Writing music for the moving image has become an increasingly attractive career option. Refine your composition, arranging and production skills and develop an entrepreneurial approach to working in the film music industry.
Film composers garner world-wide recognition for their work, and writing music for the moving image has fast become an attractive career option for composers seeking creative flexibility and a high rate of royalty-based income. Developed to meet the growing demand for fresh talent, our degree in Film Music builds on our established expertise in music production as well as our impressive roster of alumni who have gone on to compose work for independent films, Hollywood blockbusters and studios run by high profile practitioners such as Hans Zimmer.
This is the first course of its kind in a UK conservatoire to focus solely on the composition, production and context of Film Music. It combines one-to-one composition tuition, production sessions in Mac Labs, and a wide variety of supporting topics such as harmony, orchestration and historical, cultural and professional studies.
We have seven mixing rooms, including a studio with a 5.1 surround sound setup and HD projector, making it perfect for cueing up music with film footage.
Our six Apple Mac Labs are equipped with over 100 high-specification iMacs, MIDI keyboards and audio interfaces, as well as industry standard software such as Logic Pro X, Pro Tools and Ableton Live.
You’ll also have access to our unique and vast library of notated soundtrack scores and cues, most of which are transcribed by course leader Brian Morrell.
Each term students benefit from our links with the film music industry through our ‘Film Nights’, where they showcase their work to a live audience and a panel of industry professionals. Previous panel members have included Nicholas Dodd, Composer and Orchestrator (Avatar, Casino Royale and Independence Day); Harry Escott – Composer (Shame, River Deep State, A Mighty Heart), David Julyan (Memento, The Prestige) and Olga Fitzroy (award-winning recording engineer with Foo Fighters and Coldplay).
Leeds Conservatoire's jazz degree was the first in the UK, and over the last 50 years we've become a leading authority in jazz across the UK and Europe.
Our course was the first Jazz degree to be established in Europe. Led by Programme Leader, Jamil Sheriff, and supported by a host of renowned jazz musicians, this highly collaborative curriculum will shape you into a forward-thinking, creative artist grounded in the tradition but with a hunger to take music to new dimensions.
Improvisation is the very essence of jazz, and a way of life at Leeds Conservatoire. We provide a uniquely supportive and collaborative space in which you can explore, experiment and create your own unique sound.
You’ll play with jazz musicians from all backgrounds, from raw talent to polished, and from progressive to purist. You’ll also benefit from working alongside students from other pathways, collaborating with producers, sound engineers, composers and entrepreneurs on your own independent projects.
As well as one-to-one tuition with experts in your specialism, you will form innovative ensembles, develop composition, musicology and critical listening skills, and receive expert advice and instruction from illustrious performers, composers and music industry professionals.
Recent guests have included Mark Turner, Clarence Penn, Nikki Iles, Maria Argiro, Leila Martial, Tim Garland, Champian Fulton, Aaron Parks and Eric Harland.
Rebellion. Tradition. Activism. Our exciting, inclusive approach to folk and traditional music explores music, stories and traditions from all over the world. We explore traditional music from the British Isles and globally, expanding it through innovative performance, composition, arrangement and recording techniques.
You will consider how traditions have evolved and travelled, social movements, protest music, global themes and cultural identity, expanding these ideas through an innovative approach to performance, repertoire, composition, songwriting, arrangement and ethnomusicology.
We believe that being a classical musician today involves mastery of technique, creative application of theory and adaptability – making you at home in any musical context. Our Classical programme is for talented performers and composers who want to break the boundaries of classical music whilst honing and mastering advanced techniques.
You will develop as a performer through one-to-one tuition throughout your studies, as well as broaden your understanding and knowledge, giving you the opportunity to define classical music for the next generation.
Our conservatoire education is characterised by inspirational training with experts in your specialism, all supported by bespoke workshops and masterclasses by high-level visiting musicians.
There are many opportunities for collaboration, such as working with our Production students in the studios, lending your talents to live scores for our Film Music students, playing in the pit band with Musical Theatre students or performing with students from our Pop, Folk and Songwriting pathways.
If you’re interested in studying business but also have a passion for music, then our Music Business course is an ideal way of actively combining your interests. Whether you’re interested in promotion and branding, artist or events management, or copyright and the law, this course will prepare you for the modern music industry.
Our Music Business degree is designed for entrepreneurs who are serious about getting their ideas off the ground. Your business plan is at the heart of the curriculum and we support you to generate your own work. Many of our students go on to graduate with their own fully-functioning business in addition to their degree.
Our students progress into the industry, employed in a wide range of roles from marketing to artist management, PR to publishing.
You’ll spend time with industry professionals and experts who will mentor you on a one to one basis throughout your studies. You will learn how to raise funds, develop strategic plans, build confidence, manage tours, create merchandise, network and engage with decision-makers. Our business hub provides a dedicated space for developing your ideas, networking and meeting your clients.
With a wealth of musical talent around you, you will easily find acts with commercial viability to work. You’ll coordinate musicians, producers and composers for your independent projects. In your second and third year you will have the opportunity to launch your own label with your course peers, offering guidance to student artists on copyright, promotion, marketing, legal affairs and distribution. You will be able to develop your own independent enterprise project in the final year.
This course has been designed with global scope and benchmarked against institutions in the USA and Europe. Our connections with other European conservatoires have provided collaborative opportunities for our students and a number of our students are involved in professional international projects.
