Course summary

Our course will put you in a position to take your place in the many-faceted creative and performing arts industry as a versatile creative practitioner and music leader. As performer, composer/arranger, and musicologist, you’ll encounter an eclectic repertoire: music of different cultures and traditions, past and present, as well as the established ‘canon’ of Western music. You’ll also and have the chance to meet and talk to an impressive variety of creative practitioners and professionals, some as part of our teaching team. At the heart of our degree is music, inventing, performing, and thinking about it. Whether it is western art music of any period or genre, folk and traditional music, or pop, rock and jazz, it gets the same lively-minded treatment in composition, performance, appreciation and analysis. You’ll have access to fully equipped Mac suites, dedicated rehearsal spaces, and hi-tech recording studios and sound design labs, as well as inspiring performance spaces. You’ll develop transferable skills in group work, critical thinking, independent learning and an ability to work creatively and productively with others. We live in the centre of Canterbury, a historic city with a vibrant arts scene. A key partner in our work is the Canterbury Festival, which means you’ll hit the ground running with a first term of intense activity both inside and outside the university, and you’ll have the opportunity to meet practitioners who work nationally and internationally, in concert performances, masterclasses, and Q&A sessions. Top reasons to study with us You’ll have access to excellent facilities, including Mac suites, rehearsal spaces, recording studios and sound design labs, and stunning performance venues, including Canterbury Cathedral. We provide free one-to-one lessons in performance modules and scholarships for instrumentalists and vocalists. Our Canterbury Campus is in the heart of a historic city with a vibrant arts scene, to which you'll make a high-profile contribution. Specialist facilities You’ll have access to excellent facilities, including: St Gregory’s, a historic church that has been converted into a beautiful music venue which seats 150 and has been designed to enhance the experience of the audience and performer. Music studios, in our dedicated creative arts building, are kitted out with in-house instruments and state-of-the-art control rooms sporting both digital sound and video editing software. Performance areas for large and small gigs, and stunning venues, including Canterbury Cathedral. Location This course is run at our Canterbury Campus in Kent. Canterbury is just 50 miles south-east of London and less than an hour by high-speed train from St Pancras. Located on a UNESCO World Heritage Site the campus offers state-of-the-art buildings, right in the centre of a vibrant and world-famous cathedral city. You’ll benefit from a campus with excellent learning and teaching resources, music venues, a superb sports centre, a well-stocked bookshop and plenty of coffee bars and places to eat. A short walk away is Augustine House our award-winning library and home to a vast range of learning resources and student support teams.