#4 

University name 

University of Southampton 

Course Title 

Music and Business Management with Year Abroad 

Entry requirements 

Distinction, Distinction, Distinction in the BTEC National Extended Diploma and either B in A level Music or Grade 5 Music Theory, and Grade 8 Music Practical or demonstrated equivalent standard.   

List of all modules 

Year 1 

• Exploring music 1: Exploring a range of topics in Western music of the common era from the middle ages to the renaissance and baroque, this module will also allow you to develop your academic writing skills. Lectures introduce major cultural and historical topics such as worship and belief, technology and virtuosity, and drama and spectacle, exploring how they relate to styles and genres of the period. Seminars provide opportunities to discuss topics such as gender and worship, music in medical and scientific thought, and approaches to musical theatre in the early modern period and today. Practical experimentation with Renaissance improvisation and demonstrations of early instruments provide opportunities for hands-on experience with early music styles and techniques, and discussion of the historical performance practice movement introduces you to crucial questions about how early modern repertoire is heard today. These sessions are geared for all music students and do not require any previous experience in performing early music. 

• Introduction to accounting and finance: The course seeks to provide an introductory, but comprehensive overview of financial accounting, management accounting, and financial management to non-specialist students. The course is delivered with particular emphasis on helping students of management to develop the ability and skills in critically evaluating and appreciating the importance of the accounting and finance function within organisations in connection with decision making, control and corporate performance management. As an introductory course, students do not need to have prior knowledge in accounting and/or finance. 

• Introduction to management: This module provides you with a broad view on key management related topics. It also provides a chance for you to gain hands-on experience on teamwork through preparation and delivery of a group presentation as part of the module assessment. The lectures are supplemented with a number of interactive classes, which give you in depth understanding of the important subjects discussed in the lectures. 

• Performance skills A: This module introduces music performance skills.You undertake individual tuition in your chosen performance specialism* (8 hours of lessons) along with a variety of workshops exploring topics from across the performance spectrum.With the help of your teachers, you will learn to self-critique and analyse your own performance(s) with an emphasis on self-reflection.*You elect the performance specialism you wish to be assessed; alongside instruments and singing, you can be assessed in electronic performance too. If you wish, you may wish to take two performance specialisms– e.g. flute and vocals – your individual tuition will be split equally across each specialism. 

• Business in society: This module exposes students to the idea that firms are organisations embedded in societies, thus helping students contextualise the nature, goals, actions, and impact of the organisations of the business world. As such, it helps students build an interdisciplinary intellectual foundation to business as a field of inquiry by drawing on fundamental ideas, theories, and critical debates from the whole social science spectrum (economics, sociology, politics, management, and psychology).In particular, the module explores developments in human thought in relation to the nature of the firm, business behaviour, societal institutions, entrepreneurship, people management, the world of work, and social stratification. It examines debates about the importance of institutions and the state for economic growth and development, and also explores geographical dimensions of institutional and policy diversity. It therefore examines important historical and geographical processes necessary for business operations and economic prosperity.By the end of the module students will have a powerful set of interdisciplinary thinking tools by which to interpret events of the past, the present, and visions of the future. The overarching aim of the module is to establish business management as an intellectually stimulating and liberal subject which affords students a powerful and enlightening understanding of how businesses affect and are affected by society, its people, and its institutions. 

• Composition fundamentals:  Composition Fundamentals will introduce you to a range of compositional techniques and principles. We will consider different ways of creating musical ideas and different approaches to structuring, varying and developing musical ideas. In particular, we will focus on harmonic practices and short musical forms across a variety of musical styles and practices including historical and contemporary art music, jazz, pop, and film. 

• Digital technologies in business: Digital technologies ranging from the Internet to cloud computing, artificial intelligence, etc. are often not just a key part of organisational operations; they also create opportunities for developing new digital businesses and their applications can have a profound impact on society at large. The focus of the module is to help students understand the evolution, implementation and impact of digital technologies as well as digital business transformation, strategies and models. In addition, the module will discuss emerging digital trends and innovation.Students will have the opportunity to learn about basic concepts of digital technologies and information systems as well as their role in organisations and society. The module will also examine how digital technology is reshaping product markets and services, business models, organisational structures and relationships between organisations and their customers. 

