BA (Hons) Songwriting & Music Business

The first Creative Industries module will introduce you to the strategies and tools to set you on the right path toward pursuing a successful career. Whether focused on a particular career goal or considering several future possibilities, you will broaden your knowledge of the opportunities available to you as a future creative industry professional.

Developing arranging skills as a songwriter can bring many benefits to your music. Firstly, it can enhance your creativity by
exposing you to new ideas and perspectives. Collaborating with other musicians can bring in different musical influences and
styles, resulting in a more diverse and unique sound for your music. Secondly, it can improve your musicianship as you work
with other musicians who may possess different skills and techniques. This can help you expand your musical knowledge and
improve your timing, rhythm, and harmony. Collaborating can also increase productivity, making the songwriting process more
efficient and effective.

In this module, you will explore the art of arranging music specifically for live performances. You will learn how to take your draft compositions and arrange them for a live setting, considering aspects such as instrumentation, audience engagement, and collaboration. Through practical workshops and hands-on sessions, you will apply these concepts to your own arrangements or collaboratively with peers, aiming to create performances that captivate and resonate with live audiences.

Whether you are part of the performance or leading it as a writer/MD, you will be guided through the creative
process utilising musicians to achieve your desired outcome for an original composition. This will be supported by the skills
and knowledge developed in your semester one modules and will provide you with the tools to create and realise your vision
for the composition.

The rapidly evolving music business is a multi-faceted, technologically driven industry. Effective music industry practitioners must understand how the numerous businesses, organisations and professionals operate, how they work alongside each other and interconnect. Furthermore, due to the rate of change, it is essential to make informed predictions about the future of the industry and evolve operations accordingly. This module is designed to offer you a holistic perspective of the industry, from where you can clearly identify conventions, standard working practices and growth areas.

The techniques module enables you to explore songwriting through a carefully constructed programme of practical creative tasks. The course is delivered by a teaching team of established, published contemporary songwriters. Career planning, research and freelance skills are embedded in the curriculum, and you will also benefit from opportunities to collaborate with production and performance students.

Further study will be the building blocks of songwriting: chord theory, melody, harmony, lyrics and rhythm. The module involves aural perception, giving you the opportunity to develop your musical ear and recognise intervals and chord sequences by listening.

The module will take a traditional view of songwriting as well as contemporary, by exploring how approaches have changed over time. There will be writing partnerships, giving you the ability to collaborate effectively. Chord theory, structure and writing intuitively will be the focus of the module, as well as an introduction to lyrical and poetic devices.

In this module, you will further develop your investigative skills, exploring relevant underlying concepts and principles and interpreting these within the context of your area of study. You will explore the nature of creativity, the wider context of the industry and practice reflective techniques.

You will also evaluate sources and consider issues such as potential biases and cultural diversity. This evaluation will contribute to developing an enhanced awareness of your creative identity and greater insight into the topics that inspire and motivate you. In addition, you will improve your understanding of how your area of interest intersects with the wider creative industry.

Using academic enquiry, you will develop a reflective journal to evaluate your strengths and areas for self-development in relation to your studies, careers and personal aspirations. This investigative work will help establish a connection between the skills you have identified concerning specific careers and areas of the industry, enhancing your understanding of what is required to be a successful professional practitioner.

Summary

Developing skills in Digital Audio Workstation recording, arrangement and mixing techniques are essential for songwriters to create polished and professional-sounding compositions. Additionally, arrangement techniques are crucial for songwriters to give shape and structure to their musical ideas and to create a cohesive and compelling musical expression. By developing these skills, songwriters can effectively express their creative ideas and communicate a creative vision with greater precision.

Module Aims

This module will allow you to build your music theory, arrangement, and aural perception skills and use these to support a more in-depth study of mixing and arrangement techniques using a (DAW).

Summary

Music publishing is essential in the modern music business, an ever-increasing amount of visual content is being created and shared, much of which requires the synchronisation of music, this along with the development of new distribution channels has opened a wealth of new opportunities for songwriters and publishers.

