BA (Hons) Songwriting & Music Production

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.

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.

This module will look at recording audio practically for the modern engineer. It will complement the theories studied in Audio Fundamentals. We will focus on modern engineering essentials and apply them to any setup from large format consoles to bedroom studios. We will focus on gain staging, use of analogue and digital equipment, Mic placement and techniques and running a recording session.

The way we communicate directly affects how other people interpret and understand our ideas and concepts. Our use of language also influences how our skills and abilities are perceived and is often a deciding factor for others when deciding to collaborate with us.

This module will allow you to develop your understanding of the terminology used in the field of music production and give you the ability to communicate creative and artistic ideas as well as the technical specifications and details of digital and analogue audio equipment that are required to realise them as a tangible product.

Audio Fundamentals is tightly integrated with Audio Capture Methods & Equipment and the online digital portfolio that you will create and develop over the semester will count towards assessment learning outcomes in both modules.

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.

Styles and Genres is concerned with the deconstruction of musical and non-musical elements that create successful popular songs. This module will analyse the historical, social and biographical contexts that may have had a bearing on specific musical genres and notable songwriters, as well as examining external influences on these styles.

The module will require you to employ critical listening and aural perception to analyse music and lyrics objectively in order to understand how songs may work on us subjectively. This module will also look to broaden your songwriting vocabulary via the creation of an original work/song, in addition to providing a platform for self-reflection on the skills and aptitudes necessary for lifelong learning in this field.

This module will provide you with the support required to continue your study of music theory, arrangement, aural perception skills and mixing techniques used in popular music.

Further to the concepts studied in Digital Music in semester one, theory concepts studied will include the melodic minor scale, the harmonic minor scale and modes. You will also study extended chords, and how to mix music using a DAW and its processing to a high standard. The module will also include a study of acoustic theories.

This module will require you to explore the art and techniques of mixing multiple sources of audio, acoustic recorded or electronically generated/synthesised, into one cohesive sounding ‘mix’. The skills developed in this module will allow you to mix multi-track recorded compositions, multi-mic’d live performances and soundtracks for visual media.

You will identify areas of the original audio that require improvements, such as sonic quality, arrangement or performance. You will consider the tools and techniques related to level balance, spatial image and frequency balance, and the application of creativity within the norms of your chosen field of work.

The creative arts have the power to bring people together, unite communities, support mental wellbeing, raise awareness of social issues and above all, bring joy to many people around the world. In Creative Industries & You 2, you will discover how you can turn your passion and talent into a collaborative project with a positive impact on society. Employing research and networking skills, you will develop a greater understanding of a charity, cause or campaign. In teams of students from all courses, you‘ll select a cause and identify a way to support its key objectives, either by raising awareness, raising funds or contributing as volunteers. You will be introduced to your college's partner charities but you are also able to find your own, or work independently of an existing organisation.

Through this collaborative project, you’ll develop essential interpersonal and communication skills, experimenting with various digital tools for enterprise. You’ll reflect on your own values, applying theories of human psychology to explore how to get the best out of yourself and each other. Building on your industry research skills, you will assess your target audience and define clear SMART targets for your project that will enable you to execute an element of the strategy and evaluate its success. In teams, you will spend time working on your project both in class and in your own time, developing effective collaborative working methods.

You’ll record your project activity in your Personal and Professional Development Plan, reflecting on how you have developed and changed over the course of your first year and a half at BIMM. Working with your Personal Adviser you will identify objectives, opportunities and actions that will help you stay on the path to success for the second half of your journey towards becoming a Creative Industries Professional.

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.

After decades of technological advancement, the position of the Studio Engineer within current music production could not be more valuable. The smooth running of each studio session requires in-depth knowledge of all studio technology (analogue, digital and software) combined with the ability to choose the correct technical approach and deliver professional results efficiently.

This module will present the role of the modern Studio Engineer within the industry and discuss in detail the technology involved. Focus will be on teaching current engineering practices, applied to a variety of typical commercial scenarios, and understanding the relationship between technology and professional studio practice.

This module continues the exploratory work you began in Context & Culture of the Creative Industries. 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 via your medium of choice.

The concepts you encounter will actively critique claims to authenticity and originality; themes you will encounter frequently throughout your career as a Creative Professional. You will debate artistic production, the motivations for it, and the problems of creative autonomy.

You will investigate relevant contemporary cultural issues and theories relating to society, race, gender, technology, and the environment to develop your contextual understanding of how these relate to your own creative practice, professional values, and sense of personal agency.

You will be encouraged to meet with your Personal Adviser in a 1:1 tutorial to help you reflect on the strengths and areas for development identified in your PPDP in the first year, tracking your academic progress and setting new actions that will support you to achieve your best work. The research methods and study habits 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.

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.

This module facilitates understanding of our listening environments and the interpretation of sound through the complexities of both physical and psychological influences. For successful music productions and live sound events, we require acoustically suitable environments alongside an understanding of how our brains interpret sound.

You will learn about the mechanics of acoustics, human hearing and the psychology of audio perception in order to manipulate audio creatively and effectively. You will study topics such as frequency, reverberation and standing waves. This module gives you the skills to design appropriate acoustic treatments utilising industry-standard software and hardware for acoustic analysis.

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 requires you to present a final body of practical work in an appropriate ‘industry ready’ format. You will provide elements appropriate to the needs of current and future industry expectations for up-and-coming songwriters, composers and artists. You will reflect on your current work rigorously measuring it against industry examples.

The work presented should evidence equal weight to aesthetics, original music and appropriate material for furtherment in your chosen career path.

Success on the module will enable you to tailor your branding to address the commercial songwriting career path to which you aspire.

This module will focus on successfully answering a creative brief in a wide range of possible industry areas. You will experience real-world case studies and complete practical exercises in areas such as moving image, production libraries, video games, theatre, interactive exhibitions, and music production. The aim is to provide you with the skills needed to explore your own creative voice within the artistic constraints of professional-client commissions.

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 the final step in your journey and will support you as you look to enter your chosen field as a creative professional. Drawing on evidence from throughout your time here. you will critically self-evaluate your personal learning journey and industry engagements to date. You will explore concepts and theories of personal and professional development to support, challenge and test your assumptions, to determine your readiness for work in the creative industries. You will have the opportunity to discuss this with your peers and learn from your collective experiences in both small degree path groups and large mixed discipline sessions.

With this position in mind, you will then be challenged to create and consolidate creative assets to give you the edge over the competition in your chosen field. Specialist workshops will be offered throughout the module, informed and delivered by our wide-reaching connections and specialist lecturers in the creative industries. This culminates in the creation of a portfolio which tells the story of your personal and professional journey so far, communicating your unique professional identity and future career plans in the creative industries.