• Exploring music 2: This module aims to introduce you to some of the major musical forms, techniques and styles cultivated between 1750 and 1900. During the module you will develop your knowledge and understanding of ‘Classical’ and ‘Romantic’ musical styles and genres while offering further opportunities to practice and develop your academic writing skills. Lectures provide ‘snapshots’ of major genres of the period, such as the symphony, string quartet, concerto, solo sonata, song, and opera while follow-up seminars offer opportunities to have a detailed look at individual pieces of music and to practise invaluable related analytical or writing skills in small, focused groups.Your knowledge and understanding of ‘Classical’ and ‘Romantic’ musical styles and genres will be developed through familiarity with the course recordings and scores, and subsequent discussion of their important features. Your listening skills will be enhanced by studying the core repertory of recordings, and will be assessed (informally) through practice quizzes in seminars, and (formally) through the listening examination.Your writing and analytical skills will be developed and assessed (informally) through practical exercises in seminars and in your own study and (formally) through the written assignments. 

• First year ensemble performance: Ensemble performance is a crucial skill in any musician's portfolio, in addition to being one of the most rewarding aspects of musical life.In this module you will prepare a 15-18 minute programme of instrumental, vocal or mixed ensemble music of your own choice, which is coached regularly by specialist members of staff. 

• Ideas that shape the contemporary world- work, change and organisations: This module helps you to build an intellectual foundation to business as a field of inquiry. The module links big topics to the everyday workings of organisations and individuals. You will locate the emergence of business, management, and the modern world, not only in its economic context but within a wider arena of social and political transformation across sociology, psychology, anthropology, and philosophy. We examine a host of ‘isations and ‘isms’ in a practical, stimulating, and most importantly relevant way.The module is intentionally critical and provocative at times; alternative ways of thinking are presented and encouraged. You will be exposed to competing perspectives on some of the most fundamental changes and problems facing individuals and organisations. They will be strongly encouraged to develop reflective awareness of the ways through which seemingly distant or abstract ideas shape the organisation of contemporary societies and our everyday lives. This is an important module as it develops knowledge and frameworks through which to develop thinking regardless of future module, course, or career application. This module surfaces some of taken for granted assumptions and opens them up to challenge through critical thinking.By the end of the module you will have a powerful set of thinking tools by which to interpret the past, the present, and visions of the future. The module has two principal aims: first, to impress upon students the importance of these ‘big topics’ that have impacted most strongly on the development of advanced human societies, the organisations that inhabit them, and indeed the humans; and second, to motivate students to reflect on the relevance of these ideas for their own lives, and for the wider challenges of the contemporary business world. Having finished the module, students will have an understanding of business management as an intellectually stimulating and liberal subject. They will then be able to position in a contingently emerging world; a world that we are often tempted to take as natural and somehow inevitable when it is not.The course is split into three sections. The first section examines some of the large themes and meta-ideas that underpin much of our thinking in society, business, and management. They serve as a framing ideas through which to view the world around us and what follows in the module. These topics include capitalism, modernity and neoliberalism, globalisation, consumption, and work. The second section then looks at more abstract ideas including time and space, technology, knowledge work and professions.The final section aims to add specificity by considering inequalities (race, gender, class, and others) and their impact on organisations and individuals, changing workplaces, work transitions, identity, and the future of work.Throughout, the course examines how things were to then see how things are – and how they could be. 

• Introduction to music technology: This module discusses the fundamentals of Music technology– analogue and digital audio, MIDI, system components (sequencers, digital audio workstations, synthesisers, samplers, processors, etc); important examples of specific electronic music and audio technology and their impact; practical MIDI sequencing. 

• Performance in practice B: This module allows you to develop your music performance skills to a new level.A combination of individual tuition in your chosen performance specialism* (12 hours of lessons) and a variety of workshop and public performance opportunities provide you with the chance to study new repertoire, improve your technical skills and add to your performance experience.Interacting with concerts and events also gives you the opportunity to see professional musicians in performance. 

Year 2 

• Study abroad preparation module: This module will prepare you for study abroad. You are required to take out appropriate insurance policies and engage in on-going monitoring of risk and this module will provide professional input in both areas as well as rigorous assessment of the documents which you submit. Particular attention will be paid to the quality of your experience and the module will encourage you to formulate academic, intercultural, personal and professional objectives. Living abroad can be all the more enriching if you are able to reflect upon your experiences and this module will equip you for that by helping you to think critically about yourself, where you come from and how you observe and engage with places and people. 

