Music Performance [with Foundation Year]

Our BA (Hons) Music Performance will challenge your creativity. You’ll learn to analyse and deconstruct existing modes of performance, songwriting and composition before finding your own way to create new performances or rework the music of others.

As the course develops, you’ll examine increasingly complex performance scenarios, using them to inform aspects of your own live work. Weekly performance workshops in Year 2 will help you hone your stagecraft in particular styles of performance, while analysis seminars will allow you to explore vocal and instrument techniques by genre.

As a Music Performance student at ARU, you'll create a diverse portfolio of work and learn up-to-date techniques that will prepare you for the modern collaborative creative industries, whether you want to perform and release your own music, create soundtracks for films and games, or play in a band or orchestra.

Many of your modules will be shared with our other music courses, giving you the chance to collaborate with different students and develop all-important skills for your professional life, such as teamworking and time management. You’ll also have opportunities to work with students on our film and computer game degrees, creating soundtracks for their projects.

In Year 2, you’ll broaden your understanding of the modern music industry by seeking and completing a work placement in an area of your own interest. This will also help you learn to self-evaluate your transferable and employability skills and develop them further.

Our optional modules allow you to shape the course for your chosen career. For example, Music in Therapy will introduce you to the theory and practice of music therapy, as practised by registered professionals in the UK, giving you the perfect preparation to continue onto our MA Music Therapy. Composition and Orchestration will allow you to produce a portfolio comprising original compositions of your own, and arrangements of existing works, for orchestra. Audio for Film or Audio for Games will develop your competence in creating soundtracks and sound effect creation, alongside specialist skills like automated dialogue replacement or production of non-linear interactive experiences.

You can even opt for a placement year between years 2 and 3 to get ahead in the creative industries.

Professional facilities

All our music students have access to: