professionals is paramount. This degree module aims to elevate the capabilities of recording and performing artists, as well as songwriters, by delving into advanced techniques and theories essential for success in the creative domain. From studio intricacies to live production wizardry, participants will embark on a journey of discovery, honing their craft to perfection.

Through hands-on experience, theoretical exploration, and practical application, participants will emerge from this module equipped with the skills and knowledge to thrive in the competitive landscape of recording and live production. Whether shaping sonic landscapes in the studio or captivating audiences on stage, graduates will be prepared to unleash their artistic potential and make a lasting impact in the world of music and performance.

SKU-BUS-19 Consumer and Audience Psychology

This Unit will look at disruption within the creative industries. Students will look at current developments and innovations that are changing the creative landscape. Students will learn how to plan for industry disruption to ensure that their own businesses will continue to evolve and thrive. 

CIF – 701 – Professional Practice Frameworks

This module enables students to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the professional sector-specific expertise required for a creative industries profession. Students here reflect on their own specialist and professional experiences and map to professional standard frameworks. There is the opportunity to engage with additional external qualifications through this module. 

CIF – 702 – Applied research 

This module enables students to evidence academic expertise in an applied research

context. Students will be able to use relevant academic research to drive their project, over two terms, where they will submit a final portfolio of work. Some examples include: professional portfolios, thesis, creative portfolios, live performances, creative artefacts and products. 

CIF – 703 – Ideas into action 

Within this module, students will investigate the project management processes needed to develop a project from concept to release, developing their own craft into project(s) which align with their chosen area of study. 

CIF – 704 – Making connections 

This module enables students to identify, inform, and establish a network of peers and relevant industry and community contacts to develop opportunities and advocacy in key organisations in the local community, research organisations, charities and the creative industries, as well as connect with communities of investors.