- UCAS Code
- W300
- Location
- Penryn Campus
- Length
- 3 years full-time
- Direct line
- 01326 213730
- Admissions
- admissions@falmouth.ac.uk
Working as a musician in the 21st century is full of possibility and today's musicians lead diverse lives, from writing and recording film scores, to teaching songwriting, to playing gigs. Our course is aimed at anyone who is excited by this variety, ready to turn their talent into a career by developing new skills and embracing the vibrant life of freelance music making.
From day one you'll be encouraged to develop a distinctive musical language. We put creativity and artistic exploration at the heart of what we do, keeping our teaching and assessments flexible so that you can become the musician you want to be.
With the help of our teaching staff, you'll also develop a high level of musicianship, building a broad range of specialist skills and a good understanding of music theory. This will enable you to take advantage of the huge range of work opportunities once you graduate, from arranging a piano piece for a jazz band to writing an arts funding bid. You'll have full access to The Performance Centre, while our team of staff and visiting speakers includes professional composers and performers, writers, musicologists, producers, technologists, sound artists and music industry experts.
Throughout the course, you'll build up a portfolio of work and a good understanding of the music profession. This will lead you towards a major off-campus project in your final year in which you might travel and work abroad, take an internship or set up your own business.
Music in the 21st century is adventurous, constantly pushing boundaries and incorporating new technologies. Our degree embraces that spirit of adventure by giving you the widest possible scope for exploring music in all its forms. We focus on the music of today and tomorrow, creating a supportive environment for you to research new ideas, cross stylistic borders, augment and hone a high quality skillset, and work collaboratively with a wide range of people.
How is the course taught
You'll receive a mixture of group sessions, seminars, lectures and fieldwork, as well as a generous allocation of one-to-one tuition, which you can choose to take as instrumental lessons, composition/songwriting sessions or music technology training.
Careers
- Freelance performance and/or composition
- Work as a session musician or ensemble work
- Extended involvement with arts organisations
- Career in music journalism
- Teaching or running workshops
Assessment
- Performances, compositions, presentations and assignments
- Portfolio and final year dissertation
Experience you'll get
- Opportunities to meet and collaborate with professionals from studios, record labels, promotion companies and venues
- Exchange programmes with our international partner institutions
- Industry internships in the UK and EU
- Project management, budget planning and copyright sessions
- Opportunities to take part in specialist summer schools, like the Falmouth-Yamaha Jazz Summer School
Interview and selection process
As part of the application process, we will ask you to send us two examples of your music or creative practice - be it in the form of a recording, a score, a video or a piece of creative writing - as well as a few paragraphs describing why you consider it to be a good representation of what you do. Whether you're a performer, songwriter, DJ, sound artist, producer or composer, we want to see you at your best and welcome materials of any style.
Interviews are currently taking place.
Location: The Performance Centre, Penryn Campus
What you'll do
Stage 1
In your first year, you'll work on the fundamentals that all professional musicians need to learn, from performance practice and ways of listening, to theory and notation. You'll work in a broad range of musical styles, and receive a generous amount of one-to-one lessons.
Stage 2
The second year comes with greater freedom as you begin to specialise in the areas that excite you. Options include Film Music or Music and Dance, which give you the opportunity to collaborate with students from other courses. Your one-to-one lessons will, of course, continue.
Stage 3
Making the most of the course's flexibility, in the third year you'll undertake off-campus work, a major practical project and a dissertation – all within your chosen field of specialism.
