Curriculum Information

Document Version

QAA Benchmarks

Educational Aim

Learning Outcomes

Course Structure

Level 4 Modules

Level 5 Modules

Level 6 Modules

Teaching and Assessment

Learning and Teaching Methods

Employer Engagement

Visiting Speakers

The course will be supported by a diverse range of professionals from industry, working alongside full-time members of staff. This format will be invaluable at all levels of study, benefitting from specialist discipline input. In addition to this, the faculty will regularly invite speakers from a wide scope of disciplines in the creative industries covering Music Production, Industry and Entrepreneurship as well as speakers from Television, Film and Media. Students will be encouraged to attend cross faculty events where speakers from other specialist areas share their expertise. This will encourage the building of networks within their specialist discipline, the creative industries, in general and beyond

Volunteering

The School of Music and Sound is active in sourcing and encouraging students to gain work experience through voluntary roles that will enhance their learning and employability potential. Currently, we have students on the course volunteering at the Motorpoint arena, SWN Festival and Brecon Jazz gaining first-hand experience of the logistics of marketing, stage and event management. Level 6 module “Industry Ready” will work with students on individual levels to seek similar and appropriate opportunities.

Fieldwork

Site visits will be an integral part of project work where students survey, risk assess and document a building or space, usually along with the client or project representative in line with legislation. For example, students will conduct a site visit to the Tramshed, or similar venue, ahead of the Immersed Festival to review logistics and meet management. This activity will provide a valuable opportunity for discussing and questioning other individuals outside of the university network and build valuable skills in Health and Safety.

Fieldtrips

Visiting specific places of interest for projects, industry events, as well as international trips will present good opportunities for the students to show initiative to engage in intellectual discussion with individuals who are there to discuss subjects relative to these spaces. Previous examples from the current, outgoing course include London trips to BBC Introducing and Warner Music along with Llandaff BBC studios, Clwb Ifor Bach and Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff. The team are currently planning trips to Focus Wales in Wrexham and Greenman Festival for 2022. These opportunities will be maintained and developed further in this course.

Work Placements

There will be ample opportunity presented in the course to prompt work shadowing and experience, as well as formal placements. This will be facilitated through industry guided project work, portfolio reviews and mentor support in year three (“Industry Ready\\\" Module). We will also encourage the students to seek out opportunities either through their own contacts or at the networking events, which will be organised for them. Where appropriate, we will also advise students when positions are available and collaborate with USW careers.

Work-based Learning

Students will engage with live-brief project which will allow students to work within a simulated, real world setting.

Employer Forums

Due to the format of the course, we can maintain a continuous and proactive dialogue with industry partners, professional mentors and placement employers. We also engage in wider industry specific events that are at the forefront of the discipline.

Means of Assessment

The course content is designed in order to cover every aspect that a professional musician may need to survive in the current music industry in terms of skills and knowledge. These elements include performance, songwriting and composition, music production and digital fluency, knowledge of music industry practice and aspects of promotion and events management. These main areas are covered in solo and collaborative contexts, including cross-disciplinary working. With the vast majority of professional musicians now having to adopt a portfolio career, covering all these areas gives the student the best chance of being able to maintain a career within the music industry. The development and progression of a performing musician relies on continual and regular practice and, with performance being an integral part of the course, it has been decided that full-time study is the most appropriate and effective mode of delivery. Likewise, the understanding of the theoretical and conceptual elements that underpin music creation require continual application, within a practical context, in order to maintain fluency of said elements. The assessment methods are varied and reflect the myriad of skills a professional musician needs in the current music industry, including assessed performance, presentations and oral assessments, written assignments (coursework) and project outputs (including student choice outputs). The delivery schedule is designed to spread the submissions as evenly as possible across the year and to avoid any ‘bunching’ of assessment deadlines and to avoid peaks and troughs in terms of student workload. 

Note:
Core modules are those that students must study and cannot be compensated by Progression and Award Assessment Boards

Specified modules are those that students must study but can be compensated by Progression and Award Assessment Boards

Optional modules are those that students have a degree of choice over, usually within a limited range, and can be compensated by a Progression and Award Assessment Boards

Learning Support

Induction

Induction sessions will be provided for all three years, in turn, and will cover all areas needed for the students to successfully navigate their forthcoming year of study, including meeting the course leader and teaching team, timetabling, group allocation and code of conduct. In addition to this, the students will receive instruction sessions covering the following areas:

·        Navigating your VLE (Blackboard/Unilife)

·        Health and Safety in specialist spaces (studios and rehearsal rooms)

·        How to Book a Room (studios and rehearsal rooms)

·        IT Services

·        Student Support Services – where to find them

·        Media Loans (Connect2)

In order to create a sense of community, from the outset, the first-year students will be allocated into bands and will rehearse across the week, under the supervision of the course leader, in preparation to perform one or two songs towards the end of the week. The performances will be held in a local venue with established 2nd and/or 3rd bands performing as “headliners”. This gig will be a social event for all three years and will include an ice-breaker session, such as a pub quiz.

