Overview
This is an intensive one-year course for professional musicians to gain valuable skills, knowledge, and experience in the field of community and participation to help build a varied portfolio career.
You’re hoping to have a varied portfolio career in music. This diploma enables you to gain a range of skills suited to a multitude of sectors, including health and wellbeing, schools and education, as well as gaining experience with people living with dementia and people with learning difficulties.
By applying for this course you will be consenting to the Academy running an Enhanced DBS check to ensure that you are suitable for working with young people and vulnerable adults. Acceptance on the course will be conditional on this being completed satisfactorily.
Classes and Activities
On this course you will take part in lectures and seminars at the Academy, covering topics including:
- Designing, leading and evaluating projects for schools
- Improvisation and collaborative composition
- Work with older people, including those living with dementia
- Hospitals and health care settings
- Working with people with special educational needs
- Early Years settings
- Cross-arts work
You will benefit from 20 hours of one-to-one tutorials throughout the year, which may be used flexibly. You may wish to group your hours of tutorials into blocks of several hours at key points in the year — for example to explore a specific topic in more depth, or in preparation for a practical project which you would define and lead in the summer term.
You will be required to keep a learning journal over the course of the year. You will be encouraged to draw on this when submitting a reflective portfolio which examines the skills and abilities required for creative leadership, the extent to which you feel that you have progressed, your strengths, and the areas that require further attention.
As well as being offered opportunities to be part of Open Academy projects, you may also be offered placements on projects with some of our partners, including Wigmore Hall, English National Opera, The City Lit, Camden Music Education Hub and Spitalfields Music.
In the final term of the course, you will be supported to design, lead and evaluate your own project.
Please note that as part of the audition process, you will be required to perform on your principal study and take part in an improvisation activity. Composers will be asked to submit a portfolio of compositions.
Entry Requirements
Applicants will usually have a Master’s qualification or equivalent (in a relevant subject), but the Academy welcomes applications from students who may not meet the normal academic requirements.
In order to apply for this course you will need to submit a CV and personal statement (approximately 500 words). In your personal statement please summarise your career to date, explaining your interest in taking this course and how it will support you in your future career.
Your Acceptd profile must include:
- A spoken English introduction video.
- Your audition performance recordings (if you are choosing to audition via video instead of in person).
See Entry Requirements and Auditions for more information.