This two-year course draws on QMU’s rich and highly respected teaching expertise within the performing arts and provides the training needed to pursue a contemporary career as an actor on stage and screen. It is an articulation route for students who have already achieved an HND Acting and Performance/Musical Theatre or who have completed two years of an appropriate degree.
On this course you will:
- Focus on intensive stage and screen actor training with additional options that allow you to expand your skills to include areas such as community theatre, playwriting, directing, devising and creative entrepreneurship.
- Experience practical and practice-led teaching methods to explore the ways in which the skills you already have can be developed and enhanced to embrace the demands of theatre, media and performance.
- Deepen your knowledge of the fundamental skills of acting, voice, movement, textual analysis and interpretation, examining the ways in which they are deployed and synthesised to create character and performance, on stage, screen and in media work.
- Engage with current industry professionals and organisations.
This course enables you to convert an appropriate existing qualification into a degree and is equivalent to years three and four of an honours degree. You will complete a range of modules each year as outlined.
The BA (Hons) Dance Performance top-up course is structured around the needs of the professional performing dancer in a diverse creative economy. The course will guide you in the development of your technical and performance skills to a high professional standard. Working with leading professionals across the dance industry, you will train in styles such as commercial, contemporary, ballet, jazz, and musical theatre. While the focus of the course is performance and technical training, you will also expand on your skills in choreography, self-promotion, and academic writing to prepare you for the ever-changing demands of the professional dance world.
This programme aims to further your understanding of dance performance, allowing you to become a dance practitioner with comprehensive knowledge of the cultural, creative, and technical elements of your art form. If you are a committed performer that enjoys the challenges of creating and performing innovative dance, then this course is for you!
This programme is an intense year of study, consisting of four modules designed to equip you with the transferable skills required for professional dancers. There are multiple opportunities throughout the year to perform and showcase your own choreography. Each year will feature a performance project led by an industry professional in which you will be directly involved in every stage of development from the initial conception to the final performance.
Our BA Hons (Top up) in Dance is run in partnership with University West London.
The Higher National Diploma in Musical theatre at Addict Dance Academy is designed to equip students for work in Musical Theatre. Each week, students will undertake vocational, practical classes in Acting, Dance and Singing all lead by experienced practitioners in their field, many still working in the industry today.
The HND underpins all of the exceptional vocational practical work with tailored and focused lectures covering a range of topics relevant to a dancer in training.
Whilst on the course you will study units covering Acting, Dance and Musical Theatre.
Addict Dance Academy delivers a Higher National Diploma in dance, a full time dance course designed for training performers who want to pursue a career within the dance industry. This popular course provides professional dance training in commercial dance, urban, jazz, cabaret, musical theatre, ballet, tap, singing, acting, choreography, community dance, pointe work, pas de deux and heel class. All of these classes are taught professionals currently dancing in the industry with Rita Ora, Cheryl Cole, Mariah Carey, and Nick Jonas or working on The Voice, X Factor, Jasmine Vardamon company, CATS the musical, New Adventures and The Royal Ballet.
We have very close links to the industry and its employers, as a result of which all of our graduates are now working all around the world in professional dance companies, on cruise ships, freelancing, teaching, dancing on X Factor and even developing singing careers in Los Angeles!
This intense full time course is full of professional opportunities such as performing in UK pantomime productions, termly performances, agency auditions, dancing on X Factor (both UK and European), performing in dance videos and working alongside professionals to gain experience and industry insight.
If you are dedicated and passionate about dance and think you have what it takes to become a professional dancer, then this course will provide you with all the opportunities for a professional career in dance!
Jazz, Ballet, Commercial, Tap, Acting, Singing, Musical Theatre, Hip Hop, Urban, Performing Arts Industry, Contemporary, Professional Development, Popular Entertainment. Levelled classes for technique.
Our Higher National Diploma in Dance is run in partnership with University Centre Peterborough and you will be jointly enrolled with them, which brings added value to the qualification.
This full time course is designed for 16-18 year olds who aspire to make musical theatre their professional career; be it working in the West End, performing for companies, cruises, cabaret shows, the list goes on. There are many options for a professional career in musical theatre and this two-year course will predominantly focus on singing and acting skills for Musical theatre (both ensemble and one to one lessons) but will also provide the high quality dance training needed to set solid foundations in commercial dance, street dance, jazz, ballet, contemporary, tap, Latin, choreography, and much more.
Working in partnership with Stamford College we place teaching and learning at the heart of what we do, all of our staff are still working in the industry to ensure our students get current training that is relevant and effective. Our staff work in many areas in the industry including choreographing for X Factor, West End and The Royal Ballet and have performed in all areas of the industry, including West End musicals such as 42nd Street, Wicked, Chicago, Sweet Charity, along with many commercial artists like Anne-Marie, Zara Larsson, Rita Ora, and Camila Cabello.
During each year of training our dancers can audition to take part in main stage and showcase performances at Move It London (UK biggest dance convention attracting an audience of 70,000), CYD? Super Convention, Mass Movement and perform in a variety of UK venues as part of our Winter Tour. All students will also take part in termly shows. Alongside these performances throughout the course, students will study four mandatory modules as follows:
- Performing arts skills development
- The performing arts industry
- Personal performing arts profile
- Collaborative performing arts project
Once the BTEC Extended Diploma qualification is completed the students then have the opportunity to audition for a Higher Education course; enabling the performers to complete their training fully qualified and ready for the industry.
Our BTEC in Dance is run in partnership with Stamford College therefore course fees are fully funded and the awarding body for the qualification is Pearson.