What's involved?

This course has a hugely successful history of gaining student employment.

It gives you access to industry standard equipment and software in studio, sound reinforcement and gaming audio, including Ableton and Native Instruments.

We’re also one of only a few colleges to offer the internationally recognised gaming audio certification via Avid PT 130.

Some students will have the opportunity to undertake Certified Pro Tools courses. (Please ask us for more information on this.)

Here’s more on what you’ll be doing:

- You’ll gain in depth knowledge in sound production theory and practice, including advanced microphone and synchronisation techniques, and how to undertake complex recording tasks.
- You’ll expand on your knowledge of digital audio theory, including analogue to digital conversion and vice versa.
- You’ll learn how to use a digital audio workstation for recording and manipulating audio and MIDI signals.
- You’ll develop skills in advanced studio techniques, including multi-track recording, mixing and mastering.
- You’ll extend your knowledge of sound reinforcement technologies, including techniques for system equalisation.
- You’ll look at management and legal issues in the audio and sound production industries, including contracts and intellectual property.
You’ll also have the opportunity to:

- Gain professional studio experience and live sound work experience. Previous student placements have included Celtic Connections, Gorbals Sound Studio Glasgow, King’s Theatre Glasgow, well-known music venues such as the O2 ABC in Sauchiehall Street, and local pubs and clubs.
- Work within our own record label, Sun Turtle Records, and help artists record and release original music.
- Practise your skills through free access to the studio during the day when it’s not in use.

This three-year honours degree is perfect for students who are interested in a career backstage and enjoy a practice-based learning environment. Please note, this course is not part of the CAO points system.

The course prepares students for many career paths including: Stage Management, Lighting Technology, Costume, Sound Technology, Prop Making, Set Construction, Scenic Art, Film & Production Management.

Previous graduates engage with work that is as diverse as the Entertainment industry itself and have secured employment in Theatre, Film, TV, Venues, Hire Companies, Production Companies, Audio Visual Companies, Corporate Entertainment, TV Stations nationally and internationally.

The course is led by a dedicated and experienced team all of whom have had successful careers in the theatre and performance industry.

The Lir Academy provides training that reflects the best practices in professional theatre. The practical training during the degree will be complemented with a range of classes including Theatre History, Principles of Stage Management, Principles of Theatre Technology and a three year Professional Development programme that covers everything from the workings of the industry to health and safety and managing a full time or freelance career.

Classes and active learning through working on productions are supported by an extensive placement programme. The course is full time and requires long working hours. As a result, students will be ready to engage with the intensive nature of the industry from the moment they graduate.

This course will prepare you extremely well for accessing a BEd in Music (Teacher) course or for starting your career in the music industry, either in professional recording or as a session/touring musician. It will push you creatively and prepare you professionally to get you fully ready for the next stage in your musical journey.

You’ll spend one day a week rehearsing at the Berkeley 2 Studios in Glasgow (http://www.berkeley2.co.uk/) and will perform regularly including

- Live gigs in the college theatre, and local pubs and clubs around Ayrshire
- Outdoor gigs, such as Jam at the Dam in Ayr
Here’s some of what you’ll be doing:

- You’ll continue to improve your live performance skills, developing a high level of proficiency and professionalism
- You’ll extend your skills in songwriting, moving onto more advanced elements
- You’ll develop your composition skills, broadening your technique and learning about composing for the visual arts such as film, games or theatre
- You’ll extend your knowledge of recording techniques, looking at multi-track recording
- You’ll extend your skills in music theory
- You’ll experience what it’s like to be a session musician, including creating musical parts while working under pressure
- You’ll look at the impact of digital technology on the music industry and how it affects production, distribution, marketing and consumption
You’ll have the opportunity to:

- Take part in regular masterclasses with professional musicians
- Pitch to record and release your own material via our record label Sun Turtle Records
- Take part in community based projects such as Tam Fest and OCMBA (Organised Community Based Musical Activity) such as working with school pupils or older people
- Volunteer at local schools, such as running guitar workshops
- Go busking!

If you're thinking about a career in the music industry, this course can help you on your way.

If you’re already a competent musician or singer, this course will help you take your skills to a whole new level via the studio and live performance environments.

You’ll spend one day a week rehearsing at the Berkeley 2 Studios in Glasgow (http://www.berkeley2.co.uk/) and will perform regularly including:

- Live gigs in the college theatre, and local pubs and clubs around Ayrshire
- Outdoor gigs, such as Jam at the Dam in Ayr
You’ll discover what it takes to be a performer – as well as musical talent, you’ll need business know-how, entrepreneurship, loads of hard work and plenty of confidence.

Here’s some more on what you’ll be doing:

- You’ll focus on live performances, finding out about all the practical aspects involved with ‘gigging’ and developing skills to successfully perform live.
- You’ll look at stagecraft, including how to interact with your audience and fellow performers, technical skills relating to your performance and how to create a stage persona.
- You’ll develop skills in songwriting, researching the structural elements of songs and different genres, before writing your own original song.
- You’ll develop skills in composing, looking at a range of techniques and styles, and creating your own musical composition.
- You’ll learn about recording techniques, including the multi-track recording process.
- You’ll develop skills in music theory.
- You’ll look at the practical issues or ‘non-performance’ aspects of being a professional musician, including self employment and legal obligations.

You’ll also have the opportunity to:

- Take part in regular masterclasses with professional musicians
- Record and release your own material via our record label Sun Turtle Records
- Take part in community projects

If you want to learn the secrets of good audio production and how to work as a freelance engineer/remixer/post production engineer, this course will provide you with the skills and knowledge you need.

This course offers you the chance to develop your skills with state-of-the art live sound and studio equipment used in the industry today.