• Adventures in musical research: This module is based on a selection of recent and innovative scholarly writings on music, which challenge the reader to examine their assumptions about the nature of both scholarship and music as cultural practices. It is taught together with MUSI6022 Adventures in Musical Research, which is designed for students on Music's MMUS pathways. Students in the undergraduate version will attend the same seminars and do the same reading assignments, but write shorter essays for assessment. 

• Breaking the binary: gender and sexuality in popular music: This module focuses on representations of sex and gender in popular music. It portrays gender on a sliding scale, and in a non-binary manner, and engages with cultural and feminist theory, sexuality and other theories of difference  

• Conducting: This module covers basic gestures used in duple, triple, compound, mixed and asymmetric metres; cueing of players and singers, and introducing expressive gestures for dynamics, phrasing etc.; basic approaches to rehearsal and score-marking technique. 

• Ensemble performance 1: In this module students prepare one programme of instrumental, vocal, or mixed-ensemble music of their own choice, which is coached regularly by members of staff. There is an expectation that students, not staff, will independently organise an ensemble for this module. If a student does not have an ensemble pre-planned, they will be assisted by the module lead in joining one. 

• Entrepreneurial management: The aim of the course unit is to introduce students to the process of entrepreneurship and to the nature of entrepreneurial opportunity. You will explore the unique challenges that entrepreneurs face in identifying opportunity, creating new ideas and validating them with potential customers or users. 

• Explorations in composition: This module focuses on composition that endeavours to innovate within and extend beyond musical conventions through actively exploring new possibilities, taking risks and experimentation. We’ll delve into a wide range of compositional approaches and techniques that developed during the second-half of the twentieth century and twenty-first centuries. We’ll look at composers who created new musical ‘languages’ (e.g. systematic composition); sounds (e.g. extended instrumental techniques); forms of music notation (e.g. graphic scores); and relationships between composers and performers (e.g. structured improvisation). Reflecting the plethora of approaches available to the twenty-first century composer, we’ll explore music across a range of styles, and in your compositions you can incorporate the approaches we explore into the musical idiom of your choice. - your piece can be Classical, Heavy Metal, Country or in any other idiom, so long as it is notated and adventurous! Where possible, your second assignment composition will be workshopped and recorded by professional guest musicians. 

• Film music composition: Composing music for films has a rich, 100+ year history, and technological advances and inspired and innovative teams continue to evolve this dynamic sector of the creative industries.You will be introduced to this history and a series of contemporary techniques and processes central to the practice of synchronising original music to film, creating your own scores to a selection of film cues provided on the module. 

• How the arts work: a practical introduction to cultural economics: How are the arts getting back to work again after Covid-19? This is a critically important question for everyone who cares about them, artists and audiences alike. If you’re a student considering a career in the arts you’ll want to know where fresh opportunities are likely to open up and where perhaps they won’t. Will things return to “normal”, or are we living through a revolution from which there is no going back?Key concepts in cultural economics will be introduced to you. You’ll discover their explanatory power and use them (cautiously!) to predict the future. You will engage with art – live where possible, now also online – and you’ll review a selection of “real” and virtual arts events. Alongside lectures you’ll watch a series of specially-produced video conversations with artists and programmers who work in music, theatre and the visual arts – sharing their knowledge and passion, hopes and sometimes fears. We’ll keep government policy under review and see what difference policy interventions make if and when they happen. You’ll get seminar support either face-to-face or online, and the usual opportunities to discuss your written work with the module co-ordinator before handing it in. 

•  

Year 3 

19th Century Italian Opera: Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti and Verdi 

 

Adventures in Musical Research: 

This module is based on a selection of recent and innovative scholarly writings on music, which challenge the reader to examine their assumptions about the nature of both scholarship and music as cultural practices. It is taught together with MUSI6022 Adventures in Musical Research, which is designed for students on Music's MMUS pathways. Students in the undergraduate version will attend the same seminars and do the same reading assignments, but write shorter essays for assessment. 

 

Commercial Composition: 

You will be introduced to a series of techniques and processes that can be applied to a wide range of commercial musics in the first semester; in the second semester you will work closely with course tutors in one-to-one tutorials to develop a portfolio of original work of commercial music in any form (including music to picture or other media, pop, dance or concert music, etc). 

