BA (Hons) Music Production and Business with Foundation Year

Why study this subject?

The Recorded Music sector offers a range of different roles in different environments for you to explore, opportunities in the UK music industry are plentiful. A degree in Music Production and Business means that you can combine your love of music with sound business practice, opening up a world of prospects for you. Stay updated with all our latest BNU Audio and Music news by following us on Instagram @bnu_music.

What facilities can I use?

Our state-of-the-art recording studios and Dolby Atmos certified sound lab, give you access to the space and technology you need. From individual edit rooms up to large Pro Tools Ultimate studios with attached live rooms and vocal booths, we have it all to help you gain hands-on experience.

• Studio 1 boasts a Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 speaker system and an Avid S6 console. We are one of the first Universities in the UK to adopt Dolby Atmos into a music environment.
• Studio 2 boasts an Avid D-Command control surface and 24 channels of Focusrite ISA828 microphone preamps.
• Studio three and the Electronic Music Studio are based around Avid S3/S4 control surfaces and UAD Apollo x8 audio interfaces.
• The edit booths are equipped with microphone preamps from Avid.

What will I study?

The successful management of recording and production is still at the very heart of the UK music industry. During this course you’ll learn about the importance of intellectual property (the ownership of an idea) and develop a solid understanding of how to negotiate contracts. This will ensure you know how a real living can be made upon graduation.

You’ll learn about the unique nature of dealing with recording artists and how to maximise the potential of compositions with a variety of recording techniques. Additionally, we'll also spend time focusing on a number of DIY approaches to the music business.

In the studio we’ll teach you how to use Pro Tools professionally and look at how music is evolving through advanced technologies. You’ll develop an understanding of studio hardware, microphone characteristics, sound capture and mixing. We’ll also look at stereo effects, ambient techniques, composition and structure. The growing area of sound design and music for film, animation, games and other media forms is also addressed.

This course aims to harness and develop entrepreneurship, a key aspect in the music business. You’ll learn creative strategies, how to follow market trends and seek opportunities within them.

These skills will enable you to enter the industry as a self-employed freelancer or to launch your own music venture and will help you to pursue your chosen production style and maximise the potential of technology and acoustically treated environments.

How will I be taught and assessed?

This course is offered as a four-year programme, including an initial Foundation Year. The Foundation Year will allow you to develop your academic study skills and build confidence in your abilities, identifying your own strengths and development needs for progression onto an undergraduate degree.

Our teaching staff have a wealth of professional and academic experience, with many still actively working in the music industry. You’ll also engage with our dynamic programme of visiting lectures and can benefit from live project briefs, master classes, and plenty of networking opportunities. You’ll also benefit from our expert-lecturers who have a wealth of knowledge and experience within the industry.

You’ll study in a close-knit tutor group where everyone’s input is recognised and valued. Not only will you make friends for life, you’ll also make important connections that will last through your career, and you’ll form a network, just like you’d find in the working-world.

A variety of assessment vehicles will be used as appropriate to the modules you take, including assignments carried out in your own time, in-class assignments, workshops and presentations. Assessments will be appropriate to the task, achievable, motivating and vocationally focussed, forming a constructive part of your learning process.

You'll may also have the opportunity to go on an Erasmus exchange in your second year with one of our partner institutions based in the USA, Holland and Sweden, all of whom have excellent connections to the music industries in their respective countries.

Placements Plus

BNU is a Placements Plus university. So, whatever degree you do, you can be sure there’ll be plenty of industry-relevant opportunities on offer, to help you get into your chosen field.

We’ll also prepare you for work beforehand, with special skills for work training, further boosting your CV, and building skills employers will value. In recognition of the value we place on these skills we have incorporated this experience into your study time.

Placements Plus is all about helping you get some valuable experience under your belt while you’re a student, to increase your choices later, and help you get the graduate-level job you want.