Creative Music Technology

BA (Hons)

Intermediate award(s): CertHE, DipHE
Full-Time

This course is available in Clearing, call us on 0845 271 3333 for more information

Our course is taught by lecturers undertaking cutting-edge research and who are recognised as leaders in their field.

James Utting

BA (Hons) Creative Music Technology (Full-time)

“I chose the BA (Hons) Creative Music Technology at Anglia Ruskin University as I felt it was appropriate in aiding my career choice, in a reasonably close commuting distance, because of the modules as well as the prospect of taking on a mainly practical based course.

The course has met my expectations in that it has help direct my goals further toward my chosen career.
I have benefitted highly from the Music for Digital Media module as it help me realise my affinity for composing music for film/games. I enjoyed collaborating with others as well as studying composing for film and also a looking at working with games and new media. The 3rd year Enterprise in the Creative Arts module has help me further analyse the job prospects in my chosen career through my placement at the recording studio. My ambitions are to work as a studio engineer or in post-production, whilst freelancing as a composer for film/TV etc. My course has provided me with the skill set to do this as well as creating strong links with peers, which may benefit me in the future.

I would summarise my experience studying BA (Hons) Creative Music Technology at Anglia Ruskin University as fulfilling, culturally enriching as well as being a great improvement on my skills, hopefully resulting in making me more employable. Tutors were great, modules were stimulating and the support staff very helpful. The overall atmosphere at Anglia Ruskin was brilliant.
”

Course overview

Our BA (Hons) Creative Music Technology degree builds on many years of experience in electronic, electroacoustic and computer music at Anglia Ruskin. The focus is strictly musical, although our degree structure introduces you to a wide range of technological applications within computer music composition. A hands-on approach is adopted at all times and a variety of creative outputs and performance opportunities are encouraged.

Our course aims to develop your knowledge and understanding of the culture and aesthetics of musical composition, realised through the use of electric and electronic technology. You will develop critical thinking and autonomy when undertaking the investigation and creative application of the use of technology in musical composition and related sub-disciplines. Through a continual process of investigation, you will be exposed to a range of musical experiences that will challenge your preconceptions of what music is, and how musical composition is conceived.

Your work will be carried out in the outstanding facilities available within our purpose-built music centre. As well as lecture rooms, practice rooms and a recital hall, we have an extensive suite of computer music studios, which include workstation laboratories, digital editing studios and recording facilities. Exposure to our state-of-the-art equipment will ensure you become familiar with the kind of technology currently used within the industry.

Additional course information

Our course is comprised of a number of modules aimed at equipping you with the necessary theoretical knowledge, aesthetic understanding and technical skills to apply your learning to creative ends within a technological environment. You will have the opportunity, and are encouraged, to learn as much as possible about technology and music, and the ways in which they can be combined to explore new musical concepts. Our course also incorporates an interdisciplinary focus, including exploration of sound and installation art.

Engagement with cutting-edge technologies, including innovative software, such as SuperCollider and MaxMSP, and hardware technologies, including hardware hacking and sensor technologies, means that you will become proficient in all the relevant areas of technological development in the field.

Our course is not designed to simply teach you a number of commercial applications of technology to music, but rather challenges you to find your own path of creativity, informed by a thorough knowledge and understanding of the creative possibilities of sound and its relation to other disciplines.

Module guide

Year one core modules
  • Laptop Musicianship

    Laptop musicianship is a module that provides you with a thorough understanding of the fundamental tools and music theory needed to create music at the computer. Using industry-standard sequencing software, you will learn to use audio and MIDI configurations for recording and sequencing sound. You will learn how to employ audio effects, to record and edit both audio and MIDI, to use software instruments, to automate their mixes, and to manipulate music both in pitch and in time Musical ideas that previously would have required an advanced level of keyboard dexterity can now be programmed on the computer, so freeing you to concentrate on musical issues rather than the acquisition of motor skills. In this module the traditional ideas of music theory are explained via numerical representations, using simple mathematical tools from set theory, algebra and probability. Sequencing software is used to demonstrate the equivalence between representations of MIDI data in matrix editors, and traditional music notation. You are guided through the basic principles of harmonic and melodic construction by an examination of the principles of jazz harmony, which arguably lie at the heart of modern popular music and tonal electronica. The overall aim is to provide a foundational understanding of music theory and software to enable laptop musicians to develop further.

