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The Academy of Contemporary Music BA (Hons) in Commercial Songwriting – ACM London / Birmingham
The Academy of Contemporary Music

BA (Hons) in Commercial Songwriting – ACM London / Birmingham

2 up to 3 Years

English

Full time

Request application deadline

Aug 2024

GBP 9,000 / per year *

On-Campus

* per year. Student loans are available.

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Introduction

The 3 YearCommercial Songwriting Degree with Real-World Practical Industry Connections.

The Commercial Songwriting programme provides its students with the knowledge, skills and experience necessary to discover and channel their inner-songwriter, covering a combination of lyric creation, score production, music industry studies, song arrangement, writing for original artists, co-writing, writing to brief for Film, TV and Sync, recorded music production, audio design for video games, music publishing and rights management.

ACM London / Birmingham Degrees are validated and awarded by Falmouth University, the UK’s ‘highest ranked arts university’ (Guardian University Guide 2017).

Course Overview

BA(Hons) Commercial Songwriting is a full-time course; typically, students should expect to spend 35 – 40 hours per week on a combination of taught and self-directed study. Each module is delivered over a 15-week Study Block, typically comprising of 12 weeks of learning and teaching and 3 weeks of assessment and feedback.

Students will engage in a variety of learning activities, including lectures, seminars, private and group tutorials and specialist workshops.

Assessment tasks include portfolios, written coursework (eg: essays, case studies, reports and dissertations), projects and live performances.

Commercial Songwriting Modules

In the first year of the programme, students will study the following compulsory modules. All compulsory modules must be passed in order to complete the award.

  • Live Performance for Songwriters
  • Songcraft
  • Lyrical Development and Song Topics
  • Producing Scores and Charts
  • Composition and Technology
  • Music Industry Studies

In the second year of the programme, students will be required to complete the following compulsory modules, together with two elective modules. All compulsory modules and the chosen electives must be passed in order to complete the award.

  • Song Arrangement
  • Co-writing Processes and Project
  • Writing to a Brief: Commission, Film, TV and Sync
  • Performance and Technology

Elective Modules:

  • Education and Training
  • Music Journalism
  • Advanced Music Theory and Analysis
  • Audio Design for Video Games
  • Recorded Music Production
  • Composition for Audio-Visual Media
  • Tour Management
  • Freelance and Musical Direction Skills
  • Experimental Sound and Music
  • IP Rights and Publishing

In the final year of the programme, students will study the following compulsory modules. All compulsory modules must be passed in order to complete the award.

  • Exit Project
  • Songwriting Diary and Critical Reflection
  • Portfolio
  • Dissertation

Entry Requirements

All candidates will be required to attend an audition/interview.

LONDON | 3 YEAR DEGREE
BIRMINGHAM | 2 YEAR ACCELERATED DEGREE

Minimum age18

All candidates should hold two A-Levels or an equivalent full Level 3 qualification.

We normally require Grade C GCSE (or an equivalent qualification) in English. Candidates should be capable of using the English language fluently, and able to structure arguments and present evidence to a standard appropriate to study at Level ‘4’. Where the application materials appear insufficient to form a clear judgement on the candidate’s fluency, additional documentary evidence (e.g. recent essays) may be required.

Applicants for whom English is a second language are required to have achieved IELTS level 6.0 or equivalent qualification.

Please note that if you live outside of the EU or EFTA and require a Tier 4 VISA to study in the United Kingdom, we thank you for your interest in ACM but we are unable to accept your application at present for our full-time Further Education and Higher Education programmes.

We welcome applications from those who might have completed alternative qualifications and/or have prior experience. In the instance of no Level 3 qualifications being held or the conditions not being met, we will ask for additional material to be submitted in support of your application. Details for this will be provided to you upon successful audition.

About the School

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