HND in Music Technology

HND in Music Production (including HNC Top-Up).

This course can be taken as a one year top-up to the HNC Music Technology or similar level 4 programme or as a two-year programme following on from Level 3

The Higher National Diploma is a level 5 qualification and is equivalent to the second year of a degree. Upon successful completion of the HND, you could progress in education to complete the third and final year of a Music Technology or related degree course at university.

The completion of an HNC in Music Technology or a closely related level 4 programme for the one year course or completion of level 3 to join the two-year HND.

Continue your journey into the music industry by taking your work to the next level. Studying at level 5 is a challenging and rewarding endeavour. You will have the opportunity to work in one of our purpose-built recording studios or production suites on industry-standard platforms Pro Tools and Logic Pro X.

Develop a deep understanding and practical skills in music production, live sound and studio craft. The department has recently benefited from large-scale investment featuring a large and small Mac suite, Mac computers in all three studios, numerous outboard effects and audio processing equipment including an Allen & Heath Hybrid mixing console. Studying at SCG will mean much lower fees than those at university whilst also offering more support and 1:1 time. You will also have exclusive access to our new HE department featuring social spaces, a kitchen and study spaces.

This course is an opportunity for you to enhance your practical and theoretical skills building on those developed on the level 4. You will undertake a number of creative production projects and practical exercises. Other methods of assessment will include written assignments and presentations. Your final grades will depend on the portfolio of evidence you produce to demonstrate your achievements. Your learning experience is enhanced by workshops with professional practitioners and regular performance visits and study trips, in previous years students have had trips to Berlin and Barcelona.

The HND will comprise the following units:

• Creative Research Project
• Advanced Music Production as well as five specialist units.

This course is validated by Edexcel (Pearson).

Your work will be continually assessed throughout the course. The assessment will depend upon the particular module being studied. Typical assessment methods include assignments, developing portfolios, examinations and presentations. Please refer to the Course Specification for information on assessment for this particular course.

For equipment, we highly recommend that you have closed-back headphones with a quarter-inch jack adaptor, a memory stick or hard drive with a high capacity and a journal or notepad.

During the course, you will develop your recording and sound production skills as you explore the finer details of professional audio. You will gain experience in running recording sessions and creating music through technology. Alongside the production aspects of the course, you will complete coursework which explores creative research projects which can be tailored to your own area of interest.

This specialist qualification is a great way to continue your journey forging a career in the music industry as well as those that wish to progress to university. Many have a natural progression route to the third and final year of a degree course. The variety of units offered on the course will help you to develop your independent study as well as your teamwork and communication skills.

On successful completion of this course, you can progress onto a Degree in Music Technology/similar or progress into a career in the music industry. You can top the HND up at university by completing the third year of a full honours degree. This vast industry has many exciting and varied roles including working behind the scenes in film and television; radio production; theatre or live music.

You could become a composer, songwriter, music producer, sound engineer, session musician or event organiser. You could work in the business at a record label or even run your own. You could work in A&R seeking out the next Adele, Ed Sheeran or Coldplay. Other record label roles include pluggers, marketing, sales and merchandise. Fight for the rights of musicians with a job at the Musicians Union or help support artists by working at a royalty collection agency. There are around 196,000 people working full-time in the music industry in the UK, the industry has continued to grow year after year. This course will give you a solid understanding of many of these professions and give you the skills you need to succeed.

To join this course you will first have to register with UCAS at www.ucas.com and then apply through UCAS. (Choose: Sign In–Students–Undergraduate–Apply–Register and follow the instructions.) You will then receive a confirmation email from UCAS and the College will be in contact with an interview date. Current Shrewsbury Colleges Group students should seek support from their tutor before applying.

If after reading this fact sheet, you are still undecided about the programme most suitable for you, please drop in to one of our Advice Events, or ring Admissions on 01743 342346 or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.