  • Fundamentals of Computer Music 1A

    Fundamentals of Computer Music 1A is designed to introduce you to computer music programming as a means to understand the nature of digital sound and computer music. By doing so, you are encouraged to question your existing conceptions of sound and electronic music. This is enabled through using computer music software that enables creation of exercises in sound from a number of 'low-level' approaches as building blocks to larger musical structures. Practically, the module will involve basic coding in one or more high level programming languages, but is geared toward those who have little or no training in this area. Through these means you will gain important insights into the nature of digital sound and the technical, aesthetic and compositional principles in which it is situated. Principles of sound design and algorithmic composition are explored, both as a means of creating 'evolving' compositions, but also as a method of encouraging sonic reasoning and close engagement with the materials of complex sounds. You will explore these techniques through practical and creative compositional tasks, using relevant programming techniques learnt up to the time the task is set.

  • Fundamentals of Computer Music 1B

    Fundamentals of Computer Music 1B will allow you the opportunity, with the aid of appropriate technology, to understand the importance of the role played by the user interface in the manipulation of sound through computer software. You will have had experience of a variety of such interfaces, but will not necessarily be aware of the structures underlying them, the differences between them, nor their own potential for controlling and developing such environments. You are encouraged to learn to abstract musical techniques from the means of their realisation. This is enabled through using a range of computer music software - especially music programming software - to compare similar techniques using different tools. The history of sound synthesis is explored from a low-level technical basis using programming techniques, in which the key synthesis and compositional techniques are introduced in a developmental manner over the course of the module. An exploration through practical exercises in sound manipulation will be followed by further investigations into real-time generation, manipulation and algorithmic composition allowing development of sonic reasoning. You explore these techniques through practical and creative tasks encouraging engagement with the nature of complex sounds and their compositional deployment.

  • Recording Techniques

    Recording Techniques is a module aimed at the aspiring musician rather than the recording engineer. By working on a number of creative projects, you learn to use computer software for recording, editing, sound-processing and sequencing. You will also learn how to use microphones and will be shown how important their placement is relative to a particular sound source. You will learn about the different approaches to recording that are demanded by particular musical situations, including the special situation of recording the human voice. Multitracking, editing and post-production techniques such as normalising, compression and gates will be examined as tools to enhance the quality of recordings made in different situations. You will be able to work collaboratively by forming and recording their own musical ensembles, with the intention of realising particular recording scenarios.

  • Music Business

    This module is intended to support the development of understanding of the nature of the popular music business in the broadest sense, including the environments in which the sector operates, its performance within these contexts and factors that influence the operation of organisations. You will explore the impact of political, social and economic factors and consider the legal and ethical frameworks informing the popular music sector through an examination of specific case studies relating to publishing, copyright law, distribution systems and marketing. You will also reflect on your current role or potential roles within popular music. The links to the Recording Techniques module will be used to contextualise the outcomes of this module within the specific sector in which you are working.

Year two core modules
  • Creative Music Computing 2A
  • Music in Context 2A
  • Music in Context 2B
  • Music for Digital Media
  • Studio Project
Year three core modules
  • Enterprise in the Creative Arts
  • Intertextuality in Music
  • Major Project

Assessment

In recognition of the practical nature of the subject, Creative Music Technology is assessed mainly through coursework that is collected into portfolios. Your portfolios will include musical items or technological products as well as reflective and analytical writing on those items. Portfolios include compositions, software development, critical evaluations, reports and other musical items and technological products.

Musical concepts of sound creation, composition and performance are grasped through the realisation of tasks with clear, short-term objectives, which contribute to overall learning outcomes. In some instances, it is valuable for you to create some of the portfolio items under timed conditions to replicate the kinds of pressured working environments you may encounter upon entering the marketplace. Performance practice may also be part of your portfolio. This approach enables the use of assessment methods where your work is developed through feedback from course tutors and interaction with other students.

Facilities

Located in purpose-built accommodation, our Anglia Ruskin Music Centre includes lecture and practice rooms, a recital hall, plus our Mumford Theatre, a full-size receiving house for professional touring companies. There is also a group of five state-of-the-art computer music studios for the creation, recording and manipulation of acoustic and electronically produced sound. Our studios house a range of technological equipment, including a wide selection of specialist computer hardware and software. All computers have full Internet and Intranet access and are supported by extensive online facilities and resources.

In terms of instruments, you will have access to five grand pianos, including a new Steinway Model D, two harpsichords, a range of orchestral instruments including alto flutes, two cors anglais, an oboe d'amore, Eb, alto and bass clarinets, a contrabassoon and a bass saxophone and a selection of baroque and Renaissance instruments including a consort of crumhorns, cornets and natural trumpets and a consort of recorders. Our department also has a range of traditional instruments from India (including two sitars), China (including a Chinese zither) and Africa (including a set of Ghanaian drums) and a Balinese Gamelan.