 

Composition Portfolio 

 

With a mixture of lectures and individual supervision, Composition Portfolio is the final stage of the undergraduate pathway in concert-music based composition. Building upon the skills gained in first and second year creative music based modules, the lectures will provide you with more technical devices, formal procedures and ways of thinking about composition. You will study key compositional approaches and techniques that have developed during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The individual supervision will support the development of your work in creative, technical and practical terms.Your work must be score-based and that score should be the basis for a live-performance, but beyond that musical style is not prescribed in this module: you may incorporate the compositional techniques and issues we explore within the musical idiom of your choice. 

 

Conducting:  

This module covers basic gestures used in duple, triple, compound, mixed and asymmetric metres; cueing of players and singers, and introducing expressive gestures for dynamics, phrasing etc.; basic approaches to rehearsal and score-marking technique. 

 

Ensemble Performance 2: 

In this module students prepare one programme of instrumental, vocal, or mixed-ensemble music of their own choice, which is coached regularly by members of staff. There is an expectation that students, not staff, will independently organise an ensemble for this module. If a student does not have an ensemble pre-planned, they will be assisted by the module lead in joining one.NB: Ensembles must be made up of at least three performers and include at least two students who are assessed (students can only be assessed in one ensemble).Entry to this course is subject to approval of the appropriate Head of Performance and the module lead. 

 

Explorations in Composition: 

 

Following on from Composition Workshop (MUSI 2093/3100), this module will explore more technical devices, formal procedures and ways of thinking about composition. You will study key compositional approaches and techniques that have developed during the second-half of the twentieth century and twenty-first centuries, focussing particularly on composers who created new musical ‘languages’ and ‘logics’ , as well as composers who created scores using unconventional notational means. As with Composition Workshop, musical style is not prescribed in this module; you may incorporate the compositional techniques and issues we explore into the musical idiom of your choice. 

 

Film music composition: 

Composing music for films has a rich, 100+ year history, and technological advances and inspired and innovative teams continue to evolve this dynamic sector of the creative industries. 

You will be introduced to this history and a series of contemporary techniques and processes central to the practice of synchronising original music to film, creating your own scores to a selection of film cues provided on the module. 

 

How the Arts Work: A Practical Introduction to Cultural Economics: 

Key concepts in cultural economics will be introduced to you. You’ll discover their explanatory power and use them (cautiously!) to predict the future. You will engage with art – live where possible, now also online – and you’ll review a selection of “real” and virtual arts events. Alongside lectures you’ll watch a series of specially-produced video conversations with artists and programmers who work in music, theatre and the visual arts – sharing their knowledge and passion, hopes and sometimes fears. We’ll keep government policy under review and see what difference policy interventions make if and when they happen. You’ll get seminar support either face-to-face or online, and the usual opportunities to discuss your written work with the module co-ordinator before handing it in.You’ll meet colleagues from the John Hansard Gallery and Turner Sims concert hall (both venues run by the University of Southampton and supported by Arts Council England): you’ll learn how they put programmes together, how they collaborate with other promoters nationally and internationally, how they reach out to audiences, and how you can get involved with the work they do. 

 

Interactive! Music in Video Games and Media:  

Interactive music and sound can be found in diverse forms, from video games and interactive installations through to data driven sonic art and works with audience/performer interventions. Such situations provide composers and sound artists with both exciting creative opportunities and technical challenges. This module provides you with an opportunity to explore non-linear sonic scenarios, introducing a range of software systems and hardware controllers with which to engage. 

 

Issues in Latin American Popular Music and Culture: 

The module aims to develop your critical awareness of Latin American music and dance cultures of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, and the ways that scholars have approached them. Rather than a survey of Latin American music, the course will be thematically focussed on issues which may include indigeneity; social inequalities and marginality; gender and sexuality; migration; ‘race’ and racism; nation-building and cosmopolitanism; politics, dictatorship and social movements; exoticism, folklore and transnationalism; scenes and countercultures; religion; violence. Although the focus will be on Latin American and Latinx popular musics, students may opt to explore Latin American art musics and/or other cultural practices in assessments. Genres and music cultures that may be explored include bolero, bossa nova, corrido, cumbia, danzón, mambo, Nueva canción, punk, rap, reggaeton, rock and roll, salsa, samba, son cubano and tango. The module will be based on the study of books and articles, and close listening and viewing of audio-visual materials. 

 

Jazz theory: 

This module focuses on common jazz harmony as used by jazz musicians and improvisers. It also explores harmonic and rhythmic devices used by some jazz musicians to inform their improvisations. The course will focus predominantly on jazz standards (music from The Great American Songbook), and there may also be a chance to look at more contemporary styles. 

