BA (Hons) Commercial Music

Course structure

Each semester, you will study three modules, one each for the three main areas of the course.

Commercial Music is unique in UK higher education in that it is the only HE undergraduate programme that allows students explicitly to choose to specialise in songwriting in Year 3. Bath Spa University is host to the annual UK Songwriting Festival, and has developed industry links with the Performing Right Society, the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters, ASCAP, and several successful producers, composers and songwriters, many of whom contribute to Commercial Music teaching. All of the teaching team are active musicians with a portfolio of recorded or published work.

During the second year, you will write, produce, and record your own original work in our suite of on-site Pro Tools recording studios. You will then undertake a three-week national tour, which is used as part of the promotional campaign. The album is eventually promoted on the internet via student-devised websites. Touring projects form the main work-based learning strand of the course, allowing students to negotiate with professional venues/promoters, and to handle their own finances as part of the module.

Year 1

  • Creative Project 1;
  • The Music Workstation;
  • Understanding Popular Music;
  • Creative Project 2;
  • Recording Studio Techniques;
  • Music Industry Anatomy.

Year 2

  • Studio Album;
  • Music Business Skills;
  • Music and the Internet;
  • National Tour;
  • Music Thinktank (Industry speakers).

Year 3

The final year of the programme focuses upon three areas: a Critical Awareness strand, culminating in a research project and dissertation; a Major Industrial Project, in which students run a commercially viable music-based business as part of their studies; and a choice of Creative Specialisms. The three specialisms offered are:

  • Music Production;
  • Performance;
  • Song-writing.

Teaching Methods and Resources

Teaching takes the form of formal lectures, instrumental tuition, practical technology/performance workshops, and visiting speakers from the music industry. In addition, you undertake directed study, which includes rehearsal time and recording studio sessions.

You have access to industry-standard equipment throughout your course. The Newton Park campus has five fully-equipped digital recording studios, running Pro Tools HD and Logic Pro on Apple Mac G5s. There are three additional Apple Mac Pro Tools/Logic Pro labs, each supporting sampling, synthesis and hard disk recording; a total of 50 pro audio setups.

Each of our five band rehearsal spaces includes PA system with microphones, drum kit, guitar and bass backline/FX and performance keyboards.

All course resources are networked, so you can access on-line learning materials and the complete syllabus from any Internet link.

Assessment Methods

Live performance, audio/web-based submission, website, written work and seminar presentation. There are no formal examinations.

Staff and students

Course Director Joe Bennett was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship Scheme award in 2004 (one of only 50 Fellowships awarded nationwide) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the development of Commercial Music in higher education. His work culminated in the creation of the UK Songwriting Festival, which is hosted at Bath Spa every summer.

Commercial Music graduates Chris Blanden and Sam Cross are currently working at Peter Gabriel's Real World studios near Bath and at Trevor Horn SARM studios in London, respectively. 2006 graduate Ian Evans is running his own promotions company IME Music, set up as part of his third year business project in his town of Ilkeston; it is now the town's most successful live music promoter. From the same yeargroup, Simon Drake is now director of A&R at Naim Records, who have also recently signed graduates 'Jumpship' (who wrote their first album as part of the course during 2006).

The band Showing Off to Thieves (signed to Virgin USA - and featured in EA Games' Burnout Paradise) are all Commercial Music graduates.