BA (Hons) Songwriting Degree (3 years)

Do you dream of writing the perfect song? Are you an artist who wants to develop your style and musical identity? Our songwriting programme will provide you with the platform to write, create, produce and market your music - all delivered by industry professionals who have worked with the likes of Pharrell Williams, Beyonce, Gwen Stefani and Rihanna. This course is for anyone looking to become a songwriter, music producer, vocal producer, songwriter for film/TV, composer among many other occupations within the industry.

The course will instil the basic principles of songwriting before developing a variety of advanced techniques reflecting industry standard practice, such as stylistic composition and production, the art of lyric and melody writing, including the importance of collaboration and writing to a brief. The aim is to foster learners into professional music practitioners with a thorough understanding of the creative music industry. Therefore, learning will also include Music Production (Ableton Live & Logic Pro), Vocal Production, Mixing & Audio Recording, Composition Techniques, Music Industry, Branding & Marketing.

You will learn: Music Production (Ableton Live or Logic Pro), Songwriting Principles, Audio Recording, Music Composition, Songwriting Styles, Lyrics, Studio Vocal Production, Melody Writing, Art of Mixing, Co-Writing & Collaboration, Advanced Compostion, Writing to Brief, Songwriting Bootcamp, Professional Portfolio, Music Entrepreneur.

Point Blank classes are small to ensure you receive ample 1-2-1 time with your lecturers. Our studios are located in Shoreditch—a global hub of London music venues and bars—and include industry-standard, state-of-the-art technology, from microphones to mixing desks. Please note that this degree programme is currently subject to validation by Middlesex University.

On our higher education programmes, students take part in a variety of intimate lectures (up to 16 students) and workshops. When not attending these sessions, you will be expected to continue learning independently. Independent learning is about taking control of your work, finding out what you need to know and deciding how you are going to study.

During this time, you can take advantage of:

• Our award-winning Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) with bespoke downloadable resources to support your lectures.
• Our state-of-the-art facilities and private practice spaces across two buildings.
• 1-2-1 Tutorials with lecturers to help you focus on your assignments.
• Studio Lab Time with support staff (up to five per week depending on availability) to help you with your technical set up and assignments.
• Extra workshops with music industry professionals.
• Our Open Mic Nights and Point Blank Choir

A degree course consists of academic levels 4, 5 and 6. Each level consists of 120 credits. Each module is worth 20 credits and students are expected to study 10 hours per week per module (4 hours of lectures and 6 hours of independent learning).

Assessment is an integral part of learning and you may hear it referred to as formative or summative:

• Formative assessment (exercise) is designed to give you feedback on your performance and how it can be improved as you study at Point Blank. Formative assessment is an important part of the learning process and has been shown to help students improve both their grades and their learning style.
• Summative assessment is designed to measure the extent to which you have achieved the learning outcomes of a module and therefore the grade you will be awarded. Learning outcomes are the specific skills and knowledge that you are expected to demonstrate as a result of taking a module.

Most students show themselves to be stronger in some assessment types than others. To make it possible for students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills to the best of their abilities, a wide range of assessment types is offered. Students will be asked to produce work in a wide variety of formats including: compositions, creative projects, written work, report, performances, presentations, 1-2-1 discussions, recordings and timed composition briefs. The assessment breakdown for this programme is approximately:

I learned so much from this programme and my lecturers were absolutely amazing. I came from not knowing much about production and mixing to gaining a full understanding of all the tools necessary to make a record. I have used all the resources I learned… it was challenging, which is exactly what I needed to push me out of my comfort zone. - Antoine, BA (Hons) graduate

First and foremost, we are looking for people who can demonstrate a) their passion for music and b) an ability to successfully complete a Higher Education programme. Where conditional offers are made, typical offers will be set from:

• A Level: CC
• BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma: MPP
• We also accept T Levels and do consider a wide range of Level 3 and comparable international qualifications.

If you don't have formal qualifications, don't worry, applicants without formal qualifications may still be considered on the strength of relevant prior learning and experience. We will initially assess your personal statement which should detail any previous study or relevant experience in music. Then the Admissions Team will look at the merits of each application by taking the following evidence into consideration: predicted or previously attained grades, examples of work and relevant work experience. Applicants who do not meet the typical entry requirements may also be asked to attend an interview. Click here for more information on our entry requirements, international qualifications and how to apply.

Being an undergraduate student involves two main expenses: tuition fees and living costs. Students can either choose to pay for their course privately, or alternatively, all of our higher education programmes are eligible for Student Finance loans. Eligible students may be able to apply for a tuition fee loan to cover the full course fees. This will be up to £9,250 per year for courses with standard delivery, or up to £11,100 per year for courses with accelerated delivery. In addition, eligible students may be entitled to a maintenance loan of up to £12,382 per year. The amount of maintenance you can apply for will depend on your circumstances. EU students are not eligible for the maintenance loan. For students wishing to pay privately, we have a number of payment plans available, including annual and termly instalments.  Click here for more information on fees and funding options available. 

Point Blank students enjoy a range of exclusive discounts including but not limited to:

• 50% off NI Komplete, Ableton Live & Roland Cloud
• 30% off NI Kontrol & Maschine
• 25% off Adam Audio & Focusrite