 

Music Education and Social Justice: 

This module provides an introduction to music education and social justice. This involves exploring philosophical perspectives about the nature of education and social justice (such as decolonisation, race, class); overarching conceptual considerations to do with social justice in educational contexts (e.g. achieved by exploring educational issues through the lens of inclusion, equality, diversity). Students will be invited to attend events at Southampton’s Centre for Music Education and Social Justice (CMESJ) and engage in creative writing assessments and presentations and organising in community-based projects.Connected to a network of professionals, performing venues, schools, charities, and local authorities, the course aims to develop collaborative and interpersonal skills, social awareness, and knowledge about the significance of social justice in the local music-making community. You are expected to gain insights into the role of social justice in music education setting. You will also explore the interaction between music and society through community-based learning opportunities on-site, addressing social justice issues.Special Features of ModuleThis module integrates theoretical and practical aspects of the field of music education and social justice. It is tailored to enhance your employability skills by offering hands-on, practical experience through community-based projects. By exploring both the theoretical underpinnings and real-world applications, this module provides a comprehensive understanding of the intersection between music education and social justice. It equips you with valuable insights and skills, preparing you to engage meaningfully with community initiatives upon graduation, fostering a deeper connection between your academic knowledge and its practical applications in wider contexts. 

 

Music Therapy 1: Fundamentals 

This module explores how music therapy uses music very differently to the entertainment industry, introducing you to the unique use of music as a powerful clinical tool in health and education settings. Using clinical music therapy techniques, music can be used to develop an individual’s personal, emotional and social skills, emotional wellbeing and to improve quality of life. This module endeavors to explain the facts and subtleties that make this possible through music therapy and community music. Weekly lectures are designed to promote discussion and debate of key characteristics of music therapy work. 

 

Music Therapy 2: Beneath the Surface: 

The aim of this module is to look beneath the surface - challenging assumptions made about music being therapeutic and exploring how to prove music is effective as therapy. Drawing on the knowledge gleaned in the second year module, the module aims to develop practical music therapy skills through participation in workshops and a placement. There is an opportunity to learn about less common clinical settings and current, innovative medical research projects at the University. 

For students interested in possible careers in music therapy and community music, the lectures provide vital knowledge and insight. It has also been particularly helpful to students interested in pursuing careers in education. This module is equally valuable to students wanting to explore music from a different angle. 

 

Music and Sound Production 1: 

This module allows you to explore basic multi-track recording and production techniques. The module is based in the University’s recording studios and music computing facilities where you will explore a range of techniques and equipment from both theoretical and practical perspectives, demonstrating what you have learnt through practical assignments. No previous recording experience is expected, but knowledge of fundamental ideas relating to music and sound technologies is useful. It is recommended that you take MUSI1019 Introduction to Music Technology before taking this module if you have little or no previous experience of music technology. 

 

Music in the Community with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra: 

This innovative module, developed and delivered in close collaboration with the BSO Participate Team, will allow you to develop a range of skills and experience in community music practice. You will undertake training with BSO Associates and members of the BSO Participate Team in how to develop, lead and run music workshops. You will document what you have learnt through a learning diary. You will also research and deliver an individual presentation focused on a topic related to community music. 

 

Performance recital: 

This module allows you to expand your music performance skills to a high standard. A combination of 

individual tuition (20 1hr lessons) and a variety workshop and public performance opportunities 

provide you with the chance to study new repertoire, improve your technical skills and add to your 

performance experience. Attending concerts and events also gives you the opportunity to see 

professional musicians in performance 

 

Performance Tuition (Single Study): 

This module allows you to expand your music performance skills to a high standard. A combination of individual tuition (10 1hr lessons) and a variety workshop and public performance opportunities provide you with the chance to study new repertoire, improve your technical skills and add to your performance experience. Attending concerts and events also gives you the opportunity to see professional musicians in performance. 

  

Research project:  

This module is based on a topic chosen by the student, completed under the supervision of a member of staff and culminating in a detailed dissertation. The topic may be musical (historical, analytical, critical) or it may relate music to another art or discipline (e.g. music and architecture, acoustics, psychology of music). Alternatively, the dissertation may take the form of a report on project work. The written submission may be supplemented by live presentation (including musical performance) or by the use of other media, for instance videotape or computer software. All projects are subject to approval by the course coordinator. 