Module Aims

This module aims to focus on the fundamentals of this topic covering areas such as: the definition of a song, the publisher’s role, the collection societies, the types of music publisher, and music publishing contracts. In this module, you will explore the relationship between these core concepts and current music industry developments.

Summary

In an increasingly competitive marketplace, an effective and creative marketing campaign can make any brand stand out from the crowd and achieve its goals. Whether it is the discovery of a new artist, buying tickets for an event or festival, or the everyday products and services we consume, marketing continues to influence us across every part of our lives. Developing a personal brand enables individuals to effectively communicate their unique value and differentiate themselves from competitors.

Module Aims

In this module, you will explore contemporary music and events brands, their audiences, branding, and communications. You will learn about emerging trends and technologies in social media, and how human psychology impacts our decision making. Whether you want to work in a marketing role directly, run your own events or manage an artist; marketing will undoubtedly play a crucial role in your future career success.

Summary

This module will build on the skills you developed in your first year. In The Creative Industries and You module, you utilised concepts and principles to explore the nature of creativity, developing a short and longer-term plan for your personal and professional practice.

In this module you will carry out an individual investigation, utilising secondary research to investigate the lineage of your creative practice. You will directly apply ideas to your own discipline and development, selecting an area of investigation relevant to your own practice, and communicating your argument in writing or via a narrated slide presentation. The concepts you explore in this module, including your positionality and identity, are themes you will encounter frequently as a creative professional.

Module Aims

By examining existing case studies and undertaking a research case study you will further develop secondary research skills and contextualise your professional identity. The research methods and study skills you develop throughout this module will prepare you for next year’s Final Project, in which you will self-direct a significant piece of academic, creative and/or professional practice. Additionally, this module will help you develop the following graduate attributes:

• Global Awareness
• Self-awareness
• Intellectual curiosity
• Professionalism

The UK music industry has seen growth and expansion in recorded music, publishing and live events, highlighting an industry ripe for entrepreneurial development. Recent enterprising examples have seen entrepreneurs collect waste left at festivals and transform it into usable products sold for charitable organisations benefitting society and the environment and creating an economy where there wasn’t one previously. This module is designed to get you thinking about the music industry as a whole, both nationally and globally, to consider what gaps might exist for new business or what services could be created for new customer bases.

Throughout the module, you will consider what tools you need to create the next industry product or service, as well as how to relate this to self-employment and wider creative industries.

Lyricism and Aesthetics are concerned with the methodologies used by songwriters to generate original, imaginative lyrics. It aims to provide a detailed study of the creative and technical processes underpinning effective lyric writing and to consider the cultural and artistic influences that inspire the compositional process, as well as the impact this has on the construction of a creative identity.
You will explore the prosodic relationship between lyrics and melody, harmony, arrangement, rhythm and structure within original songs, as well as within the work of established writers, which will also help you develop your own distinct idiolect (or artistic ‘voice’).

You will be introduced to key lyric writing techniques and apply and develop these into original work. Additionally, you will incorporate narrative tools and strategies from poetry, literature and other relevant media and culture.

You will consider cultural identity, gender identity and/or a personal viewpoint, and explore how these elements might be expressed through narrative.

The module will also consider the impact of interpretative performance, instrumental arrangement, and studio production on narrative delivery.

The development of critical analysis, self-evaluation and high-level lyric writing skills will be a key part of weekly content, and subsequently, you will be expected to develop a wide range of imaginative, original material, both individually and collaboratively.

In Songwriting & Arrangement, you will study established musical arrangement aesthetics, approaches and techniques in order to inform and inspire your own artistic exploration in the creation of original musical arrangements. Classes will be a combination of the stylistic and technical analysis of existing artistic and aesthetic approaches, and a process of experimentation through creative arrangement workshopping.

You will reflect on your artistic exploration of arrangement approaches, culminating in an overarching reflection on your writing and composition throughout your BMus study at the college, as well as practical work undertaken during your Songwriting & Arrangement module learning journey.