As one of the few Certified Training Locations for Avid in the UK, you'll have access to the latest versions of software and plugins for music and audio production. Students will also have the opportunity to undertake Certified Pro Tools courses. (Please ask us for more information on this.)

Here's more on what you'll be doing:

- You'll look at sound production theory and the common equipment/techniques in audio recording and reproduction, such as microphones, stereo audio imaging and audio signal processing.
- You'll develop skills in audio engineering for multi-track recordings.
- You'll discover the art and science of mixing multi-track recordings.
- You'll explore acoustics, and learn about the nature of sound, how we as humans hear sound and how sound behaves in enclosed spaces.
- You'll develop skills in sound reinforcement equipment for different types of live events, such as music, vocal, audio-visual.
- You'll learn about digital audio workstations, and how to record and manipulate audio and MIDI signals for sound production.
Finally, you'll look at the creative industries as a whole, including the main commercial organisations, and sources of support, advice and funding.
You'll also have the opportunity to:

- Work within our own record label, Sun Turtle Records, and help artists record and release original music.
- Work within our PR and Events company High Tide PR, and help manage two artists signed every year.
- Practise your skills through free access to the studio during the day when it's not in use.

If you’re interested in the creative industries and in particular sound production, this course can help you on your way.

This course develops your technical abilities within an audio environment, with a firm focus on teamwork. You’ll also spend a considerable amount of time working with live sound.

You’ll learn using world class equipment and the latest industry software, such as Pro Tools and Ableton. Your assessments will be based on real-life products in post and music production, in a variety of genres.

Here’s just some of what you’ll be doing:

- You’ll learn about sound engineering systems and basic public address systems (PAs).
- You’ll develop skills in studio production techniques, including mic placement and monitoring, as well as studio etiquette and communication.
- You’ll learn about music programming and virtual instruments, using MIDI software.
- You’ll develop skills in music production, including pre and post production.
- You’ll develop skills in audio editing, learning to edit and manipulate sound in a digital format and how to store it, such as via podcasting.
- You’ll learn about live sound reinforcement systems - otherwise known as PA systems - and practise operating a system for a small-scale event.
- You’ll develop music business know-how, looking at the key organisations and careers within the UK music industry.
Almost all students as part of their bursary funding, receive a production bundle of equipment including microphones, digital recorders and high end headphones when they join and succeed in this course.

You’ll also build transferable Essential Skills in meaningful contexts to help you become more effective in life, learning, and work. This could be communication, numeracy, ICT, working with others, and problem solving.

If you’re interested in the creative industries and in particular sound production, this course is a great place to start.

This is an exciting and hugely popular course aimed at creative types who like a bit of tech. Incorporating an NPA qualification, it will give you basic skills in sound production and a great foundation for further study.

You’ll learn using world class equipment and the latest industry software, including Pro Tools, Ableton and MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) sequencing. Your assessments will be based on real-life products in post and music production, in a variety of genres.

The main focus of the course is on sound design, and sound engineering and production.

- You’ll look at sound design in visual media and will develop skills in collecting and using sound elements for a visual media sequence, such as one used for a computer game, animation or multi-media presentation.
- You’ll develop practical and creative sound engineering and production skills in using multi-track recording equipment to record and mix different sources of audio.
- You’ll also look at the different sectors within the creative industries and the range of jobs available. We’ll help you develop your own skills for employment too.
- You’ll build transferable Essential Skills in meaningful contexts to help you become more effective in life, learning, and work. This could be communication, numeracy, ICT, working with others, and problem solving.

Almost all students as part of their bursary funding, will receive a production bundle of equipment including microphones, digital recorders and high end headphones when they join and succeed in this course.

This National Progression Award (NPA) is designed to equip you with the knowledge, understanding and skills you will need to succeed within the creative industries sector or to progress to further study. It is designed to bridge the gap between entry level education and professional career development. The NPA will allow you to develop a skill set, linked to National Occupational Standards for Sound, which has a thorough grounding in audio recording practice and allows individual and personalised skills development through the optional Units.

SQA Course Units:
• Sound Engineering and Production
• Sound: Understanding the Signal Path
• Sound Reinforcement
• Music Remixing

Film is a dominant art form, both reflecting and influencing society and culture. This A level will give you a broader knowledge of film, exploring it over a range of time periods and movements including silent cinema, Hollywood, British film, American film, global films, documentary films and experimental films.

Learning to read films as more than a form of entertainment will develop your skills in analysis and interpretation. You will also have the opportunity to work on a practical film project of your own.

Visits to the cinema, and other course related places such as the National Media Museum, are planned to ensure that students gain a wider perspective of the film industry.

Why choose this course?

This is a unique programme that allows you to explore ways of working with light. You will have the opportunity to learn and work with world-leading designers, learning from their working methods and practices, before moving on to develop and test your own practice as a performance maker working with light. On completion of the course you may wish to work as an independent lighting designer for performance, or return to your own specialist practice with an enhanced understanding of how light can be used in performance.

The course is international in nature and ambition, and is strongly supported by a range of key industry partners.

The programme is aimed at lighting specialists who want to develop and expand their practice in designing with light, as well as non-specialists who want to expand their knowledge of working with light, such as directors, designers, choreographers, dancers, musicians and artists.

The programme includes 8 weeks of practical workshops in fully-equipped performance spaces, led by four world-leading lighting designers. For 2020-21, these will be: Andi Watson, Michael Hulls, Paule Constable, and Willie Williams (subject to confirmation). You will work with each of the designers one at a time, learning from their working methods and processes.

The programme also offers a range of practice-based opportunities to explore collaborative and inter-disciplinary creative processes, work placements at a range of partner organisations both in the UK and abroad, and an opportunity to further develop your personal practice through an individual or collaborative realised lighting design project.

Location: Lewisham