Course summary

Continue your journey into the music industry by taking your work to the next level. Studying at level 5 is a challenging and rewarding endeavour. You will have the opportunity to work in one of our purpose-built recording studios or production suites on industry standard platforms Pro Tools and Logic Pro X. Develop a deep understanding and practical skills in music production, live sound and studio craft. The department has recently benefited from large scale investment featuring a large and small Mac suite, Mac computers in all 3 studios, numerous outboard effects and audio processing equipment including an Allen & Heath Hybrid mixing console. Studying here will mean much lower fees than those at university whilst also offering more support and 1:1 time. You will also have exclusive access to our new HE department featuring social spaces, a kitchen and study spaces. This course is the follow on to the HNC Music Technology or similar level 4 programme. The Higher National Diploma is a level 5 qualification and is equivalent to the second year of a degree. Upon successful completion of the HND you could progress in education to complete the third and final year of a Music Technology or related degree course at university. This course is an opportunity for you to enhance your practical and theoretical skills building on those developed on the level 4. You will undertake a number of creative production projects and practical exercises. Other methods of assessment will include written assignments and presentations. Your final grades will depend on the portfolio of evidence you produce to demonstrate your achievements. Your learning experience is enhanced by workshops with professional practitioners and regular performance visits and study trips, in previous years students have had trips to Berlin and Barcelona. During the course you will develop your recording and sound production skills as you explore the finer details of professional audio. You will gain experience of running recording sessions and creating music through technology. Alongside the production aspects of the course, you will complete coursework which explores creative research projects which can be tailored to your own area of interest. This specialist qualification is a great way to continue your journey forging a career in the music industry as well as those that wish to progress to university. Many have a natural progression route to the third and final year of a degree course. The variety of units offered on the course will help you to develop your independent study as well as your team work and communication skills. On successful completion of this course you can progress onto a Degree in Music Technology/similar or progress into a career in the music industry. You can top the HND up at university by completing the 3rd year of a full honours degree. This vast industry has many exciting and varied roles including: working behind the scenes in film and television; radio production; theatre or live music. You could become a composer, songwriter, music producer, sound engineer, session musician or event organiser. You could work in the business at a record label or even run your own. You could work in A&R seeking out the next Adele, Ed Sheeran or Coldplay. Other record label roles include pluggers, marketing, sales and merchandise. Fight for the rights of musicians with a job at the Musicians Union or help support artists by working at a royalty collection agency. There are around 196,000 people working full time in the music industry in the UK, the industry has continued to grow year on year. This course will give you a solid understanding of many of these professions and give you the skills you need to succeed.