 

The American musical: 

This module introduces you to the history of the American Musical and examines some of the issues connected with race, exoticism, gender and national identity as they were articulated in this multimedia entertainment between the late nineteenth century and today. The module will take a chronological but also issue-related approach. Beginning with an overview of the main features of the musical and its relation with opera, operetta and the revue, we will go on to explore the social, cultural and political contexts in which it emerged, developed, and flourished, as well as the ways in which the genre became a crucial cultural arena for the articulation of contemporary social and political concerns and the formation of national identity. We will also follow the trajectory that brought the musical from the stage to the movie set, and the synergy between Broadway and Hollywood, discussing the ways in which music and text engaged with dance, lights, and costumes on stage and on video. This module is offered at two levels that will be taught together. (N.B. Students who take the module in year 2 cannot take the year 3 version) 

 

The Producer as Composer: digital sound & songwriting in practice 

 

“To Sweeten my bitterness”: Love, sex and gender in medieval musicking 

 

Reasons for applying 

.gives me an opportunity to go abroad. 

. The distance from home allows me to have some more independence. 

. Interesting modules. 

 

#5 

University name 

Leeds Beckett University 

Course Title 

Music Industries Management 

Entry requirements 

112 UCAS Tariff points. 

List of all modules 

Year 1 

• Introduction to music: Examine how the music industries are structured, how they operate and details of the skills and experience needed to have a career in this area. 

• Artist management: An introduction to the management structures and key roles and relationships within the music industry, you will explore the changing role of the artist's manager by examining specific case studies covering management roles within the music industry and the visual arts. 

• Music & entertainment marketing: Gain a detailed understanding of the marketing techniques used by a range of music and entertainment industry organisations, and explore how they manage their relationships with customers and the world at large. 

• Online content for music industries: Analyse the way music created, distributed, accessed and interacted with, to explore how digital content and the online environment can be used to give added value to musical works. 

• Music industries in context: Study contemporary musical genres, histories, technologies and associated music subcultures to deepen your understanding of the political, economic, sociological, technological, ethical and legal factors that have had an impact on the evolution of the music industries. 

• Professional practice 1: employability skills: Develop skills essential in the workplace, including leadership, problem solving, teamworking and written communication skills. You will also enhance your practical skills by undertaking a work placement in the music industry (at least 80 hours). 

Year 2 

• Recruitment, equality and management: Effectively managing staff is vital to achieving success in the music and entertainment industries. This module will focus on human resources theory and best practice regarding the recruitment and management of people in a diverse range of organisations and sectors. You'll explore why having an understanding of organisational behaviour can lead to more effective people management. You'll then begin to develop the skills to effectively manage human resources within a range of music and entertainment environments. 

• Copyright & law in music industries: Gain an understanding of the role and options available to music performers and music rights holders across different areas of the music industries, in order to gain income from their work. 

• Music, politics &society: Explore the relationship that music and society have had over the past century. You will look at a variety of social and political issues against a backdrop of music development, artist creativity and the rise of popular music genres. 

• Live event planning & management: Learn about the roles, skills and procedures required in the planning, promotion and production of live events. You will develop your understanding of the principles of originating and curating a live event, audience targeting, health and safety, budgeting, marketing research and contemporary marketing promotions. 

• Professional practice 2: research, responsibility & leadership: Prepare a proposal for a piece of real-life research that could be undertaken with music industries stakeholders. Working with your tutor and an employer in the music industries or related field, you'll negotiate a learning contract to complete during an 80-hour period of work-based learning. Your work experience will enable you to reflect upon key leadership and responsibility attributes and develop your own critical analysis skills. You'll produce a reflective learning report and build research skills ready to put into practice in your final year. 

• Culture, media & place: Develop your understanding of the interconnectedness of notions of media, culture and place in contemporary society. You'll engage critically with both conceptual and practical approaches to mass media, cultural policy, and competing claims on place and space. This will enable you to better understand the various and interrelated roles that these notions play in shaping our contemporary cultural landscape. 

• Radio & podcasting: This module will enable you to establish knowledge of fundamental radio techniques, which will help you to develop skills in recording and broadcasting audio. You'll gain an understanding of both writing and programme content creation for radio. 

Year 3 

• Innovation in music business: Build on your understanding of the functionality of the music industries and develop an ability to identify and analyse new business models, technological development and new revenue streams related to these. 

• Major independent project: Undertake a major project in a subject area of interest to you. Your project will involve substantive research and could take the form of a written dissertation, film documentary with accompanying written narrative or a curated event with detailed event plan. 