Libraries

Our campus libraries offer a wide range of publications and a variety of study facilities, including open-access computers, areas for quiet or group study and bookable rooms. We also have an extensive Digital Library providing on and off-site access to e-books, e-journals and databases.

We endeavour to make our libraries as accessible as possible for all our students. During Semester time, they open 24 hours a day from Monday to Thursday, until midnight on Friday and Saturday and for 12 hours on Sunday.


IT Resources

Our open access computer facilities provide free access to the internet, email, messaging services and the full Microsoft Office suite. A high speed wireless service is also available in all key areas on campus. If you are away from campus or a distant learner, our student desktop and its many applications can be accessed remotely using the internet. Your personal student email account provides free document storage, calendar facilities and social networking opportunities.

Throughout your studies you will have access to our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), providing course notes, reading materials and multi-media content to support your learning, while our e-vision system gives you instant access to your academic record and your timetable.

Study abroad options

Our department promotes staff and student exchange programmes with Lebanon Valley College, Pennsylvania, USA and Ionian University, Corfu. Performing ensembles and study groups frequently undertake tours of Europe and beyond. In recent years performing groups have visited Italy, Austria, Eastern Europe, Australasia and Cyprus.

Special features

Our creative music technology course offers a distinctive and creative integration of practice and theory, as well as vocational experience. Teaching is provided by first-class, research-active staff who are recognised, nationally and internationally, as experts in their field and who are often professional practitioners. The Anglia Ruskin Music provision was rated 'Excellent' by the Government's Teaching Quality Assessment exercise.

In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, set up to monitor the quality of research in UK universities, 80% of the department's work was judged to be of international standard, with 20% judged to be either 'internationally excellent' or 'world leading'.

Pathway Leader

Dr Tom Hall

Links with industry and professional recognition

We have fostered close links with a range of industry partners, including The Junction, an arts venue in Cambridge, where you can see a variety of theatre and music performance works, Hazard Chase, one of the leading international music management companies, and the Britten Sinfonia, one of Europe's most celebrated and innovative chamber orchestras. We are also an Apple Approved Training Centre.

We encourage composers, performers and technologists to collaborate in creative and innovative performance. Each year there are two or three public concerts of material written, arranged and performed by students. We are a substantial contributor to, and supporter of, the annual Kettle's Yard New Music Mornings in Cambridge.

Work placements

Work placement opportunities are available via our Year 3 Enterprise in the Creative Arts module, which encompasses such areas as music education, instrumental teaching, artist management, marketing, recording and studio work, composition and events management.

Associated careers

Our Creative Music Technology course prepares students for a range of employment opportunities in the digital age. Through its unique synthesis of technological understanding and proficiency, musical awareness and creative application, our graduates are well equipped for careers as sound designers, multimedia artists, programmers, performers, teachers and composers, among others.

Research shows that the study of the creative and performing arts to an enhanced level, provides the ideal training for any position requiring quick thinking, self-reliance, imagination, teamwork and the ability to organise both yourself and others.

UCAS Tariff points: 220 - 260
Additional Requirements: Required subject(s): A-level (or equivalent) Music, Music Technology or related area at grade B
Entry requirements listed are for September 2013 entry. Entry requirements for other intakes may differ.

Please note AS levels are acceptable only when combined with other qualifications.

International applicants

International applicants are encouraged to host their portfolios online and provide us with the URL or submit in pdf format by email attached. CD or hardcopy formats submitted by post to our International Admissions Office are also acceptable but please note that these will not be returned to applicants.

Portfolios should contain 10-15 minutes of a varied music that best represents the applicant?s performance abilities.

Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements.

We welcome applications from International and EU students. Please select one of the links below for English language and country-specific entry requirement information.

If we have confirmed you do not meet our entry requirements you might want to consider a preparatory course at Cambridge Ruskin International College (CRIC), our partner college, based on our Cambridge campus, before coming to study with us.

How to apply

UCAS code

WJ39

Location

Duration

3 Years

Available starts

September, January

Student finance

Open Day

Saturday 22 June
Undergraduate Open Day

Advice & support

Employability

Faculty

Arts, Law & Social Sciences

Department

Music and Performing Arts

Contact us

UK and EU applicants:International applicants:
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