Develop your technical, creative and performance skills
Develop your talent as a musician and performer through the practical and theoretical study of popular music.
On this very practically based programme, you will also have the opportunity to develop extremely useful skills such as recording techniques, live PA mixing, songwriting and arranging – all essential for working in the music industry.
Our course provides a unique opportunity for you to excel in performance while developing a critical mind and becoming an intelligent, multi-skilled musician.
Popular musicians learn in different ways so the course uses accelerated learning techniques to ensure that all students progress in areas of musicianship, making clear links between; performance, context, theory and professional practice. The Department is committed to this holistic method of study, helping you to understand the value in what you are learning as you become confident, creative musicians. As a Department, we also have excellent links with industry professionals and visiting professors.
In the 2020 NSS, Popular Music Performance received 100% for teaching on the course and academic support, and 100% of students agreed that staff had made the course interesting.
We pride ourselves on the quality of support we offer, and have a range of support packages to help support students during their time at University.
Engage in the specialist vocational preparation of professional performance by nurturing and developing the practical skills required for this profession.
This course has an emphasis on practical training, and this embodied knowledge is supported by engagement with theoretical studies. It will prepare you for the dynamic and diverse nature of the industry, giving you opportunities to develop your leadership skills, including directing, choreographing, sound and lighting design, and producing a show.
Why study this course with us?
The Hammond is one of the leading providers of performing arts in the North West and has outstanding facilities and resources, including dance and drama studios, a music suite with recording studio, practice rooms and a 420-seat theatre.
The Hammond is highly respected throughout the world, bringing together extremely talented students in singing, acting and dance.
Our curriculum reflects the nature of work within the theatre, which requires technical competence, artistry and creativity, and will encourage you to develop into an independent, reflective practitioner.
We pride ourselves on the quality of support we offer, and have a range of support packages to help support students during their time at University.
Develop your talent by learning how to record, produce and perform popular music.
Studying on our Music Production and Performance course will provide you with the opportunity to develop the skills needed to become a versatile, intelligent, employable performer and producer. You will also be able to write your own music in the songwriting and composition options.
Why study this course with us?
Being delivered from within the Department of Music, Media and Performance allows students to work with and alongside other performance students, as part of a closeknit,
thriving, creative community. Chester has a strong local music scene with close ties to the Department, and Chester is just a short train ride away from several big cities, including Liverpool and Manchester.
Alongside recording, production, performance and the study of the history of popular music, students have the opportunity to focus on live music technology, music theory and songwriting and composition.
Graduates have gone on to work as songwriters, music promotions managers, recording studio owners, producers, recording engineers and mastering engineers, sound engineers, music teachers and events organisers.
We pride ourselves on the quality of support we offer, and have a range of support packages to help support students during their time at University.
Master the art of Music Production through the exploration of music technology (recording and live), composition, history and theory.
Our Music Production course aims to give you a wide range of practical and transferable skills. You will learn how to become a versatile, intelligent and employable producer, as well having the opportunity to engage with other music-industry-related areas such as songwriting and composition.
Why study this course with us?
Being delivered from within the Department of Music, Media and Performance allows students to work with and alongside music students, as part of a close-knit, thriving, co-operative and creative music community. Chester has a strong local music scene with close ties to the Department, and Chester is close to several big cities, including Liverpool, home to one of the biggest and best UK recording studios outside London and the birthplace of the world’s greatest pop group.
Alongside recording, production and the study of popular music, students have the opportunity to focus on live music technology, music theory and songwriting and composition.
Benefit from professional standard music rehearsal and recording facilities, skilled technical staff, as well as an extensive equipment loan provision.
We pride ourselves on the quality of support we offer, and have a range of support packages to help support students during their time at University.
Become a honed specialist in theatre directing
Our BA (Hons) Drama, Theatre and Directing course offers you numerous opportunities to both perform in and direct your own performance work, as well as working with pre-existing texts.
This will develop your creative and theoretical skills ready for real-world application after you graduate, as you learn to cultivate your own ideas in response to seeing other contemporary performance practices and the world around you.
You will explore the cultural and critical significance of dramatic practice, process, and product throughout history, as you consider a wide range of historical and social theatre practices and contexts.
When you graduate you will have a confident understanding of the complimentary disciplines of drama, theatre and directing, alongside a range of practical experiences suited to diverse careers in a range of professional contexts.
We have a strong link to the world-renowned Chichester Festival Theatre, where you will discover and experience established theatre practice and perform throughout your studies.
Study a unique programme where you can creatively engage with both traditional and alternative forms of theatre.
We encourage you to engage with a wide range of approaches to making theatre and performance. This includes looking at traditional forms of theatre, while also engaging with alternative forms of making performance such as devising. There’s actor training to do with straight acting, comedy and physical theatre.
Studying Drama at Chester involves working with a dynamic, international team of tutors, with a wealth of industry experience. The staff team currently includes experienced theatre directors, applied theatre practitioners, and experts in actor training and physical theatre. Alongside this, you can work with specialists in areas such as live art and interactive digital performance.
There is a large emphasis on practical work here at the University of Chester. We have a wide range of modular choices, and students have a number of options as they develop a range of skills over the course of their degree. So whether you want to be a performer, a director, a facilitator or a project manager, in your final year there’s an opportunity for you to specialise in your chosen profession within the creative industries.
Here at Chester, we have a thriving performance ennvironment, with regular productions and performances by both our undergraduate and postgraduate students. There are regular workshops and guest performances from visitng artists, and opportunities to get work experience through our extensive industry links and, of course, our three resident, professional theatre companies.
There are a number of extracurricular activities to get involved with such as regular trips to theatres, galleries and other creative spaces. We also invite practitioners and facilitators from outside companies to come and host workshops.
We pride ourselves on the quality of support we offer, and have a range of support packages to help support students during their time at University.
As a student studying Performing Arts you'll benefit from excellent links with the professional industry, both nationally and internationally
Perfect your acting skills in a creative and caring community
Our practical and performance-based BA (Hons) Acting course helps turn natural talent into a career and make dreams of performing on stage or screen a reality.
Explore a range of key performance topics, including:
