Leeds Conservatoire has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.
Course summary
Develop your skill set in more than one subject area and study with a wider range of expert staff on this Music Production with Popular Music course at Leeds Conservatoire. You’ll take your Specialist Study modules in Production and your Specialist Group Study modules in Popular Music. Leeds Conservatoire is at the centre of the thriving Leeds music scene in a city tightly packed with music venues, from small intimate bars to major concert venues. Gain the skills and experience to become a sophisticated music producer, with the freedom to express yourself musically in any genre. You will learn through hands-on studio and Mac Lab sessions with expert producers and software specialists in order to prepare you for a successful career in music production. In 2005, we became the first UK conservatoire to deliver a specialist course in Popular Music, and we’re still pioneers. We champion original material and encourage you to take creative risks. This course will give students the skills to become sophisticated music producers, with performance experience in pop ensembles. Combining small group tuition and one-to-one final year tuition/mentoring, small-ensemble work and seminars, this programme will underpin students’ composition skills with the technical know-how necessary to compete in a fast-moving music industry. Students will enhance their understanding of production practices within a studio environment alongside issues of style and repertoire from a pop ensemble perspective.
Modules
The BA (Hons) Music (Production with Popular) modules focus on developing you as a professional musician and producer through small group work and creative projects. The professional studies strand will develop your core business skills, and other optional modules will introduce additional cross-genre capabilities. The programme has strands in Specialist Study, Contextual Studies and Professional Studies that span the three levels of the programme. Students focus primarily on their Specialist Study. Specialist Study is split so that one to one study is studied on the Production pathway and group study is studied on the Popular pathway. Year 1 (Level 4) Compulsory modules: Specialist Study Music Production 1 – Production Specialist Group Study 1 – Popular Contextual Studies 1 – Production Professional Studies 1: Working in the Creative Industries Creative Project Year 2 (Level 5) Compulsory modules: Specialist Study Music Production 2 – Production Specialist Group Study 2 – Popular Contextual Studies 2 – Production Professional Studies 2 Contextual Studies 2 optional modules, one of: Arranging and Orchestration Collaborative Composition Entrepreneurship Music and Ideology Music for the Moving Image Musical Direction Performance with Electronics Songwriting Professional Studies 2 optional modules, one of: Artistic Management Business Start-up Concerts and Touring Instrumental Music Tuition Self-Promotion and Music Marketing Structure and Functions of the Film Music Industry Working with Music in the Community Year 3 (Level 6) Compulsory modules: Specialist Study Music Production 3 – Production Final Project – Popular Contextual Studies 3 Professional Studies 3 Students select either an Interdisciplinary and Collaborative Project, a Group/Ensemble Performance Project or a Practice in Context Research Project for their Final Project module. Contextual Studies 3 optional modules, one of: Composed Theatre Composition and Production for Film and Television Computer-Based Composition Electro-acoustic Composition Emerging Music Models Extended Improvisation Intercultural Music Software Environments – Performance and Sound Creation Professional Studies 3 optional modules, one of: Business Leadership and Ethics Community Music Project Film Music – Aesthetics and Narrative Function Live Music Management Music Journalism Module specifications can be found via the Leeds Conservatoire website: http://bit.ly/LC-ProdPop-UCAS
Assessment method
This combined study is assessed in a variety of ways to reflect the diversity of creative and professional practice. Assessment methods include musical portfolios, recordings, technical tests/performances, presentations or written work. The exact nature of assessments will depend on the Contextual Studies and Professional Studies module options chosen at Level 5 and Level 6, as well as the choice of project for the Final Project module at Level 6. Formal assessments tend to take place at the end of each semester or the end of the year. There are a handful of assignments with deadlines halfway through a semester.
How to apply
29Jan
This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.
Application codes
- Course code:
- 5W2D
- Institution code:
- L30
- Campus name:
- Main Site
- Campus code:
- -
Points of entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
- Year 1
International applicants
Please visit the international page on our website for further information: http://bit.ly/UCAS-international-apply
Entry requirements
Qualification requirements
UCAS Tariff - 96 points
A level
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Access to HE Diploma
Scottish Higher
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
Additional entry requirements: Applicants should also have achieved a minimum of three GCSEs at Grade C/4 or above. UCAS tariff points from music graded exams are also accepted (highest achieved per instrument (grade 6 and above), awarded by ABRSM, London College of Music, Trinity College, Rock School). All applicants will be required to either attend an audition or submit a portfolio of work. Please see https://www.leedsconservatoire.ac.uk/audition for up to date details of our audition process. English Language requirements: All applicants must meet the minimum English Language requirement, as set by the conservatoire. For UK applicants this is GCSE English Language at grade C/4. Equivalent qualifications, such as Functional Skills English Level 2 or National 5 English grade C, will also be accepted. For applicants that require a Student Visa to study in the UK, the standard requirement is IELTS 6.0 with no sub-test less than 5.5.
Please click the following link to find out more about qualification requirements for this course
Additional entry requirements
Portfolio
Student Outcomes
Operated by the Office for Students
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
Go onto work and study
The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
| England | £9250 | Year 1 |
| Northern Ireland | £9250 | Year 1 |
| Scotland | £9250 | Year 1 |
| Wales | £9250 | Year 1 |
| Channel Islands | £9250 | Year 1 |
| Republic of Ireland | £9250 | Year 1 |
| EU | £20300 | Year 1 |
| International | £20300 | Year 1 |
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .
Additional fee information
For details of any additional costs associated with your course, please see https://www.leedsconservatoire.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate-study/fees-funding/tuition-fees/
Provider information
Leeds Conservatoire
3 Quarry Hill
Leeds
LS2 7PD