Personal Academic Coach[1]

All students across the three years will be allocated a Personal Academic Coach within the first few weeks of the Autumn term. The personal academic coach will meet each of their allocated students in a one-to-one tutorial, once a term, in order to track and support their academic progress.
Learner Analytics

Learner Analytics information will be gleaned from Jisc, including attendance monitoring.

https://datax.jisc.ac.uk/

Office hours

All module leaders will indicate their office hours and those of their module teaching team on the VLE (Blackboard/Unilife). In addition to this, where possible, teaching staff will place their office hours on their office doors.

Tutorials

Where applicable, tutorials will be provided as part of the allocated contact hours within relevant modules. Beyond this, students will be able to request and book a one-to-one tutorial with their course leader and/or module leader/tutor on an ad-hoc basis.

Seminars

Seminars will be provided within certain modules, as defined by the module’s allocated contact hours.

Formative Assessment

Formative assessments will be rolled-out across the year on an ad-hoc basis. Examples of which include mini-targets set for the weekly performance workshops in Live Performance and Professional Performance and in-seminar activities (music theory and songwriting tasks) in Inside the Music.

Progress meetings

With the students having to work in small groups across Level 4 and 5, progress meetings will be embedded into the supervised time in the studios and workshops. At Level 6, progress meeting will be core to the Immersed in the City module and further progress meetings will be embedded into The Professional Musician: Delivery module, through weekly tutorials with the project supervisor.

Research Supervision

Research supervision will be provided by the teaching team of the Level 6 module, The Professional Musician: Research. On completion of this module, students progress onto their major project or dissertation and supervisors will be allocated to each student based on the nature of the project/dissertation and the research interest/expertise of the supervisor, drawing on a wider range of academic staff.

Online Resources

Online resources will be provided through Unilearn/Blackboard for each module by the module leader and associated teaching team. Further technical instruction and software tutorials will be available on Unilearn/Blackboard, alongside a Health and Safety briefing available on YouTube.

Advice Zone

Students will be made aware of the services provided by the Advice Zone during induction sessions as well as being reminded of the service by academic staff, if they are presented with a student query that goes beyond their remit.

Disability

Students with disability will be referred to the Disability Team.

https://disability.southwales.ac.uk/

[email protected]

IT/Library

IT Services will be covered in the induction sessions with the students directed to the following website.

https://its.southwales.ac.uk/it-support/

Library staff will be invited to present in key modules across the three years, namely Music in Culture, Context and Criticism (Level 4), (Music Industry Practice (Level 5) and The Professional Musician: Research (Level 6). In addition to this, students will be directed to the following website during induction and throughout the course, as necessary. 

https://library.southwales.ac.uk/

Course Exit Points

Progression Route

MA Songwriting and Production, MSc Music Engineering and Production, MA Music Therapy, Post-graduate research (MPhil, PhD)

Typical employment opportunities include:

• Facilitators (e.g. community/ arts outreach activities)

• Educators (e.g. formal teaching)

• Practitioners (performers, producers, writers)

• Administrators/Managers (e.g. organisations, festivals, music events)

• Music journalism and publishing

• A & R

• Radio

• Working in other media production teams (e.g. advertising, event management, games)

• Freelance Production

• Music Promotion

Entry Requirements

Admission to the course is typically through the following qualifications:

The entry criteria below show the qualification range within which the University will make offers. Most offers we make are at the top of the range, but we take all aspects of an application into consideration and applicants receive a personalised offer. Combinations of qualifications are acceptable and other qualifications not listed here may also be acceptable.

Applicants in the UK

Selection for this course is based on a suitable application and attendance at an interview with successful outcome. You may also be required to provide a portfolio of your work prior to attending interview where your course requires this, and full details of what is required will be provided once your application has been processed.

Applicants outside the UK

Selection for this course is based on a suitable application and submission of a portfolio of your work which the Course Leader confirms is suitable for an offer to be made.

Typical A-Level Offer

BCC - CDD to include a relevant art and design subject (this is equivalent to 104-80 UCAS tariff points).

Typical Welsh BACC Offer

Pass the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Diploma with Grade C/D in the Skills Challenge Certificate and BC - CD at A Level with a relevant art and design subject (this is equivalent to 104-80 UCAS tariff points).

Typical BTEC Offer

BTEC Extended Diploma Distinction Merit Merit - Merit Merit Pass in a relevant subject (this is equivalent to 112-80 UCAS tariff points).

Typical IB Offer

Pass the International Baccalaureate Diploma with a minimum score of 29 overall including 5 or above in English at standard level.

Typical Access to HE Offer

Pass the Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 80 UCAS tariff points.

Additional Requirements

GCSEs: The University normally requires a minimum 5 GCSEs including Mathematics/Numeracy and English at Grade C or Grade 4 or above, or their equivalent, but consideration is given to individual circumstances.

Inclusive Curriculum Statement

The University of South Wales operates a policy of inclusive learning, teaching and assessment to ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to fulfil their educational potential. Course teams will have considered ways of designing out any potentially disadvantageous element of courses during the course design process. However some specific needs may remain, details about how to apply to have your needs assessed can be found at: http://unilife.southwales.ac.uk/pages/3040-disability-and-dyslexia-service/

Addendum for Delivery at a Partner Institution

N/A