MA Modern Music Industries
Develop skills while building a portfolio to become an entrepreneur in the music industry. Discover how to network, communicate, and lead others in musical projects. Delve into a chosen area of study that will prepare you to carry out research in a professional capacity.
1/2
years
Full/Part
Time/Part
£8,500
Current Fee
CID1535
Course Code
15 Sept 2025
Next start date
Overview
On our MA Modern Music Industries course, you’ll develop your skills in the music industry to a level where you’re ready to interact with professional companies and industry experts, outside of an educational setting. Learn how to build a portfolio career as an entrepreneur within the sector to a master's level, and discover how to network, communicate, and lead others in musical projects.
You’ll research a chosen area of the music industry that you’re invested in, which will not only give you a deep critical understanding of your practice, but a grounding in research, that can prepare you to carry out research in a professional capacity.
Turn your practice into a set of transferrable skills, by developing your self-efficacy which will allow you to deliver masterclasses, teach others, and work with respected and established enterprises in the music and culture industry.
Why Us?
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Our Music courses are 1st in the north-east for student satisfaction (Complete University Guide 2025)
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This is the only vocational masters degree in the north-east of England that is geared specifically towards preparing learners to develop an entrepreneurial portfolio career in the modern music industry
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With strong industry links and a focus on entrepreneurial skills, NAME provides a course for anyone interested in the music industry to study on their own terms with professional guidance
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You'll develop skills you'll need as a modern music industry practitioner to further your career in today's difficult market
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This course is delivered in Sunderland’s cultural quarter by Northern Academy of Music Education (NAME)
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NAME is run by seasoned music professionals who are still active in the music industry, meaning the course content is carefully crafted from years of collective experience.
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The course provides a distinctive balance between music management and performance-orientated degrees
Course Structure
This course allows you to lead on your artistic progression by focusing on your vocational interests in the field. You'll be taught in small group lectures and seminars but will also receive 1-1 mentoring in your chosen area of practice. There'll be industry liaison guest lectures and guidance to prepare you to work as a self-employed entrepreneur for music-related companies.
Assessment will be mostly practical, requiring submissions of recordings and products, supplemented with evaluations of your work. The course requires a professional standard of practical engagement in the music industry, as you'll set, plan, and create your product, events, and collaborations. You'll be assessed on your ability to pitch, present, and critically think about music industry practice. This will be assessed to an industry standard.
Course Modules
MMIMA01 - Research For Practise
Learn the basics of what i means to become a researcher. Discover the principles of research, such as research planning, ethics and learning the different types of research that apply to different research projects.
MMIMA02 - Creating and Delivering a Masterclass
Explore an alternate income stream in your portfolio music career by developing the ability to plan and execute a one-hour masterclass in your chosen practise. Discover, achieve, and demonstrate your desired artistic best practise.
MMIMA03 - Professional Collaboration
Collaborate and network in the modern music industry with an external professional body. Increase your scope for entrepreneurship by collaboratively working on delivery of a sustainable product. The outcome could be a recording for a publisher, label or charity, or an event for a community group or a networking event for external clients.
MMIMA04 - Composition and Musical Direction
Discover your potential as a composer and band leader. Create 20 minutes of music and then direct a live performance of your creation that can be followed on some sort of notation. You will study different forms of music notation and can even come up with your own style of music notation should you wish.
MMIMA05 - Professional Practise Project
Complete a large-scale professional project that shows a significant wealth of knowledge gained from enquiry into your chosen practise. This practise as research project could be a commercially consumable product with information on the market forces behind selling the product or a funded project that addresses a social function working to a community brief, funded by public money. It will be accompanied by a detailed research report or e-portfolio that shows an informed approach and or marketing plan for the project.