• Professional practice 3: consultancy & expertise:  Work with an external client as a consultant to help them address an issue or problem. You'll develop the knowledge and skills to think and act strategically as you use your expertise to solve real-life industry challenges. You'll explore and analyse key theories, tools and techniques to understand the practice of professional consultancy and how to become a strategic manager within the entertainment industry. 

• Creative & cultural industries: Study the theoretical context, political and social history, and contemporary issues surrounding the creative and cultural industries. This will be set against a backdrop of socio-political issues, economics, government agendas and ever-shifting cultural policy 

• Arts & festival management: Build your knowledge of the contextual, political and economic issues affecting the arts and music festivals, helping you realise the broader context in which you will operate as a manager and the practical considerations of working in this area. 

• Advanced radio and podcasting: Develop your technical skills to become confident working with audio. Practical workshops and supervised studio sessions will boost your competence in content creation. You'll practise working in a live environment and maximising listener satisfaction and retention. Your study will culminate with the production of a live radio broadcast or full-length podcast production using ideas, concepts and pre-recorded and edited audio prepared during this module. 

• Contemporary music in context: Identify the technical, social and cultural factors that influence the production and consumption of contemporary music. You will explore a range of key theoretical frameworks and draw upon these to establish the context within which musical works, or genres, are situated. 

• Arts and social engagement: Examine socially engaged arts practices that operate within different social environments with the purpose of engaging communities of people. You will develop the skills needed to facilitate workshops and performance works that can be used as vehicles for social advocacy and gain an understanding of how to respond to the needs to various community groups. 

Reasons for applying 

. Not too far from home. 

. Option for placement. 

. Modules that I am interested in. 

 

Alternative Options (employment/apprenticeship) 

#1 

Job/Apprenticeship Title 

Touring assistant  

Application requirements 

• Assistant experience at a similar agency is preferred 

• Strong understanding of the music industry 

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills 

• Excellent organisational skills 

• Ability to prioritise a busy workload 

• Good attention to detail 

 

Overview of roles & responsibilities 

• Inputting and maintaining all schedules with high attention to detail 

• Answering calls on behalf of the agent 

• Coordinating meetings and updating schedules for artists 

• Organising Certificates of Sponsorship for artists for the UK and Visas worldwide where needed 

• Producing contracts for shows booked 

• Keeping account of all the money in for shows and chasing deposits/payments when needed 

• Collating ticket sales information and passing onto the relevant parties 

• Supervise tour artwork and announcements 

• Developing relations with managers/artists/venues/promoters 

 

Reasons for applying 

. Will get a good understanding of what it’s like to be a tour manager.  

. Will give me experience of being a tour manager. 

. Will get to travel around.  

 

#2 

Job/Apprenticeship Title 

Front of house manager- AO arena  

Application requirements 

• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organisational skills. 

• Proven experience in a customer-facing role within the hospitality industry. 

• Ability to build and manage strong customer relationships. 

• Strong attention to detail, problem-solving skills, and financial acumen. 

• Proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Outlook. 

• Ability to work independently and use initiative effectively. 

 

Overview of roles & responsibilities 

• Provide exceptional service, resolve issues and complaints efficiently, and maintain a high standard of guest satisfaction. 

• Lead and coordinate the casual Arena Host team, including training, mentoring, and fostering a positive team environment. 

• Work with the Hospitality Operations Manager and Event Manager to ensure the smooth running of events, including scheduling, hygiene, and safety compliance. 

• Partner with the Head of Guest Experience, Premium Hospitality, and Food and Beverage teams to enhance guest experiences through proactive teamwork. 

• Ensure all guests, including those with disabilities, have full access to live entertainment and manage the Attitude is Everything charter to achieve platinum status. 

• Meet sales and upgrade targets, oversee training, and ensure profitability in line with business objectives. 

• Develop team members through monitoring, coaching, and feedback, ensuring a high level of service delivery. 

• Oversee the guest journey in premium spaces, handling customer service, ticketing, and accessibility queries. 

• Collaborate with General Admission, Food and Beverage teams, and Event Managers to deliver consistent service. 

• Communicate effectively with the Head of Guest Experience, complete end-of-show reporting, and track complaints for continuous improvement. 

 

Reasons for applying 

. The job role sounds interesting to me. 

. This job feels like something I will comfortable and confident work with. 

. Close to home.