BMus(Hons) Professional Music Performance

ACM's music degree courses run in association with our education partners, the University of Surrey and Middlesex University. All music degree courses are run as 2 year accelerated Degrees.

The Programme

• Runs as a two-year accelerated and intensive degree with three levels spread over 24 months.
• Recognises the need for students to develop industry contacts, studio and touring experience, as well as to acquire business and practical skills.
• Provides students with opportunities to pilot commercial projects, with guidance from working professionals.
• Preserves and enhances ACM's dedication to the development of professional technical skills. Students are expected to devote significant time to technical aspects of musicianship, studio and production work and industry related projects in addition to their academic obligations on the programme

Key Features

• Students are actively encouraged to initiate various professional engagements as an integral part of their final project. These may include recording, national tours, concert promotion and industry showcases.
• High level of focus on business and Internet developments within music.

Degree Modules

• Applied Technical Studies The focus of this module is to empower students with the essential technical and stylistic skills necessary to compete in the professional world. Musicians will be guided in their practice habits to contextualise technical skills within a variety of genres.
• Professional Sight Reading And Ear Training This performance module places emphasis on the reading and interpretation of notated material with an industry relevant focus. This ethos will extend to additional essential skills such as ear training, transcribing and basic composition.
• Live Performance Practice 1 This module focuses on all aspects of live performance, including the development of stagecraft skills and creative approaches to contemporary repertoire. Students will perform live and on a regular basis, with critique and mentoring from ACM staff.
• Music Industry Marketing And Promotion. This module provides students with an insight into how the music industry exploits creative talent and looks closely at the revenue sources, supply chains, new business models, trading structures and contractual relationships which performing artists, producers and writers could be associated with during their careers. Students will also focus on the general principles of marketing and brand development, including the practical aspects of mounting a musicindustry related marketing campaign.
• Songwriting And Arrangement: Students will learn how the application of writing and arranging techniques can positively affect their own creative work. Areas to be examined and discussed include analyzing successful songwriters and re-arranging existing contemporary music repertoire.
• Project Planning: During the course of this module, students will develop an understanding of effective research techniques and methods.There will be an emphasis on how to plan practical projects, including time management and teamwork. These areas will be developed with the aid of presentations and seminar discussion. The presentations will provide students with the opportunity to receive feedback as they develop their own research project, which will produce an outline for the Specialised Project.
• Creative Musicianship: The aims of this module are to refine the students' grasp of a variety of musical styles and improvisational approaches. It provides an opportunity for real world application of stylistic knowledge as an ensemble player and a soloist.
• Live Performance Practice 2 / Independent Study: An extension of LPP1 and its objectives, LPP2 will reinforce and extend the concepts crucial to professional live performance. Students may alternatively opt to complete an alternative Independent study module. This will allow credits to be gained for involvement in external projects or work placements.

• Specialised Project The Specialised Project is an opportunity to bring together everything learnt from the ACM Degree in both a practical and a theoretical format. During this module, students will use skills, experiences and research gained throughout the whole course of their studies. To produce practical projects such as organising tours, recording, writing, or authoring. This specialised project will be supported by a dissertation or business plan.
• Professional Performance This module provides students with an opportunity to put on their own concert and apply all their acquired skills to date. This will include band leading, promotion, organization, stagecraft, writing/arranging and being the musical director for their chosen band. Further areas for consideration are repertoire, performance notes and stage plans together with full scores and parts for all the musicians involved.

QUALIFICATION
ACM full time courses run in association with our Educational partners, University of Surrey, Middlesex University and Guildford College of Further and Higher Education.

ACCOMMODATION
ACM’s Student Support Team will be happy to advise on living cost’s and accommodation in the Guildford Area.

ACM AND INDUSTRY
ACM has forged strong links with industry and many of the teaching studios are supported by our industry partners Yamaha, Fender, Marshall, Roland, etc. ACM also has close contacts with media organisations, agencies, record companies, production and management companies.