B.A. Music Production

1. Semester

Basics in Theory and Practice 30 ECTS

• Recording Techniques
• Musical Analysis
• Music Theory
• Practical Project I
• Instrument Minor I
• Pop Music History I

In the first semester, you will acquire the basics of recording technology, acoustics, and applied music theory. In dealing with DAWs, you will learn the basics of music production step by step. Instrument minor subjects such as piano and choir complement the basic design field. Popular music history, ear training, and various practical projects such as the first-semester concert are also on the agenda.

2. Semester

Discover and Design 30 ECTS

• Music Theory - Harmony
• Digital Techniques
• Elective I (Choir & Body Percussion)
• Practical Project II
• Instrument Major I / Ensemble I
• Musicology

In addition to harmony theory and musical and technical ear training exercises, you will discover the world of digital audio technology. You will become familiar with the functions and workflows of sequencers. Accompanying sound studies, cross-school practical projects and an optional module open the door to musical experiments and learning experiences. Through individual lessons in the main artistic subject as well as in ensembles, you can fine-tune your own musical material and try your hand at interacting with others. The main artistic subject and the ensembles last until the sixth semester.

3. Semester

Songwriting and Recording 30 ECTS

• Songwriting
• Composition
• Studio Techniques
• Practical Project III
• Instrument major II / Ensemble II
• Media Law

In the third semester, your focus is on writing and producing your own songs. From composition to the sound design of the songs, with instrumental musicians or DAW-based, up to recording, editing, and mixing, you go through the entire production chain of your music. In addition to your own music, you can also produce a song based on briefings from the music industry. In accompanying courses such as stylistics, ear training, harmony theory, and studio practice, urgent questions from the creative process are addressed and solved together. In addition, you deal with the rights and duties you have as musical authors.

4. Semester

Arranging and Producing 30 ECTS

• Arrangement
• Production
• Elective II
• Practical Project IV
• Instrument major III / Ensemble III
• Language / Physiology

In the fourth semester, you will practice arranging and producing your own and third-party compositions. For this purpose, you will acquire knowledge in dealing with different instrument groups and typesetting techniques and routinize your work with production and notation programs. Mixing and mastering are two essential process steps. In addition, the critical examination of well-known music titles from a technical recording point of view trains your ear and, in retrospect, sensitizes you to the challenges of the music production chain by looking back at the previous production steps of composition, interpretation, recording, and mixing. A further optional module offers space for personal development.

5. Semester

Practical Phase 30 ECTS

The fifth semester is all about practice. During an internship at home or abroad, a study abroad at a partner university or a practical semester, you will systematically expand your professional repertoire and establish direct contact with the business world, with your colleagues, and with different music scenes.

6. Semester

Media and Stage Music 30 ECTS

• Sound Design
• Orchestration
• Elective III
• Practical Project V
• Instrument Major IV / Ensemble IV
• Project Organisation

In the sixth semester, you enter the broad field of scenic and functional music. In the modules on sound design and orchestration, you will learn how to design compositional design tools in a targeted manner, how to use them, and how to produce music for different contexts and media applications. You will become familiar with sound synthesis questions, sample libraries, and other plug-ins. In addition, you will deal with the basic tools and processes of project organization in order to be able to plan and carry out artistic live productions independently. Your own final concert in your main artistic field is a good opportunity to do so.

7. Semester

Individualization and Thesis 30 ECTS

• Film Music / Game Audio
• Elective IV
• Portfolio Development
• Production Management
• Bachelor's Thesis

Shortly before graduation, the students prove their know-how in planning, calculation, and realization of studio production. In addition, they immerse themselves in the interplay of music and image in the field of film and game music and conclude the field of media and stage music with an independent composition. In the area of portfolio development, the students develop their own showreel, individually supervised by individual lessons. At the end of their studies, they write their B.A. thesis, which can also include artistic and creative elements.

A degree in music production pays off

After your degree in Music Production, you will be able to move routinely and flexibly in the fast-moving music market. As a composer you will write music for events and publications, as a performing musician you will take over the direction of your musical contribution as well as the concerts and sessions. As a sound engineer, you will be responsible for recordings and mixes of productions under your own direction, as a producer you will become familiar with all necessary management tasks.

The BA in Music Production offers excellent career opportunities such as employment in:

• Production companies, ensembles, concert promoters, training companies
• Phono industry, labels, publishers, distributors, TV and radio stations, PR and marketing companies

Cooperation with:

• Songwriters/composers, lyricists, speakers, bands/music groups, orchestras
• Producers, sound studios, clients from the industry and private sector

Freelance activities as:

• Author / composer, arranger / orchestrator, interpreter / musician
• Sound technician/sound engineer for concerts, events, theatre, radio, television, sound recordings