Music & Dance courses

About Music: Commercial Music in Canterbury Christ Church University

Commercial Music develops your skills as a musician in popular music. You’ll have opportunities to perform, produce and compose music (as a songwriter, or for media and film for example), and to develop associated skills in performance across a range of styles for stage, screen and studio environments. Your tutors are highly skilled musicians with real world international experience in the music industries.

You will explore areas including:

• performance
• production
• composition and songwriting
• notation and theory in popular music
• music business and music enterprise

You will gain the skills and knowledge needed to begin a career as a creative practitioner in pathways such as freelance performance and production, commercial composition (as a songwriter, or for media, for instance), teaching and instrumental tutoring. Alternatively, you may elect to continue education through postgraduate study.

Why study this subject?

The Commercial Music programme is a single honours degree programme designed for students with a background in popular music, and with an interest in developing skills in the areas of performance, songwriting and composition.  There is particular focus on the development of performance skills and instrumental technique in popular music styles alongside associated areas of commercial music in production, composition, music theory and music business as well as optional modules in areas such as instrumental & vocal teaching, film music and improvisation skills.  There will be opportunities to perform, record, produce and compose music using specialist facilities which include performance rehearsal rooms, recording studios, Apple Mac suites and surround sound mixing studios. Commercial Music is housed in the University’s new Creative Arts building, along with the Creative Music Production & Technology course and there also are opportunities for collaboration with students on the BA Music course, as well as with other students from other disciplines, such as Performing Arts, Drama and Media.

What can i do next?

The Commercial Music course aims to prepare you as a creative practitioner in performance, production or commercial composition (as a songwriter, or for media, for instance). Graduates have, for example, gone on to work as freelance performers and producers, DJ’s, songwriters, web designers, live sound engineers and freelance instrumental and vocal tutors. Some graduates have elected to continue their education by progressing on to Masters’ degree qualifications and others have decided to train to teach in schools or further education.

Academic qualification equivalents:

• Successful completion of standard 12 th with 60% average and one further year of study

English language requirements (one of the below):

• IELTS         :        6.0, with no less than 6.0 in Writing and no less than 5.5 in Reading, Speaking and Listening.
• TOEFL        :       Total minimum score of 80, with at least 19 in reading, writing and listening.
• PTE            :        overall score of 50 and no PTE communicative skills score below 42

Canterbury Christ Church University Highlights

Canterbury Christ Church University Tuition fee

Canterbury Christ Church University Living Cost

• The weekly living cost for an international student staying at a residential hall/flat/homestay is 384.50 NZD, 305.75 NZD, and 360 NZD, respectively.
• Application deadline for accommodation: December 1 (February intake); May 1 (June intake).

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