Summary

In the Defining Your Practice in Context module, you evaluated the lineage and traditions of your creative practice, investigating how it connects to artistic and industry practices. This module will require you to utilise your acquired knowledge to plan and create, collaboratively, a piece of work that links to your practice. Collaborating with others can help you develop new and innovative ideas and can also help you develop confidence as a creative practitioner whilst practising your communication, project management, reflection and feedback skills.

Module Aims

• To develop collaborative working practices.
• To plan and execute a creative project.
• To document your creative process including the nature of your collaboration.
• Seek and use developmental feedback.
• Evaluate the nature of teamwork, communication and collaboration.
• Appraise your professional values, ethics and goals.

Additionally, this module will help you develop the following graduate attributes:

• Employable and Entrepreneurial.
• Creative, Collaborative and Connected.
• Socially Responsible.
• Self-awareness.
• Professionalism.

This module introduces the key concepts for financing creative projects and outlines the fundraising process. The module will cover a range of approaches that include grant funding, crowdsourcing, sponsorship, start-up loans, private income and support in-kind. You will develop practical planning and delivery skills including writing a fundraising strategy, pitching for money, filling out a grant application form, creating a sponsorship pack, managing budgets and risk, and evaluating impact.

This module will allow you to further develop the tools required to put creative energy into practice, inspiring you to engage in compositional techniques and technological processes to improve your skills as a songwriter and enhance your creative and professional practice.

You will utilise Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) for writing purposes, including the recording, editing, mixing and production of new material using industry-standard software and equipment.

The module provides an introduction to economics and innovation, and how they interact in the music and culture industry.

You will examine the relationship between cultural, social and economic factors influencing and influenced by the music business.

You will explore economic theories through the lens of everyday phenomena and/or moments of significant change in the music business past, present and future.

In this module, you will undertake a significant project of your own choosing. It’s your chance to explore your passion within the industry and creative arts: experiment, take risks, strengthen your skills and create a product/cohesive portfolio of work that you are proud to showcase at the end of your degree.

This module will support you in consolidating the broad learning and development from the course so far, building a bridge into the industry, the workplace and future opportunities. You will be supported to self-direct your own learning through a series of lectures, seminars and 1:1 tutorials with expert supervisors.

This module provides an in-depth exploration of emerging trends, innovations, and challenges shaping the future landscape of the media and marketing, music business and events industries.

Through critical analysis of industry developments, case studies, and expert insights, you will gain a nuanced understanding of the evolving dynamics within media consumption patterns, technological advancements, regulatory changes, and societal shifts.

This module builds on the foundational songwriting skills learned throughout the course so far, focusing on honing advanced songwriting techniques and developing versatility as a professional songwriter. You'll gain the skills needed to adapt to different musical styles and industry demands, preparing you for real-world songwriting opportunities. The module also provides personalised support, allowing you to work on your own artistic projects with guidance from industry specialists, ensuring you refine your craft and elevate your creative process.

In this module, you will undertake a significant project of your own choosing. It’s your chance to explore your passion within the industry and creative arts: experiment, take risks, strengthen your skills and create a product/cohesive portfolio of work that you are proud to showcase at the end of your degree.

This module will support you in consolidating the broad learning and development from the course so far, building a bridge into the industry, the workplace and future opportunities. You will be supported to self-direct your own learning through a series of lectures, seminars and 1:1 tutorials with expert supervisors.

This module is a final step in your academic journey. It will prove essential for working creatively in your chosen field. Drawing on evidence from your study, you'll critically evaluate your learning and the industry connections you've made. You'll explore theories of personal and professional development you can apply in the world of work. You'll learn with your peers in small and large mixed discipline sessions.

You will be challenged to create work competing in your chosen field. Specialist workshops from seasoned professionals are part of your learning. You'll create a portfolio on your journey so far- looking at your constructed professional identity- mindful that it is key to your working future.

This module allows students to specialise in a specific area of songwriting, focusing on a chosen area or style. You will receive personalised mentorship, providing guidance and supervision as you develop and refine your project. This module is designed to help you deepen your expertise in a particular aspect of songwriting while gaining practical experience with the support of an experienced mentor.